Barbara's started in-classroom training on Monday. She's assigned to work in two different schools with two different grades -- with 4th graders this semester (so she's with the older kids in elementary ed) -- and with kindergartners starting in January (which is the age she thinks she wants to teach after graduation).

However, since kindergartners will be very different in January than on their arrival into the classroom for the first time, they made an exception to her schedule, and had her report to the kindergarten teacher for the first week this week. Barbara had been an aide last year with a teacher in a Santa Cruz kindergarten classroom. (I think that's what it was. I think it was associated with some class she was taking, perhaps a prepartory education class. Ooh, I'm sorry that I'm so fuzzy on the details!) When Barbar had trouble finding her "new" teacher -- the "old" teacher escorted her to the room.... and gave lots of praise about her, and how lucky the other teacher was to have her.

Steve later told me that Barbara told him that Barbara was introduced to everyone as "Miss Craig". I wonder why Barbara didn't mention that to me. It must have made her feel really grown up. I remember when on my first job in Boston, and folks would refer to me as "Mrs. Craig", it felt oh-so-different!

They said that she needed to learn about "forming communities" both in the kindergarten and in the 4th-grade classroom, so she can't stay in the kindergarten too long. I don't think Sister Annene (sp?) formed "communities" when I started in first grade, nor in any other grade I attended!

So, Barbara's doing practical training for 1 week in nearby Santa Cruz kindergarten. Then she does practical training for the rest of the semester in a farther-out Santa Cruz 4th grade. Then she returns to the same nearby Santa Cruz kindergarten in January. She was just gushing over how cute the kindergartners were. She said that by comparison, the first graders seemed so old.

Maybe she's right about herself. I hope she'll make a great kindergarten teacher! She certainly seems to have passion for working with the little ones!