The Benefits of Volunteering

Last week, as I tore around Beth's school in a mad rush on Tue, Wed and Thu doing volunteer work, I thought: I really enjoy this.

When I read with the kids, I get to know them, see a different side of them, and earn the opportunity to help them with their quest for literacy.

When I do yard duty, I am a law enforcer-cum-peacemaker. Kids come to me for help to mediate disputes over sharing of space and facilities, to have a chat about random subjects, and to interpret fairness in games. 

Playground politics is a potential minefield and I have to be extra sensitive and vigilant to make sure every kid gets a good time and stays safe.

When I help out at swimming class, it gives me a chance to socialize with the kids, to smile at their youthful energy and antics, and to appreciate the vulnerability of those who aren't naturally sporty.

Next year, I plan to be even more active in serving at school. If my schedule permits, I want to read not just with Beth's class but also with a more senior class. I've been told that as the kids get to higher levels, the parent volunteer rate drops out because moms go back to work. I would love to work with some of the older kids and help them with their reading. 

There's a huge disparity between those who can read and those who struggle. What better way to help reverse the poor literacy rates in Victorian schools than to start with the children in my daughter's school.

Musical Progress

Emailed Beth's Yamaha teacher recently to share our observations of Beth's progress and to ask if the teacher would consider tutoring her one-to-one.

CA and I are concerned that the weekly one-hour classes are too much for Beth. After 30 mins, she loses concentration, starts yawning and getting fidgety and actually slides off her bench. Not all kids in her class are like that; some have remarkable self-discipline.

Her teacher's responses:
She will observe Beth's performance in class and talk to us about it.
She only accepts students for private tuition when they're at least 8 y.o.
In the interim, she recommends Yamaha as the best learning format for young children.

I might switch Beth to a weekday Yamaha class next year so her Saturdays aren't so packed.

But that also means she'll have one more weekday that's crammed with after-school activity.

Dear Zoo

J picked up Dear Zoo yesterday, a gift from our pastor's wife when J turned one.

We read the book several times together at J's insistence.

I would introduce the name of an animal, and she would copy me.

After a while, she got quite good at remembering what's what.

Today, she was able to identify

• the monkey (pronouncing "monkey" perfectly + bonus "ooh ooh ah" sounds),
• the snake ("nake!" + swirly hand motion to signify snake slithering),
• the lion ("bah!!" to mimic its roar),
• the frog ("fog").

Of Termites And Foundations And Learning The Keyboard

Beth has a tendency to give up at the slightest whiff of hardship.

I managed to get her on the keyboard today after much cajoling and then threatening. We got through one piece, but when it was her turn to play, she began crying, saying it was too hard. (Her job was to play with both hands, with the left hand making up two-note chords.)

This left-right coordination is of course not an overnight achievement, and I had to tell her a long story about how many years it had taken Mummy to learn the piano (17 years!) and how many hours of practice Grandaunty made me put in each day (4 hours!).

We talked about the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand, and what happened when the rains came.

We talked about how a house is built from the foundation upwards, not from the roof downwards, and the importance of laying a good solid foundation.

We talked about what termites can do to timber.

At the end of all that, my voice was hoarse, but I was pleased that the message had been received with the right spirit. (Or so I thought.)

Beth promised to give it another try.

She sat down, hit the wrong notes, and promptly burst into tears.

I told her if it takes ten tries to get it right, that's what she has to do.

"I think I'll try a bit more," she sniffed.

She got it right on the next attempt.

"Good job Beth!"

"I think I'll try it section by section."

"What a clever idea! I'm proud of you for suggesting it."

At least she's willing to try.

What Were You Like As A Baby?

Dear Parents

As part of our creative writing program, your child has had the opportunity to write about they were like as a baby. It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide a baby photo of your child to complement their wonderful work which is to be displayed.

Thank you so much for your continued encouragement and support.

God Bless,

Leah Holmes
Prep Teacher

Note:

• School is so fun!
• I dug out Beth's baby photos to find one for school. It's weird how much alike the girls look as tots!

Ask And It Will Be Given

Don't you just love how transparent kids are?

"Hug! Hug!" says J as she comes up to me, arms open wide.

She won't take no for an answer.

I have to stop whatever I'm doing and pick her up. She snuggles close, smiles at me as if I'm Heaven's answer to her prayer, and is contented.

"Kiss?" says J. She takes hold of my face with her tiny hands and plants wet, sloppy kisses all over my cheeks.

Even if she's having a runny nose, what can I do? Say no? Shrink from her?

I'd rather 'kena' a virus than make her feel unwanted or rejected.

Beth's Gifts

"Australia seems like my birthplace," enthused Beth as we walked home from school.

"The roads are so familiar. The trees are familiar."

I paused in my pram-pushing to look at her.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is only 6. The way she goes on sometimes, she's like someone much much older.

She seems to have a knack for finding the right word to use too. Most 6 y.o.'s would say "the place I was born" or something similar, not "birthplace". I guess all that reading helps.

Beth went on with her soliloquy.

"If you ever forget how to drive...remember I'm only a little girl. I have my whole life in front of me."

"Did you make that up or is that something you learnt at school?" I asked, astonished.

I had in mind some Victorian Government Arrive Alive road safety propaganda.

"I read it in a book," she grinned, very pleased with herself, and went on reciting more bits from said book that were too brain-taxing (for me) to remember.

"You know," I mused, "If more children said that to adults, maybe there'll be fewer road accidents."

The conversation turned to whether it's better to be dead or to survive with injuries of a debilitating nature (like not being able to talk or move again).

"It's worse to be dead," asserted Beth. "You can't eat or drink anymore."

I think Beth will excel in Speech and Drama, and maybe Spelling Bees too.

Beth is reading Secret Seven!

Beth has moved on from fairies, unicorns and Go Girl! to Enid Blyton.

I remember Enid Blyton for her Don't Be Silly Mr Twiddle stories, but Beth has taken a shine to the Secret Seven series.

She's working her way through each title and her teacher contributes readers from her private collection at home.

Potty Training

Dropped J off at daycare this morning (relief!). Her carer stopped story telling long enough to let me know that the staff have been potty training J and she is doing well.

Good girl J! :-)