Small frets, change and challenges,It is all good.

Early start to the day this Saturday , the last one in August.( Alright English geeks, it is a fragment. I know that but it felt right.) Some stray thought a small fret walked into a rather pleasant deem and nibbled the edges until it woke me and I had to get up , face it and put it down. When that was done, the dogs woke up so they went outside to potty, came in to eat and are now kenneled for a post meal nap that is a habit. My dishwasher is loaded and swishing filling the silent house with rhythm. Pretty much the morning rut but an hour earlier than usual. A change in routine that will affect the course of my day. Change does that.

Yesterday I entered the classroom again but it too was a change. No longer a teacher I am an ESL paraprofessional(para ) for short. I spent the day speaking Spanish to help a new seventh grader who speaks no English with her first day at a local school. I had no lessons to plan, no papers to grade, and it was a change. I had been wondering how it would be and I found in one day, it is okay. Maybe even great. I get to work with students on a one to one basis in crowded classrooms and to help them do well. The classroom teacher has to deal with testing, common core, the switch to paperless classrooms but I get to work with the students which after all is said and done why I went into teaching.

Today is bringing a change also. I am going to try to learn to crochet once again. I can do a granny square, chain, double and treble crochet but he results look haphazard because maintain tension has caused me problems. Today is my goal is to learn the basic Tunisian stitch( afghan stitch to some of you). It may be an attainable goal as it is done on a longer needle and is a more solid result than crochet's usual lacy result. At any rate I find learning new things forces me to use as Poirot calls them the little grey cells. New learning keeps my cells active and learning at any age is a true stimulation.

So it will be a day of using English so the grey cells can relax on that end until Tuesday when my para week begins again but they will also face a challenge involving both thought and action. A mixed bag of stimulation and that is a good thing.