December 2010

Charlie, who started kindergarten a mere five months ago, is starting to read.  This boy refused to learn his alphabet, as he insisted that he would learn when he started school.  I wasn't worried about his intelligence, as he frequently used phrases such as "Oh, I just adore Maisy" when talking about how he feels about our little dog.  And I trusted that he'd learn what he needed in good time.  So it has been quite a pleasure to see him first learn his letter sounds and names, and now learn how to put them together.  He's rather nonchalant about it all, but I'm very proud of him.  Of course, I can't show that I'm proud of him since he would find it to be a lot of fuss about nothing and just make him mad.  Or frustrated, as he would say, since he tends to like more precise language. 

Our December is flying along.  I can't believe how quick it has been!  I was in the midst of finals week, but at this point I have on last class to go, and it's very low key.  Thankfully, as the others took a bit of time.  I also can't bring myself to stop going to the classroom, being that I feel a great fondness and commitment to the students I work with.  Today I actually had a student say, "Hi, Mrs. Ricci," when I stopped to get gas.  This is a boy who is one of those cool, tough boys but I've developed a relationship with him because he knows that I think he's very smart and capable.  He responds by actually saying hello to me!  Most of the other 9th grade students tuck their heads and act like they hope I don't embarrass them by recognizing them.

The kids are excited about Christmas, of course, and we have to keep reminding Emi to breath.  She starts to pant, taking quick little excited breaths and getting all worked up.  She's also reading a lot, in due to the fact that she got three books from one of the school book-sales.  These books are a series of short, scary stories.  She loves them.  She reads them aloud to Charlie and the two of them get so freaked out that Charlie just shakes his head and says, with eyes wide, "That's so scary, I think I'm going to scream." 

Tonight we are heading over to the cafeteria, for a dinner hosted by the 4th graders.  They are doing a Hawaiian studies unit, and as the first quarter draws to an end the students are displaying their accumulated knowledge by cooking for their families and doing a Hawaiian chant and introduction.  Emi has been practicing in school and she said that the entire 4th grade made laulau for the dinner, a Hawaiian dish prepared by wrapping taro leaves and meat inside ti leaves, then steaming them.