Day Two at Big Cove!

Dr. Bryant has kindly agreed to let me stay in my classroom at Big Cove Head Start!! There is a student starting at the school this week; he has Down's Syndrome. He is the sweetest child, but does require quite a bit of energy & supervision. I started my day attempting to get him to eat some oatmeal - this ended horribly [he took three bites & then every other bite he didn't push away was spit up]. This week he is staying only part of the day with the hidden supervision of his mom & sister. Next week, he will begin to stay all day, with a speech therapist & physical therapist coming to the school once a week to work with him. After breakfast we had "circle-time" as is routine. Part of "circle-time" includes some time of song [about numbers, letters, body parts, etc.]; today, we sang songs about 5 little ducks, 3 little monkeys, & the "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes". Watching the kids sing & dance to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes" was the most hilarious & precious thing that I have probably ever seen! They kept speeding up with each verse & eventually the whole classroom was rolling with laughter.

After this, we started playing inside. While some of the more advanced students played & worked on their social skills, we pulled a small group of students over to one of the tables to work on writing their names. Most of the students wanted us to write their names for them over & over, but after some time each of them had written their name several times - some letters more legible than others. Soon it was time to go outside again. I enjoyed this time a lot more today because I was dressed in a way that allowed me to run around & play with the kids. The child who has what I will call a "mishap" yesterday has found a very soft spot in my heart. If I had the time, space, & time, I wouldn't think twice about snatching him up and running away with him [well, maybe I'd think twice to avoid kidnapping charges]. From what I have been told & witnessed, his home-life is not fabulous. Despite this, I think he is one of the most joyful children I have ever had the pleasure to interact with. I ran around after him basically the entire hour we were outside. Every time I would stop running after him, he'd turn around a roar at me :] When it was nap time, I sat in the rocking chair to read Curley - however, between the rocking, the cool air being pumped in the room, & the sweet quiet of children's snoring, I PASSED OUT!! I woke up after what I believe was only about 20 minutes, for the kids were still very asleep.

I talked to my teacher & assistant teacher about Dr. Bryant's book, Curley, & the Swayney family. The child that has found a soft spot in my heart, my teacher assistant, & the teacher assistant in the other classroom are all Swayneys [or were Swayneys at one time]. They were telling Lisa [who was there with me today] & I about some of the Swayneys they knew of & how Dr. Bryant could go somewhere [don't remember where] to track his family history. They also said that since they are "family" they should get a free copy of Curley to read! I can't wait to see my kids again tomorrow :]

~ Kristy