Today has been an interesting day so far. My lesson with my Chinese five year old was moved to 8 this morning as his family wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve this afternoon. Sweet, my student's mum specially made me egg, tomato and ham toasted sandwiches for breakfast because I had come early (it's not that early as I have to drop my mum at school earlier than that). My student got through a whole Happy Readers book (Betty Bear) today and is getting into the swing of reading a bit more. He even started reading ahead on his own in the next book, picking out words he already knows which delighted me. I have been trying to teach him the song below for Chinese New Year. He cracks me up as throughout his lesson and in the middle of this song he keeps blurting out "Hanukkah!" and "Light the menorah!" with great enthusiasm. I think he really misses his old school Sharon but I keep trying to say it's February.
I had an informal interview for a home school that specialises in helping kids with learning difficulties later on this morning. I have been invited back to observe again in two weeks' time. The set up really appealed to me and there were some really lovely children, although I was warned they seemed to be on their best behaviour as I was there and can be a handful. There are a range of learning difficulties from dyslexia through to autism but they have a resident occupational therapist and teaching assistants. While I was having a chat with the head and deputy head teachers, another teacher came in and said she didn't want to cause alarm and consternation, but there was a snake, not a blind worm, in the pool. We finished our discussion and went out and sure enough there was. Sadly the gardner dispatched it. The swimming teacher, who is studying to be a professional guide, went over to try identify it and she said it seemed to be black inside its mouth, which could possibly make it a black mamba but it could have been a rat snake?.
On the way to work this morning I first saw the headline "A Mountain Has Fallen". With all that is going on in South Africa, I thought it pertained to Zuma but then saw the next headline that Tsvangirai had died. This is very sad news indeed. He gave so much towards trying to bring democracy to Zimbabwe and standing up to ZANU PF. First Roy Bennet, now Morgan Tsvangirai. Driving back from Borrowdale along Chatsworth Road I had to pull over to make way for a large number of soldiers in army uniform marching along the street chanting. I am not sure what that was all about at all as I don't think there's an army barracks that close by to there. Never quite sure what exactly is going on in this place.
Caught up with a good school friend yesterday who is back home visiting from Dubai. It was lovely to chat and connect after two years. It was interesting to hear how death is mourned in the Hindu faith and how time is set aside to grieve and be with family and close friends. A similar tradition seems to exist in Judaism. I think we tend to rush through grief and suppress it in the secular world.
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