So the real advantage to teaching at RJ's school is that I can spy on my kid. I can eavesdrop on her conversations at recess ("Um, I'm actually a REAL nature girl...") and pop in to her classroom any day and watch the cute idiocy of the kindergarteners as they tumble over each other, chew on their hair, and pat each other.
It's delightful seeing her thrive and adapt in this new environment-- All Hawaiian language, all the time. At first she only complained about it, but now she delights in showing off her language, and making sure I know when I sound like an idiot.
"NO, Mom. It's loa'a not aia." I hear a tinny distant echo of my own 6 year old self, making fun of my dad's accent in Dutch. I'm happy for the cosmic come-around.
A few weeks ago I took the high schoolers and went with the K-2nd graders for a fishing trip. They first learned all the parts of the fish, learned a song about the fishes, then they made their own bamboo fish poles, complete with real tiny hooks, and then sat in a precarious long line of wiggly little kids on a pier and tried to snag some actual fishes with wads of stale white bread.
Rosie was very impressed with my big students' knotting and tying skills. The big kids are so protective of the little ones-- bossy and demanding, too. The teenagers policed the teeny-tinies much better than I could have...
Where are all the darn fish? Nobody caught anything. But it was still fun.
For me, anyway.
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