Life is just fun and games!

I love my job! I teach at a Sylvan Learning Center in the evenings this year, and I love it! Tonight, little Tammy came in all excited when she saw that she was going to be at my table. She's gotta be around 6 years old, and for her life is a party. We don't really do "Math"; we play lots of games instead (Math games, of course!):
"Ok, honey, are you ready to play a game with me?"
"Yeah!" wide-eyed and eager, she looks at me. "Can we play Tic-tac-toe-three-in-a-row?" (that's always the name of the game to her; no short cuts, if you please)
"Not right now, but after we play this game we can." I motion to the flashcards or to the counters we are going to use to learn how to add or subract.
And so it goes.

Tonight the game was "How do you say . . .?" She wanted to say everything in Spanish but did not really know any Spanish words (except "gracias" which she thought meant "hi"). So when we were doing flash cards of addition facts, she tried to make up words that she thought sounded Spanish enough for the number she was supposed to be saying. After she had finally said the answer in English, I would give her the correct Spanish word. The conversation went something like this:
me: "OK, Tammy, what's this?"
her: "8 plus 7 is blooshabawshme"
me: "No, sweetie, blooshabawshme isn't a word. If you'll say it in English, I'll tell it to you in Spanish.
her: "Ok. 15.
me: "Yes! That's right! Quince."
her: "Keen-say??" giggle giggle
me: "Here's your next one."
her: after looking at the card, "How do you say nine in English?"
me: "Do you mean in Spanish? Nueve."
her: "New-ev-ay?" giggle giggle
Meanwhile, Peter was working away at his assignment and wishing aloud that he was learning Spanish.

I love my job!