I’m in the midst of compiling portfolios for each of my kids for Term 2, and I spent almost the entire day today doing so. Was very reluctant to, as I hardly get an official monday off work, but I got through it. Yay!

I slept in, had a late brunch with my parents to start me off, and a good tea time break with Dad in between the compilation, so it’s true that food does help you work better! At least for me it does, gives me much needed energy :)

What’s in a portfolio you might ask:

- 3 photos and captions of what each child has been doing in class for a term.

- Observation summary reports for each child

- 2 areas of child developmental domains, also for each child

Due wed, the portfolio has to be vetted first by my boss. Then typed, printed and filed up. So this is only the beginning.

Trying to think of phrases to describe kids is tough, even if your command of the language is good. Too general, and you get questions.

“What do you mean he’s cheerful?”

“So he can read, but how many words?”

That kind of thing. Do it for four school terms every year of your teaching career, and well, you might as well write a book on children. LOL.

As much as I dread each term when it comes to writing reports, thinking of each child and how they’re progressing, with their own individual personalities and habits, is interesting and amusing. I’ve come to a deeper realisation how different they are, in speech, thinking etc. And how important a figure I have to be to them.

A day away, and I miss having conversations with them. Well, in a few hours, I’ll get to hear them again.

Little lives, little people, little minds to inspire.