The Triumph: One of the little guys in my class seems to have decided that I am going to be his buddy. Whenever he is reading, he asks me to read with him and I absolutely love it! I love seeing how much growth he has made since the beginning of the year and thinking ahead to all of the progress that I'm sure he will make in the years to come!
Also, after I taught another new reading strategy today, a different boy comes up to me and says "I just read my first word!!!" And he was SOOO delighted! Warms my heart!
The Struggle: Today as recess was ending, I was standing by the door watching the kids all run to the wall to line up. As I am watching, I notice one of my kinder boys is flipping off someone who is on our wall. I called him to stand by me so we could chat before he went inside. I asked him what he was doing with his hand signals, never revealing that I know what it's called or saying the name. He denied and continued to tell me that he was just waving at his friend. By this time all of the kids were growing restless on the carpet and I had to let him come in the classroom and get all of the kids settled. About 15 minutes later though, I called him to talk with me again, and again asked him if he could tell me what he was doing with his hand signals. He looked at me and said "I wasn't fl---, I mean I was just waving hi!" So he did know what he was doing, what it was called and probably that it was not ok to do. I just told him that the hand signal that we were talking about was not nice and that I never wanted to see him do it. Then he said, "I see people do it all the time where I live" It's sad to hear and to see such a young kid doing and seeing such adult things.
The Ludicrousness: Over the last two days we have been writing pages for a book for our teacher, Mrs. P because today was her birthday. I asked the kids to think of things that we love about her and had them each draw a picture to go with the reasons they wanted to feature on their page. While I was asking one boy to tell me about his picture I said "And what do you love about Mrs. P?" He looks at me very concerned and says "I don't LOVE her, I just LIKE her!" I just responded with " Oh, ok, what do you LIKE about her?!"
Also, two girls were trying to spell Mrs. P's name. The girls tried their best to come up with the letter sounds that they were hearing and wrote them down. What they came up with was "Mrs. Puss" It still cracks me up, and sounds nothing like her name!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I am the Teacher!
A third of the way through typing, I lost my stamina. I'm just going to focus on the Triumph for today! Enjoy!
The Triumph: The more time that passes where I am in charge of the classroom, the more I think and know, "Yes, I can do this!" It seemed like such a daunting task at the beginning of the year to be in charge of the learning and transitioning of 20 some 5 year olds, but now I feel totally confident that I can do it! I felt that I jumped over many hurdles today. Hectic morning, no youtube for movement (eee!! I had them run laps since it was so sunny outside!), and just other little mishaps that happen throughout the day! Yay!!
The Triumph: The more time that passes where I am in charge of the classroom, the more I think and know, "Yes, I can do this!" It seemed like such a daunting task at the beginning of the year to be in charge of the learning and transitioning of 20 some 5 year olds, but now I feel totally confident that I can do it! I felt that I jumped over many hurdles today. Hectic morning, no youtube for movement (eee!! I had them run laps since it was so sunny outside!), and just other little mishaps that happen throughout the day! Yay!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Preparation is KEY!
The Triumph: A successful, useful lesson was taught today using Digi-Blocks and it was great! The kids were engaged, the transition from one activity to the other was awesome, and I think the kids all got something out of the lesson that was appropriate for their own learning!
The Struggle: I don't think it was so much struggle, as it was realizing today, as I was preparing for my lesson, all of the things that I had to get ready. I had about 15 minutes to get all of the Digi-blocks out and ready for the kids, test dry erase markers (which of course all needed to be the same color, otherwise there would be fights!), get each station set up, figure out snack, find a math book, get worksheets ready, and use the bathroom! And of course they're all things that can't be done at the beginning of the day, because math happens in the afternoon! There is a lot of prep work that goes into a lesson, and even more that goes into a lesson that has smooth transitions!
The Ludicrousness: As I was reading the math story to the kids today, there was a student sitting in front of me. He typically sits in front and usually ends up playing with the lower half of my pant-legs. Today I had a skirt on and he looks up at me and says, "What happened to the skin on your knee?" I looked down and of course there was nothing there! I was later talking with a friend and she said that she always had found skin on the knee to be strange! I guess he was thinking the same thing!
