And we’re into the home stretch. My, how time flies! After a low key weekend so that I could rest and recoup, I was ready to go Monday morning. I even got up early to head up the hill a ways to watch the sun rise. Standing there in awe, I cleared my mind and simply appreciated the beauty I was surrounded by. All weekend, conversations were buzzing with chit-chat about the earthquake and some of its damages. Some people had feared for their poorly structured homes, while others feared for their lives. The conclusion to each conversation I’ve heard is that the earthquake was a wake up call to start getting our acts together, especially in time for Christmas. We must take nothing for granted and live each day to the fullest.

At school, all of the teachers and I were busy grading exams and filling out report books, but of course, the students are still there and come first. Monday morning, I showed them a little art project I had learned when I was about their age and that kept them busy for quite some time. I still had some work to do in the afternoon, but I quickly realized that allowing them to “socialize quietly” was not going to work. Instead, we cleaned up the classroom and I taught them how to play “Heads Up, Seven Up,” which they loved.

I think I’ve exhausted every summer camp game I could think of and even though my students liked most of them, their attention spans are still about as long as my pinkie finger. They would not try the “Human Knot” because they didn’t want to have to hold hands, but when I asked for suggestions on what we should do, they hinted at a “Dance Party.” Not sure what that meant, and leery because we didn’t have any music, I hesitantly agreed and allowed them to move the desks to form a circle in the middle of the room. Before I knew it, three boys were drumming on their desks to create a rhythmic beat and two students were inside the circle dancing along. Relieved that the students were not fighting for once, I stepped back and observed the smiles on their faces as they patiently took turns stepping in and out of the center. It’s amazing how so much of this culture revolves around dancing and how unifying it can be. I had to laugh when I noticed that the boys were on one side of the circle while the girls were on the other – which reminded me of MY sixth grade dances years ago – but what was different was that the boys were just as eager to dance as the girls. And boy, could they dance! In my next life, I would liked to be blessed with half as much fluid motion as these kids have at such a young age!

I’ve also found it interesting to observe my better students often off in a corner quietly coloring or playing games like Parcheesi and Yachtzee while the dance party fills the room with noise. Sometimes they stand around to watch the others, but usually they find peace in the quieter activities. I took the opportunity to play with them and realized that these are some very intelligent kids. They devise strategies, play carefully and actually continue playing until the game finishes, unlike the students with the previously mentioned attention spans. ;) It has been so fascinating to observe the dynamic of the class now that instruction is over for the term. They have gelled so much and are even a little exclusive when students from other classes try to join their games. Their grade books are complete and I’m looking forward to meeting their parents when they come to pick up the grade books on Tuesday.