7 years 1 month 13 days

Day 2600. Yesterday I had to get up quite early (the second time) at 9:15 am which was hard. I started teaching at 9:50 am, then I had another student at 11 am. After I was done teaching at noon, I made soup for Randy and me. Randy then left just before 1:30 am, the same time as me, but he left to pick up Tammy and Emmy, while I went to pick up Sammy which is a lot closer. He had done a field trip with school, going to a theater where they did a fun dance performance. Sammy had had a good time. By 2 pm he and I were back home.

Randy and the kids got home around 2:45 pm. We then went downstairs to do piano practice as it really was the only time we had. Then I made their sandwiches. I left Sammy's sandwich with Randy and packed the other two. At 3:30 pm, I left the house with Tammy and Emmy.

We rode two subways then walked to the French Institute. I had Randy enrolled in lessons there once, and the kids also took a class there once a few years ago. I wasn't too happy with it then, so they didn't continue. I thought I could do a better job teaching them French, but of course there's just now time for it in our schedule. Emmy had been talking about learning French again, and then this opportunity came up so I grabbed it. Now the time for the first lesson had come.

We got there a few minutes before their class was to start at 4 pm. We found the classroom where a young, hip female teacher was getting ready. There were two other kids in there, and another one joined them later. The kids sat down next to each other. Emmy was being shy and holding on to me. I was pointing to the bench right outside their door and told him I was gonna sit there the whole time, then I left. No parents were allowed in the room. And so I sat outside with all the other parents. However, we could hear them inside the classroom which was cool. I could hear Tammy and Emmy a few times, and I could hear the audios the teacher was playing. I could also hear that the teacher was not speaking French only but was also using German to help them understand. Right in the beginning she did a greeting song with them that I have used myself for beginning students. 

After 45 minutes the class was over, and they came out. They hadn't received their books so we went in to see the administrator who looked it up and gave us the books. They are well-made to teach younger kids. In fact, the class is for kids ages 5 to 7, though the others are about their age. Emmy was the most excited about the class. He'd loved it, and he told me what they had learned. 

We then got on the subway, then took a second subway, while they were eating their sandwiches. We were going straight to their maths club that was starting at 5:30 pm. We got there early, as it was quick, which was fine. The previous class had just ended when we got there. I was surprised to see how many kids had been in the beginners class. The kids went into the classroom, and Emmy got a die that he started playing with. I took their picture, then I said good-bye and left them there. It was a 90 minute class. 

I took the tram and the subway home, arriving at 6 pm. I was pretty tired. I cut up fruit for the kids to eat, then I sat down at the computer to teach at 6:45 pm. Randy had left at 6:30 pm to pick up Tammy and Emmy at 7 pm. Sammy was on his tablet while I was teaching. I finished at 7:35 pm, then Randy and the kids returned home. They went into the bathtub to eat their fruit there, then they got ready for bed. Before going to bed, Tammy practiced her two choir songs with me. Then I prayed for them, and they went to bed. No evening students for me so I was able to make my salad and sit down to eat before going back to work.

Thursday

This morning I also had to get up at 9:15 am for the second time. I made myself practice, then sat down to prepare for my 10 am student. I taught until 11 am, then I had another student until noon. After that, I went straight into the kitchen to cook. Randy had to leave just before 1 pm but I got it ready in time for him to eat before leaving. I left just before 1:30 pm without eating, picked up Sammy, and ate after we got back home at 2 pm.

I was really tired while I was eating and trying to relax. Randy and the kids returned home around 2:20 pm. At 2:30 pm Tammy, Emmy and I left the house to take the subway downtown.  Then we rode our scooters to their music school where we arrived just before their 3 pm lesson started. We went into the big room with the grand piano, then Emmy went first as Tammy had gone first last week.

Emmy was doing a great job, having practiced every day of the week, playing everything well and starting new music pieces with the teacher. In the meantime Tammy was doing her reading practice and then using an educational app to do school exercises. After half an hour it was her turn. For some reason she couldn't play the song she had played perfectly well at home. Still, she also got to start some new pieces which she was happy about. While it was her turn, Emmy also did the same educational exercises, then he did some drawing on the whiteboard. After each of their lessons, they got stamps for every day they had practiced plus a sticker each. Then they even stamped the back of their hands!

We left just after 4 pm; I had my eyes on my watch as I had a 4:30 pm student which was going to be tight. Thankfully we had our scooters, so we were faster. We actually got home at 4:29 pm, and I went straight to my computer being perfectly on time for my student.

At 5:20 pm I was done teaching. I packed up my computer and all we needed, then the three of us left the house. Randy and Sammy had already left before we had returned home as Sammy's wheelchair class is from 5 to 6 pm. And today Tammy's and Emmy's programming club was starting up again. We rode two subways, then walked to the club premises where we arrived a few minutes before their class was to start at 6 pm. After having done three semesters there, the school thought they should go up one level so they actually joined a class for 8 to 10 year-olds. There was one other kid that was younger like them. All the other kids were boys, and they had a new teacher, a young man from an Eastern European country. Emmy was again a little tense about the new situation but he was just quiet and not trying to cling to me. I told them I was going to the nearby McDonald's to teach and would be back to pick them up.

It had been quite a few months since I had taught at the McDonald's there. I was relieved when the little room with the glass doors was open as it's a little quieter in there, and my favorite table was available. I sat down, set up my computer and placed an order, mainly food for the kids afterwards. At 6:15 pm I started teaching. I was done by 7:05 pm, wrapped up my lesson, packed up and walked back to the programming club.

They always let you come in during the last few minutes so you can see what they have done, which is great. I got there about 8 minutes before the end of the class and went inside. Tammy  and Emmy were each on a laptop with a programming software open that they had used to create something with. Tammy also had a phone in her hand which was somehow connected to what she had done on the computer. Nobody really explained to me what they had done so I still don't know.

We then left there to walk back to the subway to go home. It was 7:30 pm, so quite late; in fact, that's the latest any of their classes go. They were eating their McDonald's food on the way. By 8 pm, we were back home. All three kids then got ready for bed. I prayed for them, they went to bed, and then I went to the kitchen to get myself something to eat. I hadn't eaten since lunch time. After having eaten, I went back to work. Now it's 1 am, and I still have to load the dishwasher. Tomorrow I have another early morning.