The Struggle: I don't think it was so much struggle, as it was realizing today, as I was preparing for my lesson, all of the things that I had to get ready. I had about 15 minutes to get all of the Digi-blocks out and ready for the kids, test dry erase markers (which of course all needed to be the same color, otherwise there would be fights!), get each station set up, figure out snack, find a math book, get worksheets ready, and use the bathroom! And of course they're all things that can't be done at the beginning of the day, because math happens in the afternoon! There is a lot of prep work that goes into a lesson, and even more that goes into a lesson that has smooth transitions!
The Ludicrousness: As I was reading the math story to the kids today, there was a student sitting in front of me. He typically sits in front and usually ends up playing with the lower half of my pant-legs. Today I had a skirt on and he looks up at me and says, "What happened to the skin on your knee?" I looked down and of course there was nothing there! I was later talking with a friend and she said that she always had found skin on the knee to be strange! I guess he was thinking the same thing!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Picking Up the Slack!!
I'm back! The last two weeks have been absolutely exhausting, but I'm comforted in knowing that teachers who have been teaching for years are as exhausted as I was for the whole first month of school. There have been many triumphs (including a day off, where I worked for books!!!), struggles (including various student issues in the classroom and on the playground) and of course ludicrous moments (including a student singing this song). AND of course, the day that the author of Enemy Pie came to visit the Kinders and 1st Graders!!
The Triumph: I love love love the days with just the 10 kids who come everyday. I feel so lucky to be able to have that experience, because I am so certain that it is so unlikely that I'll ever have a group of 10 all to myself for a day ever again! I love the opportunities that I have to talk with them about their lives and find out things about them that they do when they aren't at school! I love that I can get to know them more in-depth than I would in the classroom when all 19 of them are there!
The Struggle: I think the hardest part about the days with the 10 is knowing that they need the most help, which is why they come everyday and still seeing some of them struggling to make advances in their learning. For about two weeks, we have been working on our teen numbers. We have listened to the song about teens several times and students can sing it, but one girl is just not getting it. It's hard to see one student struggle so much, use something that does work for them, but still not see it stick!
The Ludicrousness: I honestly can not think of any today, but here are a few from the last couple of weeks.
As the author of Enemy Pie is wrapping up his presentation he starts to take questions. Of course, one of my students raises his hand and is called on. Here is his question. "Who wrote this book?" I just looked across the room, made eye-contact with my co-Kinder Intern and laughed.
I was informed by one of the recess teachers that a student of mine was yelling a swear word as he reached the highest points on the swing. Back and forth he just kept saying it. I'll give you a hint: It starts with the "Quiet Brothers."
And finally, with excitement, a boy student of mine ran up to me during work-time, grabbed my hand and said "You have to come with me! I have to show you something!!!" He then dragged me to the cupboard where we keep the snacks, opened the doors, and said "We can make POPCORN! Look, there is popcorn in there!" and then he ran back to me, grabbed my hand and said "Come on!" He continued to lead me around the room to the microwave and pointed to it excitedly. I then said, "Oh, would you like for me to make popcorn for snack?" He looks up at me and says, "I think I'm allergic to that kind of popcorn!" Goofy kid!
The Triumph: I love love love the days with just the 10 kids who come everyday. I feel so lucky to be able to have that experience, because I am so certain that it is so unlikely that I'll ever have a group of 10 all to myself for a day ever again! I love the opportunities that I have to talk with them about their lives and find out things about them that they do when they aren't at school! I love that I can get to know them more in-depth than I would in the classroom when all 19 of them are there!
The Struggle: I think the hardest part about the days with the 10 is knowing that they need the most help, which is why they come everyday and still seeing some of them struggling to make advances in their learning. For about two weeks, we have been working on our teen numbers. We have listened to the song about teens several times and students can sing it, but one girl is just not getting it. It's hard to see one student struggle so much, use something that does work for them, but still not see it stick!
The Ludicrousness: I honestly can not think of any today, but here are a few from the last couple of weeks.
As the author of Enemy Pie is wrapping up his presentation he starts to take questions. Of course, one of my students raises his hand and is called on. Here is his question. "Who wrote this book?" I just looked across the room, made eye-contact with my co-Kinder Intern and laughed.
