lately.

I had my second round of report cards and parent-teacher conferences at school. Thankfully, my parents were happier this time around. Many of my kids have improved their grades since the first quarter, so I had some happy moms and dads. Miguel's mom was so happy that it brought tears to her eyes. I've implemented behavior charts for Levi and Marvin, and their parents seemed happy with the results from those.

Ana Maria and Lorean have been sick and absent from school for at least a week now. The principals tell me that Ana has hepatitis and Lorean has dengue fever. Both of these are pretty serious, so I'm hoping and praying that they will recover quickly.

Life here has become pretty routine. Not much exciting happens. Although the other day I was sitting incorrectly in one of the kids chairs (my butt on the desk and feet on the seat), and the imbalance of weight caused me to topple over in front of my class. I somehow landed on my feet but ended up with a bruise on the back of my leg. The kids were stuck somewhere between shock and laughter as I promptly continued to conduct class.

For the first time this week, I was the teacher responsible for a student receiving demerits. I didn't feel too great as I signed the paper that was to be sent home to Jasson's parents, because he sat there and cried. Receiving demerits devastates the students. I don't see that I have another choice, however, when I can't control a certain behavior.