Friday, September 25, 2009
Food
My friend Lori writes a food blog in Manila and fills it with pictures that make me ache for the Philippines. If you think I'm kidding, check out her blog: Dessert Comes First (DCF). I've also got it on my "My Faves" bar, on the right. Delish!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week 3
I was getting the kids ready for bed by myself tonight, since it was Egger's day to work out. The Girl had found an old dry-erase board in her room, and was busy writing on it while I gave the Baby a bath. Cham usually keeps herself occupied for long periods of time, so I didn't worry about her as I set about the usual nighttime rituals with Tee. About 30 minutes later (after Baby's bath, dressing up, a storybook, and a cuddle), I went downstairs to see what my girl was up to. She had written this on her board:
She's been reading and writing in English for awhile now (she can read "Biscuit" books by herself), but I didn't think she'd be reading/writing in Spanish yet! The teacher (and the mom) in me is thrilled. :)
Cham's doing muuuuch better in school, too. She has a bunch of friends she talks about all the time, and a couple of little girls who have become her close pals. She comes home everyday with stories about music, art, and English class (her favorite, no surprise there). She has endless questions about Spanish words and is always singing new Spanish songs for us. She still tears up a little bit when I leave her in the morning, but we have a routine where I blow her kisses from the classroom window before I go, and the teacher swears she stops being sad the minute I disappear. All in all, she and I are much happier these days!
She's been reading and writing in English for awhile now (she can read "Biscuit" books by herself), but I didn't think she'd be reading/writing in Spanish yet! The teacher (and the mom) in me is thrilled. :)
My little señorita, pleased as punch
Sunday, September 06, 2009
My Little Guy
Tee is a dream! He's like a "textbook" 1.5 -year-old: he sleeps 14 hours a day (3 hour nap and 11 hours-- straight-- at night), he talks/babbles all day long, and he's happy from sun up to sundown. He's also able to play independently for long periods of time-- a result of neglect, I think.There have been flashes of toyo in his personality, though. Sometimes, he'll just hit or tackle his sister for no reason (she's gotten used to it). He loves to grab a handful of skin on someone and yank (which hurts like crazy,) and when you react, he just laughs. Grrr! He's known to slap his dog (we're working on "gentle hands", but poor Rollo!), and one of his favorite games is to run at full speed and slam into Daddy. Fun times.
He loves songs, and will dance to just about anything (even imaginary songs going on in his head). He especially loves "Itsy Bitsy Spider", the theme song to "The Backyardigans", the Jack Black song on "Yo Gabba Gabba", and "Boom Boom Pow". He knows where some of his body parts are: hair, ears, toes, belly. Daddy's also taught him where his poin-toin-toin is (he recognized that one right away).All in all, just a fun-loving little dude! I just love watching him grow...
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Kindergarten
My first-born started Kindergarten this week! These photos were taken on her very first morning as a Kindergartener, hence the bright, shining face and excited demeanor. I was lulled into thinking she would fall in love with everything right away, and therefore did not welcome the drama-filled days ahead...
But that's for later. Cham was thrilled to go to school on her first day. She absolutely beamed with pride when she stood in her Kinder line; even chatted with a couple of girls she'd met at the Kinder Ice Cream Social the Friday before. When the teacher led the line to the classroom, she looked at me, waved good-bye and said, "I love you, Mommy!" Then she turned and walked off, confident in her happiness. I teared up on the way back to the car, half-elated and half-chagrined that my little girl found it so easy to dismiss me. That was Day 1. Days 2, 3, and (I have a feeling) the rest of the days in September (probably even October) were (and will be) far, far different.
First of all, for those who don't know (who reads this who doesn't already know?), let me give a little background... Cham is going to a charter school with a dual-immersion program, where subject-matter is taught in a language other than English (in Cham's case, Spanish). There are different types of dual-immersion programs-- this one is a 90%-10% model. Students start in Kindergarten with 90% instructional time (7 hours) in Spanish, and 10% (about 30 minutes) in English. First grade is the same, second is 80%-20%, third is 70%-30%, etc. until eventually, they receive 50%-50% (instruction in both Spanish & English in equal parts throughout the day) sometime around 5th grade. 90% Spanish means the teacher instructs solely in Spanish, and students are expected to read/write/speak in Spanish only.