I was informed by one of the recess teachers that a student of mine was yelling a swear word as he reached the highest points on the swing. Back and forth he just kept saying it. I'll give you a hint: It starts with the "Quiet Brothers."
And finally, with excitement, a boy student of mine ran up to me during work-time, grabbed my hand and said "You have to come with me! I have to show you something!!!" He then dragged me to the cupboard where we keep the snacks, opened the doors, and said "We can make POPCORN! Look, there is popcorn in there!" and then he ran back to me, grabbed my hand and said "Come on!" He continued to lead me around the room to the microwave and pointed to it excitedly. I then said, "Oh, would you like for me to make popcorn for snack?" He looks up at me and says, "I think I'm allergic to that kind of popcorn!" Goofy kid!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
You Don't Have to be So Mean!
The Triumph: I have found something new that works for my Tues/Thurs students to get their attention and gets them quiet. I have never really been a fan of clapping patterns and having the kids repeat it, but it was like magic! They were so silent after I tried with them! We'll see how long it lasts for!
The Struggle: I have a headache from being so "mean." After my observed lesson I realized that I needed to change something about how I let the students know that I am not happy with their behaviors. I used my "angry/disappointed/LISTEN TO ME/Teacher voice and faces. I had to constantly move kids all day, and remind them of how they should behave when others are talking. At one point a student had no idea where he should be sitting and did not listen to the directions (meaning, he did not get EVERYTHING he needed, i.e. folder to go home). I walked over to him and just said "___, get your folder and sit on a letter now." And the boy sitting behind him says, "You don't have to be so mean!"
The Ludicrousness: As I was sending kids out to afternoon recess, there were kids from my class who started lining up on the wall by our door to have a race. When the last kid got there, they yelled, "Ready, Set, GO!" And then they all ran off in different directions! It was the funniest thing to see. I wonder how they determined who won that one!
The Struggle: I have a headache from being so "mean." After my observed lesson I realized that I needed to change something about how I let the students know that I am not happy with their behaviors. I used my "angry/disappointed/LISTEN TO ME/Teacher voice and faces. I had to constantly move kids all day, and remind them of how they should behave when others are talking. At one point a student had no idea where he should be sitting and did not listen to the directions (meaning, he did not get EVERYTHING he needed, i.e. folder to go home). I walked over to him and just said "___, get your folder and sit on a letter now." And the boy sitting behind him says, "You don't have to be so mean!"
The Ludicrousness: As I was sending kids out to afternoon recess, there were kids from my class who started lining up on the wall by our door to have a race. When the last kid got there, they yelled, "Ready, Set, GO!" And then they all ran off in different directions! It was the funniest thing to see. I wonder how they determined who won that one!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I Hope She Isn't the Kind that Eats People!!!
The Triumph: It was overall a successful day today! We got everything done that I had planned, which included several new games and manipulatives throughout the day. Plus I taught one of the boys the word 'obliterate' and it's meaning! He was having a grand time making really great battle sounds and pretending that stuff was blowing up and I told him a fancy word for blowing stuff to pieces was obliterate! He loved it!
The Struggle: I had a little chat with my darling friend today, who I often have power struggles with. He had stolen some SillyBands out of another boys backpack, so he was sitting in the Cheetahs, waiting for me. We talked about what he did, why it was wrong, etc. He was clearly upset, and then said to me "I'm a bad person." That put tears in my eyes. It is so upsetting to hear a kid so young saying something like that about himself, and I'm sure it is the same type of language that he hears at home. I told him to look me in the eyes and told him that he is a good person, a good kid, but has just been making choices that aren't good. We talked some more and he told him that he wanted to be good and then came up with some ways that he could be good and could make good choices. And then he followed through with what he said.
The Ludicrousness: I overheard two boys talking today, after I told them that the woman standing behind them was my mom. "WHOA!" "I hope she's not a witch" "I hope she isn't the kind that eats people!"
The other two quotes happened after the above student returned from the principal's office. We were all seated on a letter on our alphabet carpet and I said to the student "Have a seat on the carpet. Sit on the "U" that would be a perfect spot for you!" He looks at me and says, "My name doesn't start with 'U'!!!"
