Traveling back in time - Labor Day Weekend

Alicia: So ... the exciting events of my niece's birth have delayed this posting (not complaining at all - it was an exciting and fun weekend! - a new baby always trumps). Well, on Labor Day weekend, Brian and I attended the Tennessee Baha'i School but not just as attendees - as teachers! That's right, Brian and I teamed up to teach the preschool kids, ages 4-5. I have taught children's classes in the past but this was Brian's first experience with not just teaching litte kids (short people as his Dad likes to say) but with being around so many bundles of energy. On some days (we taught 3 morning classes) we had as many as 17 kids in the class. Of course, sometimes parents stayed to help those kids who were not quite ready to deal with a bunch of new people all at once, but that didn't always make a lot of difference in the amount of work we had to do to prepare the lesson plans and activities for the day as well as to keep track of all the needs of each of the children, all from diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Needless to say, we were exhausted at the end of each day. However, we were very happy to be of service in this way and it was a wonderful experience for me and Brian as we hope to soon be enlarging our own family - not just in the sheer exposure to so many little ones but in how we as a team work together. It was a great learning experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Well, as you will see below, one of the main activities for the children was a mjor art project where they painted and decorated faces representing each child and then added plants and leaves from our nature walk. The focus of the lesson was to teach the children how even though we may all look different on the outside and come from different places around the world, we are really all the same inside - all one human family. The children were simply amazing. I love being around children as they learn and discover. In the evening of the second to last day, a talent show was held and you will see some video clips below from it. Unfortunately, the video quality is poor and if you adjust your sound on your computer, you can hear the quality of the performances better. There were a wide range of performances but these were some of the ones I particularly enjoyed. Also, my brother Brian and a couple of his friends performed a rap. I know you can't really understand what they are saying, but you still get a sense of the performance and I hope to post the lyrics soon. So, well, enjoy!