There are anywhere from six to 10 of them, and we have developed our routines. I appear at 11 am, and one in particular has been pursuing the collection to pick that day's selection. Once I've come through the door, she'll run up to me and put her choice in my hand. Others who haven't figured out the signal will grab something and shove it at me when I get closer to the reading mat.
I try and make sure that everyone has a chance to make a selection at some point in the week, but sometimes it's just too chaotic to tell. Every now and then I'll be handed a book in Tetun or Portuguese, and I have to explain that I can only read English.
Last week, I was handed the same book on three successive days, and had to decline each time because we had read that exceptionally short board book the previous week.
Then I sit down and ask everyone to sit on the mat beyond my reach. If I can touch you, then that means someone else can't see through you. I stretch out my arm and wiggle my fingers. One little boy always insists that I touch him before he will move back. Then a few others Bob their heads, shouting “Can you touch me? Can you touch me?” If I touch one person (after the always boy), there is much manoeuvring until everyone has had had a turn being touched.
For a week, I went through “Do you want me to read the publication date? Do you want me to read the ISBN number?” Until one particularly bright girl started answering yes.
Then I actually get to the first book. I ask questions throughout. Does anyone know how to sleep? Can someone roar like a lion? Can you lick your hand? Occasionally it gets out of control, but mostly it's a good way of engaging the kids.
Most of the kids have Australian parents. There's one boy with Korean parents, two Timorese girls and an Indonesian boy. His English skills are negligible, so he normally squirms, then wanders off during story time. I would too, in his position. But one day, he came up to me after story time to tell me, in his language, that he had seen me at the market. He was sooooo excited, although he didn't say anything at the time. I was thrilled, because until then, I didn't know there was a language barrier, and I thought he wasn't interested in the stories. And it's nice to be recognized.
Another little boy is very serious, and really enjoys story time. A few times, when everyone else has lost interest, I'll read a story just to him. He won't sit beside me on such occasions, so I'll still hold the book up so that he can see the pictures and read the words upside down.
Thursday we were reading a story about spiders and he knew something important that the rest of us didn't. So he explained the detail at length. He doesn't have the confidence to talk smoothly, but I made the other children keep quiet until he was finished. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact topic or the content. All I can remember is that he knew a lot.
One day I left my purse in the work room, and a sharp eyed boy asked where it was when I waked in. Oops, I'll go get it. Another time, the same boy asked why I had a small scrape on my knee. I'm not looking forward to having to report out on my spectacular fall.
When I leave, the kids that still have some attention span left give me a hug. Depending on who starts it, I'll be mobbed or recognized by a single child. There are definite leaders in that society, and others follow a specific leader’s actions. Most of the time, they'll have moved on and give me a quick verbal goodbye.
I find my 15 minutes a day with them to be so refreshing. It's a real treat for me.
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