I'm glad he is learning his letters! :)
And a few minutes after the "U" comment, he heard some words that weren't nice and said "I'm going to go tell the prince!" And another boy says "Who is the prince?! What prince?!"
Princ-ipal!!
Friday, April 29, 2011
What Are You Doing?!
The Triumph: Another successful writing lesson today! There were only a couple of students who did not have writing that they added to their books today, and one boy said to me "I need help adding words, because I'm writing books that have words now!" I was so excited to hear him say that! He actually had another quote during my writing to them that I wrote down on the last page of my story because I thought it was such a great quote about what writers should do. I love the connections that kid makes!
The Struggle: There are still a lot of not nice words circulating throughout the room. We have been reading manners books all week and the kids are great at making connections, however, they can not make the connections from the books to themselves!
The Ludicrousness: Today, while I was reading, I noticed a student of mine, showing his middle finger to a group of girls next to him. I looked right at him, and with my angry voice said "What are you doing?!!!" He turned to me, still with his middle finger out, now pointing to me and he says "I got a cut on my finger, SEE!?!" I just said, "Ohhhh... ok!" and started laughing to myself!
The Struggle: There are still a lot of not nice words circulating throughout the room. We have been reading manners books all week and the kids are great at making connections, however, they can not make the connections from the books to themselves!
The Ludicrousness: Today, while I was reading, I noticed a student of mine, showing his middle finger to a group of girls next to him. I looked right at him, and with my angry voice said "What are you doing?!!!" He turned to me, still with his middle finger out, now pointing to me and he says "I got a cut on my finger, SEE!?!" I just said, "Ohhhh... ok!" and started laughing to myself!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Progress, Progress, Progress!
The Triumph: It is so great seeing the progress that students have been making since the beginning of the year! One student has progressed by 100 points on the K-Screen! At the beginning of the year, and throughout the kids have been assessed to see where they are at, and what progress has been made! The K-Screen looks at letters (upper and lower), letter sounds, numbers (1-31), as well as some basic math concepts. The overall score is 130. So great to see the progress they have made on those and in the classroom. I keep telling them that 1st grade is coming soon.
The Struggle: I think that trying to figure out how to help the resistant student was what was most difficult today. He really needs to be at school to learn, but once he starts digging his heels in, I just have to send him away. Usually the heel digging involves a lot of yelling, or other disruptive behaviors that makes learning difficult for the whole class. I just have to figure out at what point do I say, "Ok you need to do this!" Today, he had a power struggle with me in front of the whole class because he wanted to sit on the computer instead of joining us for movement on the carpet. He stated that he was going to do computers. I gave him his choices, which were to join us on the carpet or to sit in the Cheetah Chairs. We went back and forth a few times, but he knew that I would not back down and he finally came to a decision (Cheetahs)!
The Ludicrousness: During the plan-do-review part of the day, which we call Worktime, the kids discovered the new hollow blocks that we are borrowing from the other Kinder room. One of the boys made a tower with them that was really tall, and I asked him if he would like to take a picture of it. I could not find our classroom camera, so I let him use mine. They were hilarious! They took pictures for about 20 minutes. They took turns, the took interesting photos, and they were having such a great time! I would post some, but most have the kids in them. I'll have to look through and post the ones that don't have kids in them!!
The Struggle: I think that trying to figure out how to help the resistant student was what was most difficult today. He really needs to be at school to learn, but once he starts digging his heels in, I just have to send him away. Usually the heel digging involves a lot of yelling, or other disruptive behaviors that makes learning difficult for the whole class. I just have to figure out at what point do I say, "Ok you need to do this!" Today, he had a power struggle with me in front of the whole class because he wanted to sit on the computer instead of joining us for movement on the carpet. He stated that he was going to do computers. I gave him his choices, which were to join us on the carpet or to sit in the Cheetah Chairs. We went back and forth a few times, but he knew that I would not back down and he finally came to a decision (Cheetahs)!
