The truth is that I have been hiding for the past five months and not posted anything because I could think of anything great to say. Really I couldn't think of anything Positive to say. At the end of the last school year, May 2007, I got the pleasure of serving a long-term assignment at a school that I really like. As a plus that assignment was as an Elementary Gym teacher. I got to play games all day, and I got paid for it.
The honeymoon was over about the third week into my month long assignment when the fifth grade class that was commonly regarded as the worst entered the gym. Not wanting to go into exhausting detail we had one very rough hour. To make things worse I received NO support from the teacher whom I was subbing, the classroom teacher, the other teacher who works with the classroom teacher of record, nor the principal. I was advised to lust let them sit out if they didn't want to play soccer (be "yard fags" as the kids called it).
It was that day that I began counting down the hours till I was finished. Since then I have not been in a classroom as a teacher and have been generally happy serving as a full time father. I do have much greater respect for the stay-at-home-moms now and fully believe that they deserve the repute $138,000 salary that their work is worth in the labor market.
Ed
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Father of the Year awards, here I come!
Get your pen ready to nominate me, Ed U. Cayshun, as father of the year for allowing my sons to work out personal differences the old fashioned way; by beating the be-Jesus out of each other.
Please allow me to elaborate before you call child protective services. It has been about two weeks since the end of the school year and my Mr. Mom duties fully began. In that two week time frame my two oldest sons, six and four years old, have been fighting at least 30 percent of the time. I'm talking about yelling at each other, name calling, throwing things and even the occasional hitting and kicking. With and infant in my hand I'd been trying to referee the melees to no avail.
Yesterday I decided that if they were going to fight I'd let them! However, being the responsible dad I thought that I'd make it a bit safer than fists and toy cars so I bought a water noodle pool toy, cut it in half, taped up a handle made of dowel rod and let the beating commence. The "Battle-Bat" is born!!!
This has really served a great end. They actually enjoy flagellating each other with the soft foam swords and end up laughing about it about two minutes after the fight begins.
This sure takes me back to the good old days when we'd climb the fifty foot monkey bars over asphalt, throw snowballs at each other's heads without wearing a helmet, played tackle football on the playground and settled differences like men; by kicking the living crap out of each other then laughing about it. Remember the 80's?
Ed U. Cayshun
P.S. My ref'ing duties have kept me from posting lately, sorry!
Please allow me to elaborate before you call child protective services. It has been about two weeks since the end of the school year and my Mr. Mom duties fully began. In that two week time frame my two oldest sons, six and four years old, have been fighting at least 30 percent of the time. I'm talking about yelling at each other, name calling, throwing things and even the occasional hitting and kicking. With and infant in my hand I'd been trying to referee the melees to no avail.
Yesterday I decided that if they were going to fight I'd let them! However, being the responsible dad I thought that I'd make it a bit safer than fists and toy cars so I bought a water noodle pool toy, cut it in half, taped up a handle made of dowel rod and let the beating commence. The "Battle-Bat" is born!!!
This has really served a great end. They actually enjoy flagellating each other with the soft foam swords and end up laughing about it about two minutes after the fight begins.
This sure takes me back to the good old days when we'd climb the fifty foot monkey bars over asphalt, throw snowballs at each other's heads without wearing a helmet, played tackle football on the playground and settled differences like men; by kicking the living crap out of each other then laughing about it. Remember the 80's?
Ed U. Cayshun
P.S. My ref'ing duties have kept me from posting lately, sorry!
Kids DO say the darndest things.
Sometimes I'm amazed by my children. OK, I'm always amazed but them but earlier today I had to laugh in amazement at my four-year-old.
Like most children's' rooms his is a disaster. The books, stuffed animals, toy cars and legos are actually treacherous to navigate with bare feet. As with our other summer vacation days he slept in while I sat mindlessly watching the television holding my infant son. About 8:30 he arose and came to snuggle with us on the couch. After a few minutes we began discussing our agenda for the day which is supposed to include a trip to the video store. However, I preceded the topic with Mommy's instructions that his room must be cleaned today. Questioning why he needed to clean his room he clearly pointed out a fact to me. With his big blue eyes and bed-head hairdo that he had, "made a path" through his room.
In fact the path was quite navigable if you wanted to access the bed or the toy chest but with the innocent questioning expression I could only laugh, which he though was great because he was the center of attention. Needless to say the soft spot in my heart for the overwhelming cuteness made me forget the untidiness of the room and as I type this nearer lunchtime than morning his room is still not cleaned. I know that I am weak, but what can I say, he was just too damned charming!
Ed U. Cayshun
Like most children's' rooms his is a disaster. The books, stuffed animals, toy cars and legos are actually treacherous to navigate with bare feet. As with our other summer vacation days he slept in while I sat mindlessly watching the television holding my infant son. About 8:30 he arose and came to snuggle with us on the couch. After a few minutes we began discussing our agenda for the day which is supposed to include a trip to the video store. However, I preceded the topic with Mommy's instructions that his room must be cleaned today. Questioning why he needed to clean his room he clearly pointed out a fact to me. With his big blue eyes and bed-head hairdo that he had, "made a path" through his room.
