Woah

I am so excited about the month of december. I am getting ready our Advent calendar for the class room as well as a whole month of advent related things. I have researched Hannukah and Kwanza, talked to my boss, and have everything ready to celebrate the top three religious ceremonies for the USA. Now if I could just get the two other two year old teachers off my back. They want to do everything I am doing, their own way, and want me to follow their way, while not doing anything at all. I have done all the researched, emailed them the stuff, printed a copy for myself and am all set. I get a text today about how they don't care for this advent calendar and want ME to find a new one... I'll be damned if I am going to find a new one. HAH!

I am also started a second blog on this account for my montessori stuff. I am going to keep Long Journey Home adoption related, and hopefully get some new content in here.

I haven't created the Montessori blog yet... I am giving that addy to my parents at school... and you are all welcome to read it as well and give ideas. I base all my teachings in my classroom off of homeschooling... and with it being a religious daycare I teach at, I will be bringing religion into the mix.

Enjoy.

Contest

http://www.goodhappenings.com/?p=571#comment-9734

Laurie is holding a pretty nifty contest over her way! Go check it out!

Schooling

So today was a very interesting Summit training session. I enjoyed most of what I dealt with and truly came to learn a lot about the Montessori method.

As of right now, I have no method in my 2 year old classroom. We are traditional, Creative learning.. which is a way to say "we have a routine, but that's about it". I am trying to structure this now that I know my kids (even though I am getting 3 new ones and having 2 transition up to the 3's on Monday) so I decided to step back and regroup.

I have always used the A Beka approach to teaching before. That was the "method" used at my last daycare centre. Now I am the sole teacher and I must adapt my own method. So I started my research back in August of the different methods... and completely wrote off the Montessori cause I have never heard good things about it. I have been attempting child lead, but alas, it's not working all that great for me as my children lead me directly to messes. :)

That said, I am researching Montessori and hope to be able to make a post about it later when I have a bit more information. But what I do have now is amazing.

What is your favourite type of child learning for preschool/early childhood education?

101 Questions

Okay, not 101, but a few.

I am pondering over closed VS. Open adoption. I read DEBBIE'S blog daily and after waiting for a Russian adoption she opted instead for an open domestic adoption. I read a few other blogs she links out religiously and I often wonder... "Open VS Closed".

I don't want to seem closed minded... not at all. Open adoptions seem uncomfortable to me... I'll be perfectly honest. I have wanted closed adoptions from the begining, which is why foreign adoption seemed so right to me... it was where I was being called. And now I am in a different seaseon with my life and find myself looking at open adoptions, domestic adoptions and adoption through the foster care system... all of which have been shown to me by people who I look up to in the adoption world.

That said... I often wonder... Why open? Why the need to have the birth mother so close? What if the birth mother doesn't want to BE that close? Is open good for the kids bonding times? I mean, if they KNOW this other woman was their mum, that's one thing, but to be in monthly or whatever contact with her, couldn't that confuse the kid? Does confusion become greater as the kid gets older, teh feelings of resentment over "Well, why did you choose not to keep me but kept them?" (I know a woman who gave up her 8th kid, but kept the other 7.) Couldn't that cause confusion for the kid over parents VS PARENTS?

I sound horrible, I know that, but these are all honest thoughts in my head, and dammit this is my blog. If you don't like my honesty, go away :)

that all said, I'm sure I'll add a million more questions to this over time, and as our adoption gets closer (HAH! I've come to think it'll NEVER happen :( ) I'm sure I'll have a million more questions.

thanks,

Hawk

It's been time enough

It's been time enough now I can look at this blog and smile. Adoption is on hold at the moment, and foreign adoption is looking bleaker, but alas, it will happen when it is time.

But, until then, I didn't want to abondon my blog completely... but I didn't know what to do with it. this is my adoption blog... it was never meant to be anything BUT my adoption blog... but now.. it's going to be an over all children blog.

I will still post questions and concerns about adoption I have, as well as bringing up other things. I teach preschool for heaven's sake... if nothing else I can give a little insight to how I teach as well as great things to do with your kids.

So, here's to hoping this blog becomes something greater than it's been since May... here's to hoping I can get on the ball!

~Hawk

Been a while

Been a while since I posted anything... why? I dunno. I haven't posted on any of my blogs lately. I suppose I need to get with it eh?

Life is going okay. Getting ready for prek graduation.. where the 2's will sing 4 songs and then the 3's and pre-k will sin ga few songs together and then the pre-k will sing a few songs all by theirself. I am so excited because 3 of the songs we are singing we are signing as well. I have been using Signing Time! for over 3 years now and I am excited to say that it has worked amazingly!

I dunno what else to blog about at this point. I suppose I need to start blogging about such things as what I know about childcare... who knows.. perhaps someone will come round and read it someday! lol.

Later

Hawk

It's been a while

and I doubt I have any readers left... if I had any in teh first place.

A lot has changed and time is flying by.

I am still pursuing the dream of adopting a child from Russia.
A lot has changed and hopefully I will be able to catch up blogging! I still read daily the blogs I love adn have added so many to my list (mostly from Debbie's side bar! She is a wealth of blogs!).

~Hawk

Been a long while

I dunno.. I don't know wha tot say here righ tnow.

I have signed up for fost/adopt placement classes.. whcih should be interesting...

Works been a whole lot of suckage... I have an autistic kid, a sensory disorder kid and a FAS kid... which makes my days very hard to organize and schedule.. and I enjoy organization and a routine in my classroom. today alone I was bit, hit, kicked, smacked, scratched and called every curse word in the book by my FAS kid. His log book that I keep on his day is VERY long today... as all day he was a problem (and sadly he goes to school for 4 hours a day!). I just felt like sitting down and crying today... tha'ts how bad it was.

Not only do I have the children to contend with, I have the other teachers. I had a pretty large fight with another teacher about Islam and the principles and terrorism... and I wanted to smack her.

I feel like every day since last thursday (sans sat and sun of course) I've taken a phsycial beating at work and come home... deadtrodden. Not wanting to move.

Goodness I need a vacation.

Another blog I read linked his out.. and I thought it fit very well into the conversation I had today with Smokey the bear (coworker).

enjoy:

Priviledge meme

I saw this about on a foster parent site...

1. Father went to college for one semester
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college Mum went to a nursing school to become a Doctors assistant... it was a 12 month programme... but she graduated
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. Mum was and still is HUGE on books... always.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 Karate, softball
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. HAH! I wear gothic punk type clothing... generally we are preaching anarchy or something!
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp uhm.. church camp for free!
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels Hell no.. da had a big white van!
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child. A la Fox, Thunder and Hawk!
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house I dunno how this relates to privledge.. but okay...
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school. Hand me down of Fox's
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. FREE for kids under 11 at one gallery here... totally our families style!
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.