The Ludicrousness: During the plan-do-review part of the day, which we call Worktime, the kids discovered the new hollow blocks that we are borrowing from the other Kinder room. One of the boys made a tower with them that was really tall, and I asked him if he would like to take a picture of it. I could not find our classroom camera, so I let him use mine. They were hilarious! They took pictures for about 20 minutes. They took turns, the took interesting photos, and they were having such a great time! I would post some, but most have the kids in them. I'll have to look through and post the ones that don't have kids in them!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Baby Got Back
The Triumph: I had a successful writing lesson today (yesterday too, actually!)! The focus of writing has been that the writer adds words for the reader. Without words in the books that the kids make, I can't read or remember what every single story is about! The kids got the teaching point and there were so many who have been adding words in the last two days that have never even attempted words before!
The Struggle: I think I may have to start cracking down more on the kids. They are starting to act-up and act silly. Which, I know they are five, but I want them to know that there are times for them to be silly and there are times for them to be good learners!
The Ludicrousness: I overheard a boy Kinder of mine singing "I like big butts and I can not lie." I stopped and looked at him and he says, "What? It's a song!" Yes, it is!
Also, I was hugged by a Kinder in the other classroom today. And her leg was wrapped around me in the process! It was hilarious!
The Struggle: I think I may have to start cracking down more on the kids. They are starting to act-up and act silly. Which, I know they are five, but I want them to know that there are times for them to be silly and there are times for them to be good learners!
The Ludicrousness: I overheard a boy Kinder of mine singing "I like big butts and I can not lie." I stopped and looked at him and he says, "What? It's a song!" Yes, it is!
Also, I was hugged by a Kinder in the other classroom today. And her leg was wrapped around me in the process! It was hilarious!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Can I have a Tracker?
The Triumph: This is related to teaching, but not specific to the kids today... I got the approval for my Substitute Certificate. That means I can sub in my classroom from now until the end of the year. AND get paid for it!! Yippee!!!
The Struggle: We have been reading books lately that have to do with the social issues that are coming up in our classroom. It is interesting to see how the students can make connections with the stories, but when it comes to acting out and living the advice they are discussing they just can't do it. They can point out that lying is not good, that good friends share and that we use nice words, but they just can't do what they say or know they should do! Again, I just have to remind myself that they are 5!
The Ludicrousness: We have been doing Sand, Dirt and Water for our science unit. Today was the first day that one of the groups had time to explore each table. The kids had a chance to visit each table. By the final rotation, the group of kids that were at the dirt table had witnessed the other kids getting dirt in their eyes because of the wind. The third group of kids was so fun to watch. They would use the different tools in their table, and then started ducking below the table. It was so funny to watch them problem solve and figure out how to avoid getting sand in their eyes. They are just so creative!
The Struggle: We have been reading books lately that have to do with the social issues that are coming up in our classroom. It is interesting to see how the students can make connections with the stories, but when it comes to acting out and living the advice they are discussing they just can't do it. They can point out that lying is not good, that good friends share and that we use nice words, but they just can't do what they say or know they should do! Again, I just have to remind myself that they are 5!
The Ludicrousness: We have been doing Sand, Dirt and Water for our science unit. Today was the first day that one of the groups had time to explore each table. The kids had a chance to visit each table. By the final rotation, the group of kids that were at the dirt table had witnessed the other kids getting dirt in their eyes because of the wind. The third group of kids was so fun to watch. They would use the different tools in their table, and then started ducking below the table. It was so funny to watch them problem solve and figure out how to avoid getting sand in their eyes. They are just so creative!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sometimes I'm Silly!
The Triumph: The big Mondays with all of the Kinders are always a little more difficult, so I consider getting through the day a triumph. I got the kids where they needed to be, on time, all throughout the day. We didn't have to wait to wash our hands at the sink before lunch (which we mostly have to do on Mondays since we come straight from P.E.) AND they all made it home! Success!
The Struggle: Hearing heart-breaking information about students is just hard. I wonder how some teachers manage to be so involved in the home lives of their students, when others seem that they just don't care what happens once they leave the classroom. I feel like I am always thinking about how my students are doing at home and how that effects them when they come to school.
The Ludicrousness: Some teacher and student quotes today. I had some time to go observe in the other Kinder classroom today (Thanks!) during a lesson on Thinking-Maps and analogies. The book being read was "Tacky the Penguin," and it is about a penguin that is very different from the other penguins. The teacher asked her students if they ever felt like Tacky and one boy next to me says "I'm silly a lot of the time!" And he most certainly is!
