So I was feeling pretty smug after my first day with my new class. Things had gone pretty smoothly and a little guy that had trouble with crying during the Summer Readiness program, had made it through the day with only about 30 seconds of sadness when he said good bye to his mom.
I should had known better than that, but I got carried away I guess.
Today was another story.
We started out really well, and about 9:00 he asked if today was going to be another short day like yesterday. Of course, I was honest, and said "No, today will be a normal day and we will be here longer today. But you'll be surprised how fast it will go because we'll be very busy!"
It didn't work. He immediately teared up and asked about every 3 minutes "Is it time to go home yet?" I also heard "I just want to go home now" and "How many more recesses until we go home?" To help him, and the rest of the class, I wrote out a list on the board of all the things we would be doing today. And every time we completed one of the things listed, we made a check mark by it. Around lunch time I showed my little weeper how far we had come and drew a line above our current activity. Miraculously, when we came back to the room after lunch time recess (out last activity before dismissal yesterday) he was fine. No more tears, no more constant questions about when it would be time to go home, no sign of the insecure, sad little person he had been all morning. Wow! Lunch really is a MAGIC time.
I sure hope tomorrow will be better for him. Its going to be Teddy Bear day and all the children get to bring their favorite bear (or stuffed animal). I've got mine in my bag and ready to go. I don't want to be the only one without a bear....I would probably cry!!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
First Day
Today was the first day of school. Most likely my last 'first day' in Kindergarten. As I was thinking about all of the 'first days' I've seen through the years, I remembered my very first day at this school.
I was here to start my student teaching experience. I had been assigned to work in kindergarten for half of the day, and first grade the other half. I had been teaching the kindergarten class at my church on Sunday mornings, so I had heard lots of stories about Mrs Walton, my supervising teacher in Kindergarten, from the children. From the stories and activities they talked about, I was expecting to see someone in their 30s teaching the class.
When I arrived at the school and the secretary directed me to the room, I looked in the window to see a tiny, white haired woman talking to the children. I thought that the teacher must have been absent and this must be her sub. But I knocked on the door, since this was to be my teaching assignment.
To my surprise, this 'little old lady' was the Mrs. Walton I had heard about. Could this really be the teacher that had excited and encouraged the children that I had seen at Sunday school?
Indeed, it was one and the same. It didn't take long for me to see that she was truly young at heart, no matter what the age on the outside may have indicated.
I learned so many things in my student teaching semester, but most important was a true love for teaching children. Maybe someday I'll write my own book, "Everything I Needed to Know about Teaching I Learned in Kindergarten".
1 successful day down, only 179 to go.
I was here to start my student teaching experience. I had been assigned to work in kindergarten for half of the day, and first grade the other half. I had been teaching the kindergarten class at my church on Sunday mornings, so I had heard lots of stories about Mrs Walton, my supervising teacher in Kindergarten, from the children. From the stories and activities they talked about, I was expecting to see someone in their 30s teaching the class.
When I arrived at the school and the secretary directed me to the room, I looked in the window to see a tiny, white haired woman talking to the children. I thought that the teacher must have been absent and this must be her sub. But I knocked on the door, since this was to be my teaching assignment.
To my surprise, this 'little old lady' was the Mrs. Walton I had heard about. Could this really be the teacher that had excited and encouraged the children that I had seen at Sunday school?
Indeed, it was one and the same. It didn't take long for me to see that she was truly young at heart, no matter what the age on the outside may have indicated.
I learned so many things in my student teaching semester, but most important was a true love for teaching children. Maybe someday I'll write my own book, "Everything I Needed to Know about Teaching I Learned in Kindergarten".
1 successful day down, only 179 to go.
Gotta Love It!
This week I read a blog that talked about why we love what we do. It made me think about my career in Kindergarten and I guess this is why I love being a Kindergarten teacher:
I love that my job allows me to ALWAYS look for the best in every child and nurture that spark into a glowing smile or a full blown fire to do their very best. I love that after 33 years in Kindergarten, I still get excited when August comes around and I get to hone my skills once more to be the best teacher I can be, because these kids always deserve my best, too. I love that no matter how many candles I have on my cake, I'm still somewhere in the land between 18 and 99 to my students (somehow ageless).
