seConD dAy...

Okay. A breath first. And this will be relatively short, just to let all of you who've expressed curiosity about my experience, and kindly care, at least a little, whether I've made it this far, that YES I have, and this is what I've been doing...

Well, the first point of triumph for me today is that I am still awake to be writing this! I really was taken aback by the extent to which I felt engulfed, entirely, by exhaustion yesterday and by a need to process, but also to let go of the day and all of its surprises and obstacles. I slept so deeply, but awoke refreshed and optimistic about the day ahead. I had only two classes today, still back-to-back, but a dreamy situation compared to that which I have tomorrow-- Recess Duty, and then FOUR in a row. Met Grade 3 first-- and they were adorable, bursting with energy but able to be a bit more controlled and directed on their own [at least today!] than Grade 2. Tried a new Name Game with them that involved clapping syllables and moving in concentric circles... Sort of worked-- at least I learned their names mainly and they were mildly entertained! Did some balancing/trust exercises that were fun-- with the whole group and then in pairs [social dynamics; wow, a whole other story!], and then played a quick game of Laughing Statues [group of students are stony-faced statues and the rest of the students are responsible for making the statues laugh without touching them-- when they do, they sit; last person standing wins-- I turned out to be the ultimate "laugh-maker";)]. Had a race back to the classroom, both to get them running just a bit more and also because I was going to be late for Grade 6...which I was anyway-- but what was great about being with Grade 6 today was that it already felt a little familiar, even after just spending one class with them yesterday-- and this definitely helped me to feel more grounded and sure of myself, which is something that's been distinctly lacking in these last days. We had a FULL to bursting lesson-- a Ms. Greta led Follow-The-Leader warm-up ending with running, disguised yoga, trust/balance/core building exercise, and then a game of Steal the Bacon [the chosen theme was CANDY]-- stupidly boys vs. girls. I won't make THAT mistake again---oooooh the drama at this age, in this class. There were some tears over a little rivalry between unaware crushees ;) but really, it all went smoothly as far as I'm concerned and they seemed to have a good time. MAN can some of those kids RUN! I'm disappointed not to have had a chance to re-time the relay but there is certainly more time in the year ahead... This is going to be a fun group...

I am going to wait until I am in a more reflective space to actually offer some reflection on anecdotes. For now, thanks for your patience with these unprocessed pieces, but I hope it gives you a little glimpse into this beautiful chaos! And wish me luck tomorrow!