My favorite teacher quote today was in the hall, as one Kinder class (mine) was passing the other Kinder class. And the other teacher stated to her students: "Remember, mobs scare people and lines make people happy!" I lost it and just started cracking up! My kids were curious and wanted to know why. I just said, "Because Mrs. _ is funny!"
The Struggle: Hearing heart-breaking information about students is just hard. I wonder how some teachers manage to be so involved in the home lives of their students, when others seem that they just don't care what happens once they leave the classroom. I feel like I am always thinking about how my students are doing at home and how that effects them when they come to school.
The Ludicrousness: Some teacher and student quotes today. I had some time to go observe in the other Kinder classroom today (Thanks!) during a lesson on Thinking-Maps and analogies. The book being read was "Tacky the Penguin," and it is about a penguin that is very different from the other penguins. The teacher asked her students if they ever felt like Tacky and one boy next to me says "I'm silly a lot of the time!" And he most certainly is!
My favorite teacher quote today was in the hall, as one Kinder class (mine) was passing the other Kinder class. And the other teacher stated to her students: "Remember, mobs scare people and lines make people happy!" I lost it and just started cracking up! My kids were curious and wanted to know why. I just said, "Because Mrs. _ is funny!"
Friday, April 22, 2011
I Don't Wanna!
The Triumph: Friday was successful! We had a full day, including computer lab time (which went smoothly), writing (also smooth), lunch (ALWAYS smooth), and a new schedule for plan-do-review/science. The two Kinder classes will start mixing for work-time and science, so the kids will be seeing more of each other, which is AWESOME! I think they all enjoyed it for the most part. I know that I did!
The Struggle: We have been noticing, more and more, where certain kids are at, including the kids that come every day. One would think, perhaps even assume, that a kid who comes to school everyday, is going to make more progress than a kid who only comes two days a week. Well, it seems that in our class it isn't quite happening that way! I think for some of the Kinders it is a difference of language, and the fact that they only hear English when they are at school. Then when they get home they speak their L1, or first language. I found myself becoming frustrated with one of these students today. But I had to remind myself, she is an ELL. AND she is FIVE! Already, there is so much going on in her brain. Two languages, writing in English, knows most of the alphabet, but not the sounds that the letters make... The list could go on and on.
The Ludicrousness: For the last two weeks, I have been tying one boys shoes about 6 times a day. Every day. He has those shoe laces that slide really easily. They are that cord like material. And this kid is a.l.w.a.y.s. pulling and tugging and playing with those darn things. This week I told him I was going to staple his shoelaces down so I wouldn't have to tie them anymore. He has pulled the laces out completely twice, and since the plastic parts at the ends have worn down or fallen off, I have to put a safety pin through the end to thread it through his darn shoes! I think he is obsessive with them. He is always touching them! I just want to duct-tape them. Or get him velcro!
The Struggle: We have been noticing, more and more, where certain kids are at, including the kids that come every day. One would think, perhaps even assume, that a kid who comes to school everyday, is going to make more progress than a kid who only comes two days a week. Well, it seems that in our class it isn't quite happening that way! I think for some of the Kinders it is a difference of language, and the fact that they only hear English when they are at school. Then when they get home they speak their L1, or first language. I found myself becoming frustrated with one of these students today. But I had to remind myself, she is an ELL. AND she is FIVE! Already, there is so much going on in her brain. Two languages, writing in English, knows most of the alphabet, but not the sounds that the letters make... The list could go on and on.
The Ludicrousness: For the last two weeks, I have been tying one boys shoes about 6 times a day. Every day. He has those shoe laces that slide really easily. They are that cord like material. And this kid is a.l.w.a.y.s. pulling and tugging and playing with those darn things. This week I told him I was going to staple his shoelaces down so I wouldn't have to tie them anymore. He has pulled the laces out completely twice, and since the plastic parts at the ends have worn down or fallen off, I have to put a safety pin through the end to thread it through his darn shoes! I think he is obsessive with them. He is always touching them! I just want to duct-tape them. Or get him velcro!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A Film-maker and Scientist in the Making
The Triumph: The more my CT leaves the room, the more confident I am that I can manage these children, I can teach them, and I can handle the issues that come up. I appreciate the trust that she has in me and the time that she has allowed me to have such a presence in the classroom! I know that not every student intern has that same type of experience!
