Today was surreal. I got the job offer from the principal at school yesterday.
Here it is:
Permanent part-time: 2 hours a day 5 days a week. 9-11am. Taking out kids who struggle in literacy and numeracy and givng them some tutoring.
I said the 5 days was out, but I would talk to Hubby about 4 days.
The number of days took me a back, but after talking to Hubby, it really impacts Tospy less than any other option. Tuesday mornings he will go visiting with Hubby. And on Wednesdays he may even stay in his normal routine and go to playgroup with my friend and her daughter! Otherwise he can go to preschool with me for two hours.
I am really excited about this, but I have felt kind of low all day. Maybe the fact that I am still sick, but also it the end of an era of me being home and ALWAYS accessible for family and friends. So just a bit blah at present. Go figure.
On the sunny side of life:
3 books that I excitedly researched and ordered when I thought I might be a casual teacher (make that 'casual teacher extraordinaire!!!!)' have arrived in the last two days. Books that we couldn't get in Australia, so I know they wouldn't be in most causal teacher's bag of tricks, and that deal with themes from my homeland: Kenya!!
They are:
Handa's Surprise which is for preschool - Yr 1 has a myriad of teaching activities and printable resources online. Topsy loves it and I had to read it over and over today! He loved the surprise ending.
Mama Panya's Pancakes has some info about life in rural Kenya and the famous recipe for Mama Panya's panckes. It has some good themes about sharing and being generous despite having little.
For You Are a Kenyan Child shows some aspects of traditional rural Kenyan life and uses some Swahili repetitiviely so the reader learns the words and their meaning.
I love the illustrations in all the books, and can't wait to use them in a classroom context. In the meantime, we are loving them.
Robyn, I thought it might be fun to bring the books along to the long weekend, read a couple and have them help us prepare the pancakes to go with an African feast. Or something like that. :)
And Liz, this one is for you!
I found these maps called the Kids World Desk Map. They will cover the desk and are the texture of a giant mouse pad. Such detail they have; things you will see in each country, what they produce...(even sharks and other sea creatures in the oceans!) $14.95 at Dymocks. My kids, and I think I already told you this, have used them so differently. Roly plays with his army men on his. Diva takes her everywhere, hence it is a bit battered. Spindles just sits and loks at his, a lot. He probably knows every item on the thing and what country produces it. And Topsy? He didn't get one! :) 
