best day of work award

Ok so today was officially the best day I have had at a day at work EVER!  It started off completely normal, I wasn't really expecting anything except for having difficulty in telling the kiddies how to finish the Mother's Day presents we had been working on in English class the last two classes.  Difficulties in explaining things is completely normal.  I mean, they are 3 and most haven't even heard English before, let alone speak it! After riding the bus...well not like normal, Daniel thought we were on the new schedule and got on the bus I was supposed to take.  So figuring out which one I should be on instead caused a bit of stress, especially as he was to be on red bus..one I haven't been on since the routes changed.  ANYWAYS....

....I got to school and helped the kids off the bus and reported to class.  Whoever rides the short routes usually watches the classrooms of teachers that aren't there yet, so I had to find out where I was going to be for the next half hour or so.  They kept me in Sakura class (Cherry Blossom Class) it had a helper already, but it seems they've changed how they kept watch in the morning since last "year."  I've been on all long routes in the morning so didn't know about the change.  We had several kids from all the classes.  Chisa sensei had the new schedule for classes ready and handed me Daniel's and Sean's copies to give them whenever they arrived.  When I looked down at mine I noticed we didn't have class today.  Instead, we were to go out "Lotus flower picking" whatever that meant.  So I wouldn't be having the kids do the project afterall...meaning I was going to have to put together 31 projects on my own...as I had been asked moments before to have them ready for the kids to take home that day.  GREAT.

Going somewhere with the kids means we have to wear our Yellow Seiko Staff polo shirts...so I had to run back to my apartment and grab mine.  Luckily they are only right across the street, so I didn't have to run very far and was back to school in less than 5 minutes.  Keiko sensei (Sakura class teacher) was very impressed with my speed! haha.  At 10 we lined all the kids up and walked the few blocks to the field where the "Lotus blossoms" were....these looked pretty much like a field filled with cloverish flowers.  Weeds, whatever kind of flower they were.  The ever present film crew and photographers captured the walk there and we had group shots taken in the flower patch again.  Sean did some pretty amusing things to get all of the K-3's to look at the camera at the same time.  I think he just earned himself the job of doing such things in the future whenever we do group shots!

After photos the kids were allowed to do what I had thought the Tulip park was going to be.....absolute freedom.  Run, jump, play, rollaround, pick the flowers, whatever they wanted!  I of course joined into the fun, falling into an undesterbed patch and a making a plant version of a snow angel.   I had not anticipated the kids dog pileing me while I was at a disadvantage though.  I did catch a few glimpses of the video camera pointed my way....that will be an interesting scene if I ever get to watch it.  haha~ ! I had an awesome time..really wish I had my camera with me..I could have attempted to get some shots where the kid's faces weren't showing to post.  It was a fantastic excursion for everyone.  We were out there for over an hour, I had the kids over my shoulder spinning, or hanging them upside down.  A few even managed to get a horseride out of the morning! Again I wonder how that is going to look on camera as I saw them pointed in my direction a lot.  My antics with the kids had to be more entertaining than the K-4&5 year olds who where actually picking the flowers for the whole time.  Not that the K-3's weren't too...they were just playing hard between each flower they grabbed! I don't think a single stalk of clover was left standing or unplucked by the time we left (^.^)

The rest of the day I was secluded behind my desk, frantically glueing the 31 flowers and drawings together.  Buses leave in the afternoon at 2:10...I finished the last one at 2:02.  By then the teachers had already gotten the kids on the buses and given them the Mother's Day present bags.  Thank goodness I finished one class about an hour earlier and hand given them to Keiko sensei (peach class teacher...yes both of the teachers I work with are named Keiko) so when she handed out her class their bags it was already inside.  Keiko sensei (Sakura class) didn't know her classes' wasn't in there and sent them off onto the bus without it!  I frantically grabbed Naomi sensei and Miki sensei (teacher's helpers) and had them locate all the kids from Sakura class.  Luckily it was only 15 kids and 5 of them weren't on the buses...meaning they were all together.  The last present was given out and put in the bag right as the buses were doing the name calls for leaving.  PHEW! mission accomplished!

now...what to do as my lesson for Friday!