The Struggle: Cloning myself. Really though, at one point today, I had 6 kids around me, vying for my attention. If only there were 8 of me, I could help so many more kids. I guess I'll just have to teach, hope that one of my future students gets hooked by science and figures out how to clone humans.
The Ludicrousness: There are so many silly, ridiculous, and outrageous things that are happening in the classroom that it's hard to narrow down to just one. I think my favorite from today was when my CT was teaching science. She wanted to record the lesson and put the Flip Camera in the hands of one of the Kinders. She asked him to follow the discussion, and move the camera to point at whoever was talking at the time. At one point, I looked over and he was so focused on what he was doing. Then, a student got up to use the bathroom, and the cinematographer pointed the camera on him and followed him all the way to the door. While a science discussion was taking place. But boy, was he focused! I can just imagine what commentary was going on inside his head.
The Struggle: Cloning myself. Really though, at one point today, I had 6 kids around me, vying for my attention. If only there were 8 of me, I could help so many more kids. I guess I'll just have to teach, hope that one of my future students gets hooked by science and figures out how to clone humans.
The Ludicrousness: There are so many silly, ridiculous, and outrageous things that are happening in the classroom that it's hard to narrow down to just one. I think my favorite from today was when my CT was teaching science. She wanted to record the lesson and put the Flip Camera in the hands of one of the Kinders. She asked him to follow the discussion, and move the camera to point at whoever was talking at the time. At one point, I looked over and he was so focused on what he was doing. Then, a student got up to use the bathroom, and the cinematographer pointed the camera on him and followed him all the way to the door. While a science discussion was taking place. But boy, was he focused! I can just imagine what commentary was going on inside his head.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What's a Nice Way to Say "Be Quiet"?!
The Triumph: Another successful reading strategy lesson today. One thing that I like about having two groups of students is I really get to practice teaching. I can teach a lesson one day, reflect, change, and reteach it the next day to different kids. I think that more kids got the idea of what 'Skippy Frog' does today, than they did yesterday.
The Struggle: There seems to be quite a few issues going on having to do with the types of words our Kinders use in the classroom, on the playground and in the cafeteria. There were many times throughout the day that I was told "_____ told me to shut-up." There were others besides this, but 'shut-up' has been very common lately. I always ask kids what types of words we should use in the classroom and how we should talk to our friends. They are always able to respond with "Nice words." After thinking about it more though, I can remind them all I want to about the types of words we should use, but once they leave the school at 3:30, they are back at home, listening to their parents, their older siblings (and friends), and the T.V. I have no control over what they hear at home or what type of language they are allowed to use when they are with their families.
The Ludicrousness: More quotes today! :)
One of the boys was knocking on the door during lunch recess. When asked why he wanted to come in he said " Because _____ and his girlfriend are taking away my fun!" I have no idea what he meant by that, but I laughed.
And another lovely connection, from student to the world. At the beginning of the science lesson this afternoon, our guest science teachers were reviewing with the children and up pops a hand. One of the teachers calls on the boy with his hand up and he says "I've been to New York!" All I could think was, "Me too, friend."
The Struggle: There seems to be quite a few issues going on having to do with the types of words our Kinders use in the classroom, on the playground and in the cafeteria. There were many times throughout the day that I was told "_____ told me to shut-up." There were others besides this, but 'shut-up' has been very common lately. I always ask kids what types of words we should use in the classroom and how we should talk to our friends. They are always able to respond with "Nice words." After thinking about it more though, I can remind them all I want to about the types of words we should use, but once they leave the school at 3:30, they are back at home, listening to their parents, their older siblings (and friends), and the T.V. I have no control over what they hear at home or what type of language they are allowed to use when they are with their families.
The Ludicrousness: More quotes today! :)
One of the boys was knocking on the door during lunch recess. When asked why he wanted to come in he said " Because _____ and his girlfriend are taking away my fun!" I have no idea what he meant by that, but I laughed.
