Just a Few Things

I haven't really written much about this school year lately.  By the time I get home and spend time with Jacob and Erik and take care of things around the house, my brain is a little wiped out, and I don't really have an easy time updating the blog.  Hence why there have been so few posts around here lately.  But I have to say that right now, I'm really enjoying my 9th grade classes.  With the exception of my 3rd period class.  But I think I'm just having issues with them more so because they're a huge class, and not really because of the kids themselves.  I feel like I've had a good start to the year, and even though I feel slightly swamped at times, I'm not feeling like I'm drowning -- which is how I felt last year.  My schedule makes my day go by quickly.  I teach for three periods straight, have a planning period, teach, eat lunch, have a duty period, and then teach one more class.  So I feel like I'm always on the go.  It seems like our department is pretty strong this year, too.  We have two new teachers, but it feels like they've been with us for longer than a month.  Our school also has a new staff member in charge of professional development, and his office is in our area, and we've bonded with him pretty quickly, too.  So all is good right now in the work department of life.

Jacob is slowly -- very slowly -- starting to speak.  He doesn't say much, but we can make out "all done," "this," "uh-oh," and "nana" (banana).  Sometimes, when prompted, he'll say "dada" and "mama" too, but he doesn't use them regularly.  He's awesome with shaking his head "no," and now he's really getting better at shaking his head "yes."  And in the right context.  He's great at identifying things in his books and around the house.  And he knows exactly what to do when we tell him or ask him to do something.  I guess that it's frustrating more for me as a teacher.  I worry about him being developmentally behind.  Of course I guess that I also know that he probably is okay, and he'll talk when he's ready to talk.  He's always babbling and seems to try to talk.  But it's sometimes very frustrating; especially when he wants something and can't really communicate what that something is.  Unless it's a banana.  And right now, he's all about the bananas.

I really love Jacob at this age.  I'm sure I've said that before, but the fact that he can really interact with us and he gets what we're talking to him about makes him so much more fun.  He loves the playground, and going for walks.  Everything is fascinating to him.  Yet I feel like I sometimes lose my patience pretty easily with him when he's whining or when he's frustrated, but I keep telling myself that right now I have some other things going on that are probably not making this stage any easier.  Erik has been incredible in those times.  He's great at taking Jacob outside or distracting him so that I can have a breather and regain my patience.  There are days when I miss the immobile Jacob -- when I could lay him down in the pack and play, or put him in his swing and get some things done.  But to see his face light up when he helps unload the dishwasher, or when he climbs on the chair to help Erik in the kitchen, I think that yes, those times were nice, but these times are even better.