This week was fraught with problem-solving techniques.  For example, a new student has joined our class.  This student was the younger brother of a previous student, so his mother was more familiar with classroom procedures than other new parents, but the child’s initiation into the class routines was still a little difficult.  However, we decided to pander to the child’s preferences, hoping to cause him to associate good memories with Kindering.  His favorite food, avocado, was served at snack, with his mother close at hand (for the first days in class, the parents usually stay with the child – separation usually occurs within a week or so).  Thankfully, he accepted the food without too much complaint, and we hope that his first experience with the class has been a positive one.

            One pitfall of the week was communication – I can’t say very much about this, as there are NDA’s involved, but I can say that because I had switched classrooms in the first month of interning at Kindering, I missed out on some important instructions and went about a whole process all wrong.  I wasn’t scolded, but my mentor did have to explain what was wrong in the first place.  This could have been avoided, had I more actively attempted to ensure that I was on the same page as everyone else when I switched classrooms last month.

            Once again, I must write of gracious professionalism – I have written about paperwork before, but doing it over and over again, even when it is part of the job, can sometimes be boring.  However, I’m finding that I actually enjoy this occupation – it helps me wind down and gives me a break from a hectic day.  I suppose this goes to show that a little gracious professionalism can yield surprising results.

            Lastly, I need to work on my time management.  This week, when writing my reports on the children after class, I kept going over the time I had allotted myself – by the time I was finished with the reports, I had much less time to file paperwork than I would have preferred.  There is no set amount of paperwork that I have to file every day, and it is important to be thorough in writing my reports, but I suppose I have to be a bit more careful, so that I can accomplish what I need to.

            My goals for this week are still unchanged.  Short term – I need to think of a good semester project, and fast.  Perhaps a journal on one individual child?  That might be a little difficult, seeing as I would have to work around the NDAs.  As for long-term goals, I still hold to my wish to eventually make a permanent difference in the lives of the children I work with, and I do not anticipate any change in that goal anytime soon.