Progress

Daniel has been very busy this last week or so doing some of his Christmas jobs. Last year he didn't do anything himself - I wrote out his cards after a long and unfruitful attempt at getting him to help, and I purchased and wrapped presents "from Daniel".

This year, he took £15 of his own savings from odd bits of pocket money to get presents for his Nanna, Daddy and me. He decided where he wanted to go (Asda) and chose a calendar for his Nanna and a tin of chocolates for his Daddy from the selection available in store. I had to choose my own chocolates in the end since he'd lost interest by then!

He then "helped" with wrapping those along with his present for my partner (which I gave to him to wrap from my January sales collection) by choosing the paper, tags, and star for each person and writing his name on the tags himself.

I was even more impressed this Wednesday when he wrote out his Christmas cards to all the children in his class. OK, I wrote THEIR names, and I wrote out the envelopes, but Daniel put his name and a kiss and did a Christmas stamp in every single card - for 29 children and 5 teachers. Usually his concentration, especially with writing, is pretty poor, so this is a major breakthrough for him!

He's really looking forward to his own presents and cards now having put time and energy into the ones he is sending. I'm feeling he's going to understand and enjoy Christmas more this year than ever before.

It's been a week of progress in more than one way, too! Reading requests are taking off to the point that I had enough money to treat myself to a couple of albums I've wanted forever and not had the money to buy (ironically, including "Progressed" by Take That).

Even better, I have a lesson observation and interview for a long-term teaching assignment next week! I am so happy to be shortlisted. The job market is so competitive these days and it's so easy to feel like you're on the career scrap-heap. No matter what the outcome, I am well-prepared and know I will have tried my best; and I know I was good enough to get an interview out of a large field. It's given me a real boost.

I guess the moral of all this is perseverance. Perseverance makes progress!