In fact the path was quite navigable if you wanted to access the bed or the toy chest but with the innocent questioning expression I could only laugh, which he though was great because he was the center of attention. Needless to say the soft spot in my heart for the overwhelming cuteness made me forget the untidiness of the room and as I type this nearer lunchtime than morning his room is still not cleaned. I know that I am weak, but what can I say, he was just too damned charming!
Ed U. Cayshun
More new and exciting educational ventures
I've officially begun yet another chapter in my educational life, this one with my own children again. I have become a Mr. Mom.
Like most educators I have the good fortune to have summers off, unfortunately as a substitute teacher summers off mean summers without pay. No pay means no day care unless I find another crap job and I really don't want to do that especially with the grand, yet daunting, opportunity to be at home full time with my children.
This year it's a bit different though. The two older ones, six and four years old, can more or less supervise themselves, but the new one added earlier this year requires as much attention as any infant which makes this task all the more daunting. Wish me luck.
Ed U. Cayshun
Like most educators I have the good fortune to have summers off, unfortunately as a substitute teacher summers off mean summers without pay. No pay means no day care unless I find another crap job and I really don't want to do that especially with the grand, yet daunting, opportunity to be at home full time with my children.
This year it's a bit different though. The two older ones, six and four years old, can more or less supervise themselves, but the new one added earlier this year requires as much attention as any infant which makes this task all the more daunting. Wish me luck.
Ed U. Cayshun
Happy Mother's Day!
If you can read this, and I assume that you are reading this, you have one person to thank for that; the greatest educator of all, MOM.
Your mother, I presume like mine, tought you tough lesson all throughout your life like play nice, share your toys, don't hit your sister, etc, but most of all your mom cared enough to send you to school so that you could learn! Through that learning you became a more well-rounded person. And all that because of mom!
On this one day each year we set aside time to honor Mothers who rasied us and taught us, loved us and cared for us, wiped noses and kissed boo-boos. This one special post goes out to my mother! Love ya Mama!
Ed
Your mother, I presume like mine, tought you tough lesson all throughout your life like play nice, share your toys, don't hit your sister, etc, but most of all your mom cared enough to send you to school so that you could learn! Through that learning you became a more well-rounded person. And all that because of mom!
On this one day each year we set aside time to honor Mothers who rasied us and taught us, loved us and cared for us, wiped noses and kissed boo-boos. This one special post goes out to my mother! Love ya Mama!
Ed
Education in it’s many forms
Education takes place in many forms other than the classroom, and I am proud to call myself an “educator” more than just a “teacher.” My real life example took place this weekend.
My family and I live out in the country about ten miles from the metropolitan area which I actually claim as home. We have several acres as do my neighbors. My sons, all three under six, and I were outside when my friend from across the road rides over on his ATV. “I’ve got snakes!” he exclaims. My first thought was, “GREAT! Let’s go catch them.” Off we went, my four year old and I, to play Steve Irwin.
I had the hardest time keeping him back until I addressed the situation, determining whether or not the aforementioned snakes, sunbathing on a brush pile, constituted a threat that could mean a trip to the hospital. After careful examination I found he had Blue Racers and Eastern Hog-Nosed snakes. About an hour later I had one in my grip and was still trying to keep my boy from getting too close. What makes me the proudest is that without thought I used the opportunity as a teachable moment, instructing them on safety, NEVER approach a wild snake without Daddy, biology, herpetology and animal husbandry. I told them about how snakes are cold blooded, needing to sunbathe to keep warm. I addressed their diet of mice and rats that also inhabited the brush pile. We talked about their defense mechanisms. We admired their color and markings finally letting them go in the woods where they could not be harmed inadvertently by the ATVs, pets or other humans.
To me, this episode is a more significant educational experience than any number of other days in a classroom and one that my sons will not soon forget, or even stop talking about.
Ed U. Cayshun
My family and I live out in the country about ten miles from the metropolitan area which I actually claim as home. We have several acres as do my neighbors. My sons, all three under six, and I were outside when my friend from across the road rides over on his ATV. “I’ve got snakes!” he exclaims. My first thought was, “GREAT! Let’s go catch them.” Off we went, my four year old and I, to play Steve Irwin.
I had the hardest time keeping him back until I addressed the situation, determining whether or not the aforementioned snakes, sunbathing on a brush pile, constituted a threat that could mean a trip to the hospital. After careful examination I found he had Blue Racers and Eastern Hog-Nosed snakes. About an hour later I had one in my grip and was still trying to keep my boy from getting too close. What makes me the proudest is that without thought I used the opportunity as a teachable moment, instructing them on safety, NEVER approach a wild snake without Daddy, biology, herpetology and animal husbandry. I told them about how snakes are cold blooded, needing to sunbathe to keep warm. I addressed their diet of mice and rats that also inhabited the brush pile. We talked about their defense mechanisms. We admired their color and markings finally letting them go in the woods where they could not be harmed inadvertently by the ATVs, pets or other humans.
To me, this episode is a more significant educational experience than any number of other days in a classroom and one that my sons will not soon forget, or even stop talking about.
Ed U. Cayshun
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