Cham's an EO (teacher-speak for English-Only), and save for Dora and summer Spanish lessons, has not been exposed to more than an hour of Spanish a week. Then she started Kindergarten. "Why would you do this to your child!?!?" you ask in horror. To be honest, I was starting to question my own sanity too, especially after seeing her sobbing and wailing on Days 2 and 3. My mind was racing with thoughts like, "If she went to the Magnet school down the street she'd be loving life and probably at the top of her game!" and "What the hell was I thinking, making her go to a school where she doesn't understand anything?" I had flashbacks of my own horrific days in a private school in Manila, where I was thrown into a similar environment and made to swim on my own.
HOWEVER... I'm absolutely convinced of the value in this type of education. Even in my own experience, the times where I learned the most were those times I was dragged kicking and screaming out of my comfort zone and made to do something completely foreign to me. I'm grateful for that one year in Holy Family-- because of it I can actually speak, understand and even (sometimes) read Tagalog halfway decently. I'm grateful for my years of parent conferences at Pomona, where I stumbled through Spanish until I sort of made sense when I spoke.
I don't want Cham to coast through her life thinking she's the best at everything and not really knowing what the word "challenge" means. Cham's a smart girl, she'll pick up on the language soon enough. I'm sure she'll find good friends, and even begin to like her school. She'll have something of a cultural awareness, and I know this can do nothing but good for her future. All this is why I'm willing to endure the present. I'm hoping she learns something about commitment and stick-to-it-iveness, too. It's been hard for me to watch her suffer through all the "newness", but everyday she gets through is another day closer to the light at the end of the tunnel for me (and for her).
Who knew Kinder could be so tough? There are definitely worse things in life. In perspective, she's going to be fine. :)
But that's for later. Cham was thrilled to go to school on her first day. She absolutely beamed with pride when she stood in her Kinder line; even chatted with a couple of girls she'd met at the Kinder Ice Cream Social the Friday before. When the teacher led the line to the classroom, she looked at me, waved good-bye and said, "I love you, Mommy!" Then she turned and walked off, confident in her happiness. I teared up on the way back to the car, half-elated and half-chagrined that my little girl found it so easy to dismiss me. That was Day 1. Days 2, 3, and (I have a feeling) the rest of the days in September (probably even October) were (and will be) far, far different.
First of all, for those who don't know (who reads this who doesn't already know?), let me give a little background... Cham is going to a charter school with a dual-immersion program, where subject-matter is taught in a language other than English (in Cham's case, Spanish). There are different types of dual-immersion programs-- this one is a 90%-10% model. Students start in Kindergarten with 90% instructional time (7 hours) in Spanish, and 10% (about 30 minutes) in English. First grade is the same, second is 80%-20%, third is 70%-30%, etc. until eventually, they receive 50%-50% (instruction in both Spanish & English in equal parts throughout the day) sometime around 5th grade. 90% Spanish means the teacher instructs solely in Spanish, and students are expected to read/write/speak in Spanish only.
Cham's an EO (teacher-speak for English-Only), and save for Dora and summer Spanish lessons, has not been exposed to more than an hour of Spanish a week. Then she started Kindergarten. "Why would you do this to your child!?!?" you ask in horror. To be honest, I was starting to question my own sanity too, especially after seeing her sobbing and wailing on Days 2 and 3. My mind was racing with thoughts like, "If she went to the Magnet school down the street she'd be loving life and probably at the top of her game!" and "What the hell was I thinking, making her go to a school where she doesn't understand anything?" I had flashbacks of my own horrific days in a private school in Manila, where I was thrown into a similar environment and made to swim on my own.
HOWEVER... I'm absolutely convinced of the value in this type of education. Even in my own experience, the times where I learned the most were those times I was dragged kicking and screaming out of my comfort zone and made to do something completely foreign to me. I'm grateful for that one year in Holy Family-- because of it I can actually speak, understand and even (sometimes) read Tagalog halfway decently. I'm grateful for my years of parent conferences at Pomona, where I stumbled through Spanish until I sort of made sense when I spoke.
I don't want Cham to coast through her life thinking she's the best at everything and not really knowing what the word "challenge" means. Cham's a smart girl, she'll pick up on the language soon enough. I'm sure she'll find good friends, and even begin to like her school. She'll have something of a cultural awareness, and I know this can do nothing but good for her future. All this is why I'm willing to endure the present. I'm hoping she learns something about commitment and stick-to-it-iveness, too. It's been hard for me to watch her suffer through all the "newness", but everyday she gets through is another day closer to the light at the end of the tunnel for me (and for her).
Who knew Kinder could be so tough? There are definitely worse things in life. In perspective, she's going to be fine. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)