I love that I can read a story out loud and make the characters come alive for my students by the inflection I use in my voice. I love being able to dance and sing and be silly and know that the children are learning through all those moments. I love the smiles I get to see when the light bulbs start to light up in their brains and they make a connection for the first time. I love reading their journals and figuring out what they were trying to spell before they read it to me. I love talking with their parents and assuring them that its common to see letters and numbers facing backwards in Kindergarten (and sometimes realizing that the parents were once my students, too).
I still love the smell of 'magic markers' and the feel of a real chalk board. But mostly I love the children, each and every one of them. And when they come back to visit, I love those hugs that I've missed since they left my room.
How many other people do you know that can say that?
I love that my job allows me to ALWAYS look for the best in every child and nurture that spark into a glowing smile or a full blown fire to do their very best. I love that after 33 years in Kindergarten, I still get excited when August comes around and I get to hone my skills once more to be the best teacher I can be, because these kids always deserve my best, too. I love that no matter how many candles I have on my cake, I'm still somewhere in the land between 18 and 99 to my students (somehow ageless).
I love that I can read a story out loud and make the characters come alive for my students by the inflection I use in my voice. I love being able to dance and sing and be silly and know that the children are learning through all those moments. I love the smiles I get to see when the light bulbs start to light up in their brains and they make a connection for the first time. I love reading their journals and figuring out what they were trying to spell before they read it to me. I love talking with their parents and assuring them that its common to see letters and numbers facing backwards in Kindergarten (and sometimes realizing that the parents were once my students, too).
I still love the smell of 'magic markers' and the feel of a real chalk board. But mostly I love the children, each and every one of them. And when they come back to visit, I love those hugs that I've missed since they left my room.
How many other people do you know that can say that?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Here We Go....
Today was our first official contract day of the school year. It was extra special because I got to meet my students and their parents tonight as they visited the room for a buoilding wide "Meet & Greet".
I usually invite the students and a parent to come visit on the afternoon before our first day of class, but this year our principal decided it would be a good experience for all of the elementary, PreK through 5th grades. Opening up the event to more classes made for more confusion in the building, and the time frame was shorter than I'm used to, so the time really flew by. I decided to plan ahead and provided sheets for the children and their chaperones to get to all of the areas in the room and complete all of the most important tasks of the evening. It seems like I barely had time to talk with each student and their parent. Having 25 students in my room is going to take some getting used to, after having classes of 20 and less. I connected some of the names to faces, but as I looked through the photos I took of the children, I notice there are still some I can't put names with ...yet.
It was a fairly easy night, as ther weren't any painfully shy or crying children in the room. Our first day on Wednesday could probably be another story.
I love to take each child's photo on this first visit to my room. As the year progresses I find out just how accurate those first glimps shots really turn out to be. Trying to get a smile that isn't forced or eyes that aren't blinking can be a challange sometimes. For the most part, the pictures turned out fairly well. One little girl struck a fashion model pose, while another little fellow has that 'deer in the headlights' look, Smiles ranged from big and missing some teeth to something close to a grimace. I wonder how many will still be smiling Wednesday morning after they say good bye to their parents and we are finally all alone together in the room. I know I'll be smiling!
I usually invite the students and a parent to come visit on the afternoon before our first day of class, but this year our principal decided it would be a good experience for all of the elementary, PreK through 5th grades. Opening up the event to more classes made for more confusion in the building, and the time frame was shorter than I'm used to, so the time really flew by. I decided to plan ahead and provided sheets for the children and their chaperones to get to all of the areas in the room and complete all of the most important tasks of the evening. It seems like I barely had time to talk with each student and their parent. Having 25 students in my room is going to take some getting used to, after having classes of 20 and less. I connected some of the names to faces, but as I looked through the photos I took of the children, I notice there are still some I can't put names with ...yet.
It was a fairly easy night, as ther weren't any painfully shy or crying children in the room. Our first day on Wednesday could probably be another story.
