It has been almost eight months since I've last posted. Way too many days ago.
This year out at Pine Ridge has been very different than last year. I'm a second year teacher, thank God! I have plans to rely on from last year and that has been so beneficial. My class this year has ten boys and seven girls compared to seven boys last year and thirteen girls. More girls=more drama while more boys=more fights/what appear to look like bar brawls almost. I've never witnessed a more active and violent group of five year olds in my life. August through December was a whirlwind of emotions and complete chaos. You never knew what they would do. I've seen students backhand others in the face, children throwing chairs around the classroom,and children hit multiple teachers. Yep, just another day in kindergarten apparently. A few of my students have very difficult home lives. Most have great support at home where they are disciplined and taught respect.
Although,
The beginning of January my students showed me how far they had come. They finally understood that they had to take care of each other as a class. Then, I got a new student from a public school. Any new student at our school comes on a thirty day trial basis. When he came, he started to act out just like his mother said might happen. The last two weeks he has become extremely aggressive and refuses to do transitions, like going to lunch or PE. I have had to physically pick him up several times and move him to different rooms. On Friday, he refused to do another transition. He began throwing things around the classroom. I had my aide take the rest of my class on a bathroom break so that they didn't get hurt. At that I removed the student from the classroom and took him to the office. Once my class got back from the break, they all went back to sit in their carpet squares. Two students got up and starting cleaning up the giant mess which was spread across my entire. Here's the thing-I never asked them to do that. My aide and I sat in complete silence. All the sudden, the other fourteen students got up in unison and cleaned up the mess without a word. I sat in my rocking chair and started to cry. This simple action was a huge milestone for my class and amazingly beautiful to watch. They got what I've been trying to teach them all year long-work as a team and be kind to others. After they finished and sat down one of my little boys said, "Miss Abby we don't want you to cry anymore,". I attempted to explain to them that they were tears of joy and that my little ones were growing up into such responsible kids which made me happy. Even thinking about it now I can feel a smile coming to my face :)
In other news,
I got engaged in November to Brady and couldn't be happier. He is the most consistent, hard working, and loving man that I've ever dated. I feel so blessed to have him in my life and wish I told him that more. We're getting married August 3rd in Valpo, IN where I grew up. When I went home over break, we pretty much planned the whole wedding. We only have a few things left to do like finish decoration plans, deal with the flowers, and send out invitations. People kept telling me it would be stressful, but honestly it hasn't been too bad. Part of it might be because I feel so much more content in my community as a second year and now know how to blend facets of my life together. Truthfully some days it is very difficult to be in a long distance relationship out here. It's mostly because I feel like I'm living two very different lives-being a young volunteer out on the Rez and almost being married. I feel so old!
Another big blessing this year has been the Pourier family. I had one of the kids, Precious, as my student last year and she will be my flower girl at the wedding. I'm extremely close and attached to her family. They are my family out here who I visit at least once a week. Whenever I go to their house it's always crazy, but I absolutely love that about them. One of the three girls will play with my hair after dinner as we watch a movie. They call it "Miss Abby Salon Time" from what I've heard. Precious's grandmother's name is Alice. She is from Santee, a reservation near where Brady lives. In fact, whenever I go to Vermillion, Alice comes with me and I drop her off with her sisters. If you can't tell, I could talk about them forever. They have kept me sane during my difficult and chaotic school year.
During our volunteer retreat this past weekend I thought a lot about the double life that I lead. I've already started to miss Red Cloud even though the school year isn't over. Today my kids and I got into a discussion about Brady coming to visit next week. Here are some favorite quotes:
Jhonna-"So, when Mr. Brady comes, will he bring you your baby?"
Me- "Umm, no. We don't have a baby."
Jhonna-"Are you sure?"
Me- "Yep. I haven't popped one out."
Jhonna- "When you come back next year can you bring it? Please?"
Kingston-"Is Mr. Brady a dog?"
Me- "No. I can't marry a dog."
Kingston- "Oh ya, I forgot. Silly me!"
C Tuff-"When Mr. Brady comes will he hold your hand?"
Me- "I can't hold his hand at school."
C Tuff-"Good. That's my hand. I'll fight him for it."
And that is why I love kindergarten.
