Boy in Action!

We finally had the preschool breakthrough! Thursday after we dropped JK off at the gym, JT was sad that he couldn't go along with him, but then as we got closer to campus, he said tearfully, "I go to school, yes." And he didn't cry when I dropped him off, instead we looked at the different activities, and then he said he wanted to find Ms. S. He found her then ran halfway back to me, threw me a wave and said (tearfully) "Bye, mama." I am so releived.
Of course, Tuesday he told me, "I hit O. O fall down; cry." Then he pointed out that one finger was for pulling hair and another was for pinching.
I guess that is what kids learn when they are together!
(I asked O's mom, but O couldn't verify the story.)
Yesterday JT even asked if he could go to school in the afternoon!!
Of course, with the solving of one problem, another arises. The teaching schedule for next quarter is made for students who live on campus, not for primary caregivers who live off. It looks like I will most likely have to hire a babysitter for a few hours each week. I think next year I will just try and get a readership (you go to lecture and do the grading, but you don't have to teach sections) or a research assistantship. The danger there is that you have to wait until the quarter begins to try and get the last minute positions, so it is possible to come out emptyhanded. (For me, that means not only would I not have an income, but also I would have to withdrawl from the university, since by working at the university, my fees are paid. They will become astronomical next quarter since I am out of "normative time," i.e. I have not finished my degree in the time they normally allot for students. Which, although I am slow, is not uncommon in my field. Many students need up to 10 years. I am just finishing my 8th. And some of those I didn't do much related to my degree, either.)
In other teaching news, my students have moved on to a seciton on ancient Greece. Just in time for the movie "300." In fact, we just learned about the battle of Themopolyae in lecture last week, and I assigned a group of students to compare the relationship between an individual and their polis in Athens and Sparta. (In case you are interested, in Sparta, the boys were sent to military training at age 7! They remained loyal to their military regiment, even taking meals there after marriage - which was permitted after age 30. In Athens, on the other hand, citizens were involved in all aspects of city life - producing plays, debating, serving.)
Even though the movie looks like a glorification of violence, perhaps I will have to watch it...