Another Day of Progress: January 23rd

I was greeted today with another huge smile! My little was immediately drawn to the DDR mat that was lying on the floor. After a few taps with her feet, she decided it was time to read our journals. This was the first time she asked me if it was time to read our journals; normally I would instigate it. I gave her the option to read first or listen, and she took the initiative by saying she would like to read.

This semester, I am hoping to make the journal more of a writing/reflective process as opposed to last semester's "do it however you would like" focus. We now have developed more trust and a greater level of respect for each other, and this will hopefully lead to more in depth entries. In my entry to her today, I not only reflected on what I did throughout the week, but I also explained how I felt during those events. At the end of the entry, I made a list of questions and gave her the option of answering as many or as few as she wants. Some of the questions I asked were:

- What is your favorite part about school? Your least favorite?
- Who do you look up to?
- If you could be any Disney character, who would you be and why?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?

Many of the questions were ones I asked at the beginning of last semester, but because we did not write down the answers or spend much time answering them, it was not a real beneficial process. I am looking forward to seeing what a little more trust and friendship will yield!

I was amazed at the entry my little wrote to me! She wrote three full paragraphs of things she did throughout the week. I noticed she put a lot of effort into making her handwriting neat. She even made detailed illustrations below the paragraphs. This is a sign that she is enjoying the journal.

Today she also showed me her report card. Much of the information is confidential, but I do want to point out that her teacher gives her lots of credit for showing effort. Some of her areas that need improvement are reading, writing, and mathematics, and I think the only way I can aid in these areas are by contacting her teacher. This way I can find out what unit they are studying and possibly have some activities ready on Wednesday afternoon. Maybe some one-on-one tutoring time will be helpful for her. I think if we spent part of our time studying instead of playing we may develop an even closer bond through the struggles and learning process.

Here are a couple more moments of the day that I will cherish for a long time:

After journals, we played the card game UNO. It was a perfect icebreaker and a way to joke around. It was the first time we were ever sarcastic around one another.

We went to the library to read a book. She had to read for fifteen minutes, so I thought it would be wise to have her read a book to me and vice versa. She again offered to read first, which caught me by surprise! Throughout both stories, she asked many questions, and afterwards, she was able to tell me which story she liked more and why. This may become a regular routine!

Near the end of our time, I showed my little my homeade box collection (an interesting hobbie, I know!). She was intrigued by how one box could fit inside another, and then another, and then another, and so on! Inside one of the boxes were a few shells I had saved from a previous trip to Florida. I asked her if she had ever seen a shell before, and she said she did not go to the ocean. She seemed a little upset and flustered when I asked this, but I could tell she was extremely mesmorized by the colors and shapes of the shells. She even asked me if I could hear the ocean, and I told her she should try at home where it is a little more quiet. I ended up giving her the box and the shells, so she could take a small treasure from the ocean home with her.

I would be interested in becoming a big sister outside of this class. After this semester, I will definitely be looking into it!