Just One Quick Thing Before I Go....

This came in the mail today.

So Much To Learn!

I leave for China in just two days as a NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow. I have been busy immersing myself in a culture that seems fascinating to me.  As a student, I have been asked to formulate a guiding question before I leave so my trip has focus and relevancy to my work here at home. When I think about China, I think about the one child policy and what that means for children, their parents and the relationship they form with one another. What kind of support do parents in China have? Where do they find support?

I will be on the lookout for little kids and their parents. I am curious about where they play in Beijing and Shanghai, two enormously populated cities.  Does China have preschool parks for families to gather? I have Tai Chi on my itinerary so I am likely to see green spaces, thank goodness, but parks? I am hoping that China celebrates play, especially with their very little children and their parents. This is a country very serious about education, VERY serious. I will bring my finger puppets as an international ice breaker.

Look at this face! I wonder how he spends his days, what he plays with, who he plays with and what makes his imagination run wild.  I am excited and nervous at the same time about living out of my comfort zone for 10 days. It is kind of freaky to not be able to begin to imagine the adventure that lies ahead of me.  I also feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I will be journaling as I go as part of my assignment but not at all sure about blogging. I will take lots and lots of pictures and journal so I remember all that I can. It feels exhilarating to me at this point....go big or go home, right?

It doesn't get much bigger than this!

South Washington County

I have been to some pretty amazing ECFE sites this year. This one in South Washington County just took my breath away.  It is in Woodbury connected to the YMCA, the library and a small restaurant.  I about fell over when I walked into the park like setting complete with a waterfall. I pinched myself and then I got to work.

Hats off to these fantastic ECFE teachers! I was in charge of their very last training of the school year, the very last two hours of their contracts.....the last two hours of thousands.  You would think that they might be impatient to get done, get out of there, escape to summer, but NO! They squeezed every last minute out of the year and finished big with a great conversation about ECFE and what we all hope to offer parents and children. I had the best idea of the month (maybe the year) when I was hanging out with them.  It is so good that I can't tell anyone about it.  Thanks so much to the staff at South Washington County for the work you do with families and for letting me get to know you all better.  Happy Summer!

Without a doubt, the very best idea I have ever had in my life was saying "I DO!" thirty years ago to this guy. Best. Husband. EVER!

Paperwork

I have created my own glass ceiling because of my genuine dislike of paperwork.  It is very frustrating to be a part of a paper chain that includes people that I know and love.  I will occasionally make them crazy and I feel badly about that.  If you are one of those people on the chain.....I apologize!  I have gifts but filling out paperwork is just not one of them.  I was pretty excited to fill out my monthly contact lists today though.

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It was a thrill to report my home visit with Barack Obama! The three minutes I reported may be stretching it by a minute or so but I thought it best to round up. My home visit at the White House was the most fun home visit I went on this year, or any year for that matter.

Wrapping Up

I love the end of the school year.  Lots of fun activities, excited kids, excited teachers, and the best weather Minnesota has to offer.  I spend a good amount of time saying goodbye to kids and parents in the last week of school. I am generally an emotional hot mess at this time of the year....who am I kidding? I am generally an emotional hot mess. We just wrapped up our formal class schedule today.  I said goodbye to some amazing parents who have taught me so much about parenting.  I will forever feel like a student of parent education because each parent comes with their own story and their very unique children.  My graduates this year taught me much about technology and the force it is in the lives of young families. I continue to be amazed at the power of depression and the heroic strength it takes to parent when depression is a lifelong companion. I learned  so much about the pressures to parent well in a parenting culture that seems to work against parents. And I continue to be reassured by parents that what they want most is connection, that's what we do best here at ECFE.

I know that parents will find ways to connect this summer with play dates, Facebook and face to face time at all the great places that make Winona a great place to raise kids.

Our best wishes go out to all of the families at ECFE who are adopting.  It was so great to share the first pictures of Jerry and Susan and their new boy on the Smartboard. It was my favorite technology moment of the school year.  I can't wait to meet the new addition!

We send lots of kids off to kindergarten from ECFE, many of whom we have known since birth.  I am so honored that so many families make ECFE a weekly part of their family life. What a gift!

It was a perfect ending to a remarkable school year to sub in Toddler Class this morning.  These are the parents who will be new to separating class next fall.  I can't wait to meet them and get to know them. I wonder if they know that right here, in circle time, parents start to build the community of parents that will build a strong and safe future for their kids.  I have seen it happen over and over again and it makes my heart sing.

Speaking of heart singing....swings are great for that too!