First Day.....Survived!

Well, we spent the weekend dealing with rain.  And I mean RAIN! As a native to California, I don't remember rain like this since I was a child in the 1970s. It actively rained all day, every day for two and a half days!!  Driving in it was weird!! Of course, people were friendly and kind, but there were times I couldn't see through the wetness.

Then, there's the fun that the husband and the kids are all sick.  They are coughing and hacking all day and night.  I have done all I can to help them out, but nothing is getting them through this.  Ken spent today at the VA and seems to have a sinus infections.  It seems I will need to get the girls into the doctor as well.

As for my first day.....Well, let's just say I survived.  I was ready to actually cry by lunch time - which everyone knows is just NOT my style! The Principal still has not hired an aide to assist me, and I have one student with Downs Syndrome and a student with Autism in my class.  They are both at different levels making it difficult to teach them both at the same time.  To make matters more fun, they are both runners.  The second my eye was off of them, they bolted. Boy, are the quick!!  

So, tomorrow, I will NOT be wearing shoes that match my outfit, but boots instead.  (My knee is killing me from running across rocks in slight heals!)  I seriously hope to find a curriculum that will work for the one boy with Downs Syndrome.  Apparently, he has spent the last few years coloring rather than learning.  I hope I can find something that works!!!  Once I have an aide, I hope I can get to the other students that I'm supposed to pull out from their class to help.  I have no idea who they are since I wasn't able to leave my classroom.

On a different note, working on a Reservation is definitely going to prove challenging.  There is actually animosity from both sides of the fence.  I have many Natives who feel I have no right to be there teaching, and there are Whites who feel I'm being a traitor to them for teaching the Native kids.  I thought that the racism I dealt with in CA was bad, but it was nothing compared to this.  I also have realized that I'm at a complete disadvantage here since I don't have any background with the Crow Language.

Finally, on a brighter note, the girls had a great First Day of School!!  They were all nervous to be the newbies at their schools, but they came home happy about their classes and the people they met.

Taylor was concerned about taking Honors English, but she is really excited about it.  She isn't looking forward to all of the homework, but she has a Study period which should help.  Mandy was very bummed that she didn't get Art but got Industrial Tech instead.  Talk about a difference...in my Woodshop class, we got to make keychains.  In her class, she is going to make a gun rack.  Totally not fair!!!  

Jordan said she had a great day, but I learned today that she made a comment to a neighbor.  Apparently, the husband has a large and lifted truck, so Jordan said she felt sorry for Karen since her husband obviously has a small penis.  Oh holy shit!!  Yeah, we canNOT discuss anything or make any jokes around this child.  I was wondering why Karen wasn't all too friendly any more.  Geez!!!

Life in a small town is working for the girls.  I'm hoping that we have living room furniture so that we can actually entertain and have people over soon and show people that we are cool and nice and they want to embrace us into their Town.