School Days

I come from a strong family of teachers.  My mother has a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Education.  She has decades of experience and is now known throughout the state for her work with visually impaired infants and toddlers.  My sister also has a Bachelors and some Masters degree work in the education/child development field.  She is highly sought-after in the field of communicative disorders and preschool education. 

When I went to college, I explored the option of teaching for a brief time.  I emphasize brief.  I can't say enough how teaching isn't my gift.  Don't get me wrong, I love kids.  I just prefer them to be in need of stitches, immunizations or tube feedings.  I gravitate to sick children much more than healthy ones. 

So, when we went to Birmingham for Labor Day weekend, I probed the brains of these women in my family.  I knew I needed to start working with John Mark on a more intentional basis, but I had no idea where to start.  I considered sending him to a preschool, but at the time of registration, we still didn't know if our new home would work out, and I hesitated to enroll him before knowing exactly where we would live. Plus, I'm still just not ready for him to be a big boy (even though he reminds me of it now each time he goes to the potty!).

I ordered the three year old curriculum from ABC Jesus Loves Me and have been really impressed with it so far.  Since John Mark is not quite yet three (only 3 more weeks as a two year old!), some of the material is advanced for him, but throughout the year, I feel like we can work on a lot. 

We started this week with "school".  I prepped John Mark for it the night before, and the next morning, he woke up looking for the school bus.  I think he was a little disappointed that we didn't actually get to ride on the bus.  However, he loved learning about creation, the number 7 (seven days in a week, seven days it took God to make the world), and our Bible verse song (Genesis 1:1).  He even sang his song tonight for Mal and Mal's parents.  I was so proud. 

At first I was discouraged because I didn't accomplish all that the curriculum said I should.  Then, I talked to my sister and she encouraged me that the basic concepts are there, and we're just working on refining some skills.  John Mark is so eager to learn, and I want to make the most of each day I have to teach him.

Today we deviated from the ABC Jesus Loves Me curriculum and made homemade playdoh.  Here's a video of me quizzing him on the colors and shapes, and a little counting, too.  Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com