Mgt, an Interesting Character

Mgt is a jumper teacher in our school. An actress by former profession, working off and on in TV, studying languages in university for a higher academic degree at the age of 50 something which she had gladly rejected in her student age and a teacher side by side, Mgt is really a nice, warm hearted and an interesting person.

She can speak more than 5 languages: German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, English and maybe even a few more.! This is something I would love to be able to do some day. She can play music, sing and dance; she looks remarkably smart even in her 50s. She handles children rather well, to be frank, a lot better than some of the others and you know which people I am talking about. She also has a habit of simplifying instructions so that they are easier to follow - something which I have perceived only in myself and feel frustrated at the bumbling way the others do it.

But her most remarkable and a bit funny characteristic is her ability for speaking continuously without giving you a clue of what she is trying to say. Another is to leave off her sentences unfinished hanging in mid air which are almost immediately replaced by a new sentences and they are often not connected. For example, if she wanted to say, she has throat pain she would say something like this:
"Aaah, yesterday we had ....some lessons....and you know it is brilliant how they sing now.Ya, they sing brilliantly. I admire them a lot. I sang a lot and while.... But, actually I was doing this what you call it...er...well ..Okay...I had a discuss with Rd, he is my well, first he was boyfriend a very good boyfriend but now he is ...I married him and he is now my husband. I told him I can't do it.I really cannot cannot actually talk. there is some...something in my throat like...like...what you say...pain.  Not a lot like it is very much and I can't eat and but I can eat. it is a little just a little something hurting like... I go to my doctor; he lives very far and but...Today I feel not so... up ...and so like..when you do this...get up in mornings and can't get up like somebody was heavy like ...I got up today in the morning and Rd said hey, you look different. I looked in the mirror and yes...I was like....! I don't know what is turning inside my..my stomach. I get it not good in my all body and singing Oh no, my throat is...doctor has said,all is okay with you but you must keep care and I am not allowed to ...er..er... I am not allowed to speak louder but the doctor has also said and he is a good doctor. I trust him a lot. he has said what did you do to make it bad and I said I don't know how this is happening..."

And you are left wondering what was she trying to tell you about; her music lesson, her husband, her doctor, her stomachache or her throat pain..! And dare you ask to clarify your doubt you will be led into another labyrinth of words and words till you realize that there is no way you could solve it.

There is however one remarkably easy way to avoid getting lost - keep nodding your head and keep dropping timely exclamations  "Oh...! Wow!, Really? How bad!

It is better to know what you are doing rather than to discover what she was doing..

Sorry Mgt, I am not making fun of you. You are really nice. Maybe it is just because English is a foreign language for you and Germans don't speak it very well...

Fr's Mama and Cl get upset

As per yesterday's decision, we gave him a pull up and kept taking him to toilet every half hour or 20 minutes leaving aside every other task. Still sometimes there was pee in his diaper. Looked like he was emptying his bladder even if there was a spoon or a half of pee in it. Once while he was peeing in the seat his bodysuit's back bottom part which is always quite long fell into the pee bowl and got wet. We changed him and decided that we will tell his mother today that since he is on potty training he can't be given bodysuits anymore as he can't manage them by himself; he needs to be given proper vests which he can pull up or down himself.

The chance to tell this didn't arise. The moment she walked in and saw the bundle of wet bodysuit she flew into a temper. She stormed into the classroom where Cl was and demanded in an insultingly loud, insolent and angry tones that how did his bodysuit get wet. Cl tried explaining but she wasn't ready to listen and made some comments which meant she was sure we were not taking him to toilet. Knowing her character, I had anticipated something of this kind due to which even though it was my time to go home I had still been lingering around just to talk to her and avoid any ugly situation. But by the time I entered into the argument between Cl and her Cl had already taken offence. She looked hurt, angry and so upset that I really felt very bad for her.  

