Fall is here.

The last two weeks have changed a lot of things around here! The leaves are just starting to turn color. It is getting colder, and I have started my job. It is quite a learning experience!

The first week was very hard. It made me question this whole idea of working in a bilingual kindergarten. There was so much going on. The kindergarten room was not quite set up completely, still not two weeks later. We had electricians come in while the kids were there, drilling holes and creating lots of noise. We had the furniture arrive that Wednesday. We even lined up the kids to watch them bring in the furniture! Great career day! The room was echoing because of the bareness of the place. Parents were with the kids that first week, which did not help any. We have a very young group of kids- 16 kids 2 to 3 1/2, not the range we were hoping for (2-6 is what we hoped). And they all look at me funny, who is this person speaking funny words! It was harder than I thought to get them to listen to me, and to understand me.

Chris didn't have the best week either, so we took off that Saturday and spent the day at a lake an hour away. It was a perfect day, sunny and warm. The lake was peaceful. We had a picnic lunch and read our books. It was just what we needed.

The next week went so much better. The parents were now gone. We had all the kids the whole day instead of half the group in the morning and half in the afternoon. By noon most of the kids left so the afternoon was much quieter. The only chaos was that the kitchen came on Tuesday, so we had to close for a half day. No way are we having the kids there during the installation of a whole kitchen in the same room as the kids! Thank goodness Melanie stood up to our boss and said no. Last week was enough for the kids to endure. I am getting more comfortable with the language and the kids. It is still hard to get their attention. It takes Melanie no time to get them to come to her, but, hey, they understand her. There are 2 kids that speak only English and 2 more kids that speak both English and German. Those 4 kids listen fine! The kids are comfortable with me, but it is a challenge to get them interested in the activity when they don't know what I am saying. Makes me aware how much we use language in our everyday activities. Body language and motion signals only work so much. I know they, as well as myself, will figure things out.

I am also learning the differences between a US Kindergarten and a German Kindergarten. One of my critiques from my boss was that I was not being affectionate enough with the kids. In the US, it is the sad truth that the child care industry is failing at providing that warm sense of affection when you can only touch a child on their shoulder for comfort if at all. What is the world coming to if the fear of "what could happen" gets in the way with the quality of care that every child should be able to experience. Caring is falling out of the industry because the teachers are too afraid and even told not do anything that may be seen by an outsider to be inappropriate or "sexual in manner." You are not even allowed to give a child a straight forward hug. You have to turn your body sideways for a child to hug you. It is ridiculous and has gone to the extreme in my opinion. It is hard to tell ones motives, yes, but why are we not putting our trust in teachers to know the difference? It is those people that have infiltrated the system and done the wrong that has ruined the possibility that the child care industry will truly be safe and comforting for the child.

This weekend we stayed around here. We went to town yesterday and walked around, did some shopping. Today we cleaned and went to two art museums in town. They are only 1 euro on Sundays. Since everything else is closed, museums are a nice place to go.