I love to take each child's photo on this first visit to my room. As the year progresses I find out just how accurate those first glimps shots really turn out to be. Trying to get a smile that isn't forced or eyes that aren't blinking can be a challange sometimes. For the most part, the pictures turned out fairly well. One little girl struck a fashion model pose, while another little fellow has that 'deer in the headlights' look, Smiles ranged from big and missing some teeth to something close to a grimace. I wonder how many will still be smiling Wednesday morning after they say good bye to their parents and we are finally all alone together in the room. I know I'll be smiling!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Back to School
For the 33rd year, I am preparing for the first week of school. You might think it would be automatic for me, but every year I walk into my room, stacked up with boxes and furniture and wonder if I will ever be able to get everything put up and ready in time for the first day. (I have one fellow teacher from down the hall that seems to delight in seeing my 'mess' and she shakes her head and laughs as she leaves.) But somehow, I always seem to make my deadline.
You might recognize by now, that I am not one of those organized people that maps out every move. My motto is 'attack the most important task and the rest will fall in place'. Its not necessarily a motto that always works, but its gotten me this far!
After 2 days of working in my room, it is finally beginning to look like a classroom again. Bulletin boards are up and desks are in place (although I'm still one short for my roster) and center areas are defined. The next step is getting the activities and play equipment out and organized. The biggest challenge for me each year is having a place to put all of the materials we use each day so my room doesn't look like a toy tornado just passed through. I've tried baggies, and boxes, and tubs, but have yet to find the perfect solution. I'm guessing it has something to do with the abundance of materials I my room and my reluctance to throw anything away. I guess I've been through the 'lean years' when our budgets were minimal (like this year) and I try to make use of whatever is available. Its amazing , but in this high tech world that kids grow up in, sometimes a simple game or toy can fascinate them. I've seen some amazing architecture using just some wooden blocks and cardboard tubes, while 'marble works' sits untouched on the shelf.
I will admit that the technology has certainly made some parts of my preparation easier. Typing notes on the computer, or simply editing things from last year, is so much easier than typing on mimeo paper and having to start over if you made a mistake. Before color printers, we used markers and crayons to add color to our artwork. And does anyone remember projecting images onto a large piece of oaktag to make bulletin board decorations? Those projectors were gigantic and it never failed the bulb would burn out before you finished. Those are days I don't miss.
Back to school tomorrow to get down to the 'nitty gritty' and get the rest of the room organized. Perhaps my teacher friend will stop in again to gauge my progress and give me a thumbs up. Or maybe this year I will finally find the magic formula for storing everything in an orderly fashion. (If I do, you'll be the first to know!) Most importanly, I will do what it takes to make a safe and enjoyable space for the children that will be 'my class'. Because the children are ultimately why I do what I do. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me working when others have headed for home. Its the children that keep me young and make me thankful for being a teacher.
You might recognize by now, that I am not one of those organized people that maps out every move. My motto is 'attack the most important task and the rest will fall in place'. Its not necessarily a motto that always works, but its gotten me this far!
After 2 days of working in my room, it is finally beginning to look like a classroom again. Bulletin boards are up and desks are in place (although I'm still one short for my roster) and center areas are defined. The next step is getting the activities and play equipment out and organized. The biggest challenge for me each year is having a place to put all of the materials we use each day so my room doesn't look like a toy tornado just passed through. I've tried baggies, and boxes, and tubs, but have yet to find the perfect solution. I'm guessing it has something to do with the abundance of materials I my room and my reluctance to throw anything away. I guess I've been through the 'lean years' when our budgets were minimal (like this year) and I try to make use of whatever is available. Its amazing , but in this high tech world that kids grow up in, sometimes a simple game or toy can fascinate them. I've seen some amazing architecture using just some wooden blocks and cardboard tubes, while 'marble works' sits untouched on the shelf.
I will admit that the technology has certainly made some parts of my preparation easier. Typing notes on the computer, or simply editing things from last year, is so much easier than typing on mimeo paper and having to start over if you made a mistake. Before color printers, we used markers and crayons to add color to our artwork. And does anyone remember projecting images onto a large piece of oaktag to make bulletin board decorations? Those projectors were gigantic and it never failed the bulb would burn out before you finished. Those are days I don't miss.
Back to school tomorrow to get down to the 'nitty gritty' and get the rest of the room organized. Perhaps my teacher friend will stop in again to gauge my progress and give me a thumbs up. Or maybe this year I will finally find the magic formula for storing everything in an orderly fashion. (If I do, you'll be the first to know!) Most importanly, I will do what it takes to make a safe and enjoyable space for the children that will be 'my class'. Because the children are ultimately why I do what I do. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me working when others have headed for home. Its the children that keep me young and make me thankful for being a teacher.
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