The situation was bad but somehow due to my straightforward and crystal clear talking the mother's anger and confusion cleared in a minute and she started apologizing to Cl but Cl excused herself and went inside really bruised and incensed. I tried my best to pacify both of them but personally I feel Cl has a right to be angry at being accused and mistrusted like this. We have worked so hard to deliver maximum satisfaction to children and parents but if they still distrust us and actually think that we shirk from our duty than that's just not done.

I later saw the mother talk to My and then go into the office to talk to Stf. Maybe she was only talking about something else or maybe complaining about us regarding this incident...I shall discover on Monday.

First Meeting in the New Session

Today was our first meeting of the new session. Not that I expected anything new.

The biggest news is Mz is getting married to her Nepalese boyfriend this October. I wish her good luck.

As usual there was nothing of substance to discuss in the meeting except plain gossip" My mom believes strongly in Astrology.","I have got a lovely tan.","Where did you get your haircut from?" You begin to wonder if you are in an official meeting or in a housewives monthly get -together.

 My timings in the school are from 9 to 2 pm. I arrive 15-20 minutes early everyday and start working with children immediately while several times I go home late due to discussing children's issues with their parents when they come to pick up their children at 2 pm. I asked Mz if I needed to include this extra time in the extra time log sheet. She replied that since my timings were from 9 to 2 pm I need not start working before 9 am and I need not talk to parents at all; if there is any issue to be discussed they should make an appointment to talk to the teachers.

This just won't work for me. Everyday I strive to reach my classroom as early as I can because that's the time most of the children arrive; the new ones are mostly wailing; while there are plenty of other teachers also in the room who look after all the children irrespective of their group, still small children tend to be more attached to their group teachers and respond to them rather than other teachers. In fact the new ones when they enter the class and do not see their group teachers often take serious fright and want to run away. Of course Cl is also there but I feel bad to imagine her managing all the new children all alone.

And then there is the task of talking to the parents. Nobody in the school likes to talk to parents except I and Cl. There are so many important communications to be done with them and informing them of how their child is doing. It seems easier and right to me to keep giving regular reports of the children to the parents whenever I chance upon them rather than mechanically waiting for an interview to tell the same thing which will in all certainty lose their impact and importance due to lapse of time. I agree it is not very important but it is good.

And also because that's the only time I ever get to even see the parents. I have just realized that if I don't talk to parents they may just never know who the hell I am in the school...

For the first time Mz is right. It would have seemed like blatant exploitation if she had said I needed to come earlier and go later without adding it all up as extra time. I am glad it is completely up to me to devote my extra time according to my convenience. 

Fr the poopy boy

Fr is a super super cute little Spanish boy who is barely two years and 4 months old now. He was admitted in our group about 3 months ago and not only us but the entire staff instantly fell in love with him. His mother is also a nice lady but Cl and I had often sensed that she worries a lot regarding Fr and no matter how much she is reassured she just continues to worry.

Well, after the summer vacation, we learnt with some shock that from now on Fr won't be wearing diapers anymore. He seemed hardly capable of handling potty training as he still doesn't speak much, doesn't understand what toilet is all about and is still quite dependent in all his activities.

So since the first day of the new session we have only been changing his wet clothes the whole day long. He never tells us when he wants to pee and the mother suffers a massive heart attack every time she sees the bundle of wet clothes he produces everyday.
In addition to pee there is also the poo sometimes and while pee soaked clothes can still be handled without too much misgiving, poo laden clothes certainly cannot be. It was almost becoming impossible for us to manage the group with three new wailing children ready to escape from the classroom if you as much as blinked and remembering to take Fr frequently to the toilet and still changing his wet clothes..

Yesterday it just crossed the limits. During our morning circle time, we discovered that he had heavily soaked himself including the shoes - he had been to the toilet only about half an hour ago! Mg who is an extra teacher with us these days took him to toilet to change him when we suddenly noticed that he had also dropped several pebble like hard and stony poo pieces in the classroom!
The whole class was thrown in a great confusion and commotion! One of us had to confine the rest of the children to one corner (with great pains as they are new so they don't listen and tend to run away) while the other  cleaned out only to discover that there were several more poo droppings all the way from our classroom to the toilet with many now already firmly stuck on children's or teachers's shoe soles...!
We were so fed up that we decided to give him a diaper after all. We are not here to clean one single child's poo and pee the whole day long everyday while ignoring all the other children of our group.

