January 22nd, 2025
Soft-boiled eggs on toast lightly mitigates some inter-grade fighting during studies that morning... mouths too full of tasty food to argue... still, distractions are plentiful... hand lotion, water bottles, hoodies, sister-cooties... “Patience, don't TOUCH it!” Yali exclaims, grabbing his pencil pouch out of her hands... “You'll DISEASE it!” … to return the favor, he then attempts to lick their shared school bus yellow calculator... “Uh, Yali?” I ask... “And you were worried about Patience contaminating your stuff?” “Yeah! She might 'stupid' the pencil pouch!” … Do I teach in the 1950s? … Math class continues with... do they really need to know how many quarts are in a peck? … Do I know how many quarts are in a peck? … “Yali, stop poking your sister with a paintbrush...”
Ten-thirty and Patience and I are back at the old school... after my usual sorting, cutting, folding, and stapling for First Grade, I return to the Spanish room where the young children are mingling around Patience... her personal shadow, "F", holds up a plastic chain “snake” of many colors to Sra. P... “That snake better not have rabies!” she teases... the young girl smiles and holds the “snake” closer, hissing.... “Rabieeeeeeesssssss...” … “Seriously,” Sra. P tells me as the class is leaving... “I could not do today without Patience... she has this... calm... and they listen and she just makes things work with her presence...” ...maybe “teacher” is a future calling?
Back home during lunch, Elmer and I discuss more Google Maps over text... Peru and Colombia, including Yali's birth town and its apparent palm tree farms for oil... also submit a “Picture the Music” teacher feedback survey as requested...
Afternoon spitfires a few more items for the family...
- Library dash
- Creative writing class
- Oxbear and Yali to an appointment in South County
- Puck out to Hidden Valley with J (calls me to troubleshoot a password problem since he can't from his phone)
- Violin lesson at home with Patience
- And... back to the studio for an hour class before dinner
While waiting in my car, take a call from Grandma to discuss her recent (and humorous) experience with eggs exploding in her microwave...
Back at home once more... Puck still out carving up slopes... varying volcanoes of rage between the youngest siblings while watching the new “Wallace and Gromit” movie during a late dinner with Oxbear... pressing buttons and pressing buttons... eventually calm again and lots of laughs for all
“Tots” into bed a little late as I juggle their audiobook reading and my online Spanish lessons, laundry transfer, microwavable warmies for the kids tucked under my arms while putting away chopped chicken, Mexican queso, and sweet potatoes from dinner... before joining Oxbear for more episodes of “Elementary”