Crowd control

Because our primary department at school has too many children to all fit into my classroom at one time, I regularly have two Primary Chorus periods each week, half the kids one day and the other half of the kids the next day. I teach each group the same songs. Last Monday was the first time I put them all together for a practice on the stage. Oh. My. Word. Putting that many Pre-K, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders together, some with ADHD, others with major behavior issues, all of them just plain YOUNG and IMMATURE - it's like trying to herd animals from place to place.

But amazingly enough, we did it again today - twice - and it went so very much better. There was a mom and a grandma of one of the kindergarteners watching this afternoon. The mom exclaimed afterward that at the programs it always looks so easy, the kids knowing just what to do, where to go, etc. She never realized all the explaining and practicing it takes to get it that way. Oh, yes indeed. Lots and lots of doing things over and over and over and over again.

And now, down to Florida. Jeremy works at Barnes and Noble and has gotten a new acting role - Santa Claus!! It must take a whole lot of extra padding to make him look like a Santa! Anyway, Lisa and George took Sophie to see him. At first she was scared of him because he talked to her in his Santa voice. Then he said in his normal voice, "I love you, Sophie." And she broke into a big smile. Afterward she and Lisa went to the restroom and Sophie was telling people that Santa is her Uncle Jeremy. Uh-oh!

Lisa said they went on a holiday hayride that day too. I thought it was funny that they do hayrides in December. Up here we do them in October! Here Sophie is with her little friend. Aren't they just too cute?