When his mother came to pick him up she was terribly put out. We discussed the matter with her for a long time but she couldn't understand if he can follow potty training at home why can't he in school without considering that the basic environment is totally different at both the places which makes all the differences in behavior. We sense that she is very impatient and wants quick results but potty training doesn't happen overnight. Every child is different and achieves this training at different pace. Two years is just the right age to start potty training but it is so wrong to suddenly stop giving diapers to a two year old child who has never been without them even for an hour and then expect that he will be able to hold his pee or poo till he gets a toilet chair to relieve himself as he were a 6-7 year old child.

While we were talking he again started dropping those pebbly poo pieces every where which looked like goat droppings if you know what I mean until a real bog boulder the size of an apple dropped down near our feet. I couldn't believe myself. I had myself taken him to the toilet just 15 minutes ago. I told her so and she clearly didn't believe me....She thinks and lets it appear on her face that we don't take him to toilet often enough which is why he is forced to pee in his clothes.

Well, so considering the circumstances I and Cl decided that we would give him diaper again but continue to make the toilet trips every half hour or so until he naturally understands that he has to pee only in the toilet. We shall continue to do this until we start getting dry diapers from him which will be an indication that he understands now.Of course at home he can be kept totally without diapers. She wasn't happy with this decision but we did't have any choice.

So Fr and his poo was the talk of the school the entire day. Mks had to hunt in the whole school to clean the poo pebbles to save them from travelling to other places and remarked " Hey, that boy really poops!"

The First Day of the New Session

Today, finally the school reopened...!

It was raining heavily since last night - a perfect weather to go to school. Since my own kindergarten days I have always loved going to school when it's raining. There's something in the dark skies and the rains that makes everything singular and special to me.

I was extremely happy to be back. I met everyone and greeted them fondly. Cl really is like me a lot - she too was happy like me to be back and we hugged each other in such fondness that tears sprang to our eyes. Despite our exciting holidays we both had missed the school life and each other in equal measure. She is such a darling! I really love her.

Mgt has also come back. There were a few new faces to be seen in the staff. It will take me some time to remember their names. One new teacher is coming to our group too. Maybe we'll see her tomorrow or any other day this week.

We have three new kids in our class and the rest are from the smaller group. A new boy Ja looks and even  behaves a lot like Mk the  little boy in our class in the last session who had left the school suddenly. J is a square and sturdily built, blond boy who likes to be independent and exert all the masculinity he is capable of. Even though it was his first day he didn't cry at all and enjoyed all our activities. I have already started loving him so much and even more so because he reminds me of Mk in each and everything.
The other kids have been promoted to our group from their previous group so they were well acquainted with the school ways but still appeared lost and insecure due to new classroom and new teachers. Fr, the cute little Spanish boy, was the only one who felt completely at his ease and didn't trouble at all.

We also had a hurried little staff meeting today during the school time when most of the children were sleeping. Stf just talked about some routine stuff like cleaning, admissions etc. She said we are running in loss so we need to take in as many children as we are capable of to increase the inflow of money.

On the whole it was a hectic day; all the furniture and toys and other important things were quite in disarray and so many important tasks had to be accomplished with three new children and their parents right on top of our heads but whatever I am not complaining. I am extremely happy to be back and just loving it...!

End of Summer Vacation

My summer vacation is soon about to end, this being the last week of the holidays. I love my holidays but at the same time I don't like staying away from work and school...

I had made a few resolutions for myself for the summer vacation but I haven't kept any of them. I didn't exercise everyday as I had promised, didn't lose a single kilo, didn't start writing exercise with H and didn't sleep a lot which I used to tell myself that I would everyday of my hols.

And I think of school everyday. I wonder how the others are getting along with their vacation. Cl had gone to Tanzania, Mks to US, and Stf to Caribbean  Islands.

