Guardian Angel

Last Thursday in our Faculty meeting in my school we did some artistic work: Wet-on-wet watercolor. Most of us paiting this angel, the guardian of the tree of knowledge after Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise.

Aztec Calendar

Yesterday I started to copy the Aztec Calendar by hand. I will be teaching about the Aztecs and Mayas to my 6th graders in February or March. I thought that as a cool project they should draw the Aztec Calendar and I can teach a little about it. But first I am doing it myself, then I will be elible to require them to do the same. :-)

Cool postcards!

I am very excited. My friend Sky is working on some cool postcards for my show "The Adventures of Don Quixote". I some some drafts today and they are awesome! This is great help. I am planning to do the show again in December.

My First ML!!!!!

What is ML you might be wondering? Well.. it stands for Morning Lesson (also known as Main Lesson). In Waldorf schools (like mine, Spring Hill Waldorf School) school day begins with a two-hour morning or main lesson that focuses on one primary subject for three to five weeks at a time. The teacher has time to enter each subject in depth and to approach it in a variety of ways creating an experiential learning environment. The children create an ongoing record of subjects in their “main lesson books,” special books the children fill with compositions, observations, diagrams and illustrations.
Even though I am a Spanish (subject) teacher and I don't regularly teach ML, this year I will be teaching it once a week. Either to sub for the class teacher or to let that teacher go and observe another teacher.
It was fun, besides some physical activity (jumping rope and movemenexerciseses) I got to teach a guided drawing of Buddha and read a story about his life.

Full full week

Every time I talked to my friends I can't help but talk about my week (and my weeks to come). I am doing so many things. I need to learn to say "no" :-)
So far I am teaching 21 contact hours of Spanish to children, I am taking 9 credits at MCTC (3 classes and 1 lab), I am working on my solo "The Adventures of Don Quixote" and I just got cast for one more show at Bryant Lake Bowl with Sandbox Theatre. I am also the editor of a Newsletter for Spanish Teachers in Waldorf Schools and the communication person for all the Foreign Language teacher (in WS) since we are trying to form an Association.
When I talked about all that, thought, it never sounds like a complain. I am very energized and happy with all these activities. I just need to concentrate and balance them all.

First day of school!

I had my first day at school today and it was exciting, energizing and exhilarating. I am very very tired after teaching my first 4 classes of the year (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th grades). But you know, tired but happy. I am sure most teachers reading this know the feeling. All the celebrations, assemblies and festivals at my school (http://www.springhillschool.com) are really lovely but I find Opening Ceremony the most touching and significant one. Besides the always heart warming Rose Ceremony, where ex-kindergarteners start a new path into 1st grade, this year we had a Sixth grade for the first time, with a new teacher, Peter. All our school is very excited (and busy) as we move into the middle school grades. I had a great summer, and I really enjoyed my free time (and the not-so-free time as well) but I am very happy to be back at school. Working with/for children is the best!