Miffed with my reduced salary since the January of this year, I had developed a practice of looking into vacancies in other schools in the city. I got calls for interview from two schools but I suddenly didn't want to leave this school at all...

Today again I had to go for an interview but I have just mailed them that I do not want to consider the vacancy anymore. I feel rather happy to be working in a large, spacious, beautiful school with a rather large student population as compared to other schools here which are tiny 2-3 room affair, 6-7 teacher staff and only about 15-20 students all in all. I have really grown fond of all the staff members here and realize that the fact that I and H both are together in this school is a great source of comfort and convenience to me which may not be possible in other schools.

Well, I am waiting for the school to reopen fast. I want to get back to work, business, children, staff, fun, intrigues and storms in teacups. They make life interesting and purposeful. And I have made a few resolutions again for the new session. I had better write them down so as not to forget them at my convenience and recall them with plenty of regret and guilt only on the eve of some other holiday.

1. I shall not eat anything in the school to help maintain my weight at least if not to lose some kilos. I had lately started eating a lot especially cakes owing to b'day parties of children, and also sampling new dishes.

2. I shall use the metro line which is farthest from my home than the one which is nearer so as to encourage more walking exercise for myself.

3. I shall start drinking lemon honey tea twice everyday. ( or at least once a day)

4. I shall try my best to follow a simple exercise regimen at least 3-4 times a week. This one is difficult as my schedule has really no free time and when it does have I am totally worn out by that time.

5. It is futile to say I will ever relinquish coffee because I tried that soooo many times and I always came back to it.

For the present, I have only these. Let's see how much I can stick to them...

Waiting impatiently for the school to reopen again....!!!

The Last Day of this Session

It was finally the last day.

Today the attendance was poor and expectantly so since Cl and Ml had already left on their summer vacation, Mx had left the school and yesterday Fr and Ll also celebrated their farewell party and left us. Their mothers gave us parting gifts and with that also the assurance that if I ever needed any reference I might count on them.

Many parents brought small parting gifts for us like chocolates. Mz gave chocolates to the whole staff including one big chewing gum for H.

All the groups had prepared lavish snacks and lunches to celebrate the last day. We had requested the children to bring any one food item from home which the whole group would eat together; accordingly Fc brought a special bread cum cake, Pr brought gulab jamun and Wl brought a pizza. we all loved the pizza so much that it soon disappeared from the table while nobody wanted to even try the gulab jamun's due to their suspicious appearance.

We were almost having a blissful last day...until the management error spoiled it all.
Both My and Mz had forgotten to tell the teachers that we must clean our classes thoroughly and stringent staff meetings are of course never to discuss anything worthwhile except idle chatting. Some older ones knew about this so they had already started doing the cleaning job many days earlier.
"Oh, what to do now?" Wailed Cl with a long face. " We won't be allowed to go home until we have cleaned the whole class which means we both will have to do several hours overtime today...and how wicked of them! They never dropped us a hint that we had to do all this. Imagine telling us to do this at the last moment."
"Don't worry; I have an idea. let's start the cleaning right now and work like lightening and thunder. We just might make it..."

We broke up the celebration party and told the children to sit at one table and do coloring by them selves and immediately started cleaning. We upturned all the toy boxes and toys, wiping them clean with soap water and putting them back, cleaning the boxes and the trays, every nook and cranny, every piece of furniture, books, puzzles...everything and with such speed that we accomplished the entire task within two hours what the others had taken 2-4 days. Our hands had started aching due to working in such tremendous speed...
I wonder what the cleaning company will do. Just vacuum the carpet?

And then soon the day was over. Our last day with these kids. We both felt emotional. It was through so many different kinds of weather that we had sailed our little ship and remained above the waters where so many got wrecked. We both were the captain of this little ship and felt grateful to have been able to reach our destination successfully.
I and Cl hugged each other and lovingly said goodbye till we meet again.
We both had the same parting wish: "I hope we can bring our next session too to a successful end like this one."

The school will reopen three weeks later.