And another lovely connection, from student to the world. At the beginning of the science lesson this afternoon, our guest science teachers were reviewing with the children and up pops a hand. One of the teachers calls on the boy with his hand up and he says "I've been to New York!" All I could think was, "Me too, friend."
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I Can Read!
The Triumph: Successful facilitation of a small reading group today! The kids were so motivated, and by sticky notes, which I totally did not see coming!
The Struggle: I have just been so tired this week. I need to figure out how to get more energy. (As you can probably see from the minuscule post tonight)
The Ludicrousness: This one's not so much funny as it is just darn cute! One of the boys came up to me this morning, so excited to share a drawing with me that his younger brother had done. He was so happy to share with me what his brother had done as well as explaining the story behind the drawing! I love their enthusiasm!
The Struggle: I have just been so tired this week. I need to figure out how to get more energy. (As you can probably see from the minuscule post tonight)
The Ludicrousness: This one's not so much funny as it is just darn cute! One of the boys came up to me this morning, so excited to share a drawing with me that his younger brother had done. He was so happy to share with me what his brother had done as well as explaining the story behind the drawing! I love their enthusiasm!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Today was Awesome!
The Triumph: Being able to work so closely and learn more about my students on these Mondays. Today was another of the Mondays where I only have 10 students. It's either 10 or 28 and oh do I love the days with 10. The kids that come every day really need to have that one on one or small group interaction and the days where they are the only ones to come really allows that to happen! And I love it!!
The Struggle: Today, really just realizing that kids benefit from coming everyday, as well as having smaller class sizes. Something needs to be done with the way that the education system and how they fund early childhood education!
The Ludicrousness: Ok, quotes again today. I love hearing the stuff that the kids say...
We were reading a book about a dog that gets into a lot of trouble, including a day when the dog 'wets the rug.' One of my students raised his hand to ask me what that meant and other kids let him know that it meant the dog had peed on the carpet. Well, later in the book the dog does the same thing, and one of my boys says "oh, well he pissed on the carpet again!"
Later another one of my boys was sitting at the computer and called me over to him. Then he yells out to me (because he has ginormous headphones on) "Ms. Castleton, I smell gunpowder!" All I could do was look at him and say "What?!" The substitute who was sitting near by just burst into laughter! I don't know how he knows what gunpowder smells like, or why he thought he was smelling it, but it was hilarious!
The Struggle: Today, really just realizing that kids benefit from coming everyday, as well as having smaller class sizes. Something needs to be done with the way that the education system and how they fund early childhood education!
The Ludicrousness: Ok, quotes again today. I love hearing the stuff that the kids say...
We were reading a book about a dog that gets into a lot of trouble, including a day when the dog 'wets the rug.' One of my students raised his hand to ask me what that meant and other kids let him know that it meant the dog had peed on the carpet. Well, later in the book the dog does the same thing, and one of my boys says "oh, well he pissed on the carpet again!"
Later another one of my boys was sitting at the computer and called me over to him. Then he yells out to me (because he has ginormous headphones on) "Ms. Castleton, I smell gunpowder!" All I could do was look at him and say "What?!" The substitute who was sitting near by just burst into laughter! I don't know how he knows what gunpowder smells like, or why he thought he was smelling it, but it was hilarious!
Friday, April 15, 2011
I've Been to Fred Meyer!!
The Triumph: I really just enjoyed the kinders today. I had a great day with the kids and then had the opportunity to sit down after school and plan out next week with my cooperating teacher! There's not really any one thing that stands out to me that made it such a good day. It just was. I had lots of conversations with kids, which made it really great!
The Struggle: I think the hardest part about today was during writing time. I'm struggling with how much work I think they should get done, and how much they do get done. The kids go so long without seeing each other and when they get to the tables where they write, they just want to chat with each other. But then it starts to get loud, and kids aren't working while they are writing. I need to find a happy medium where kids are talking, but also working at the same time that is acceptable for me and for them.
The Ludicrousness: Today was a day of memorable quotes:
"This sandwich is paradise."
Reaction to a cloth shopping bag with the Fred Meyer emblem:
Student A: "Hey, I have one of those at home!"
Student B: "That's from Fred Meyer!"
Student A: "Hey, I've been to Fred Meyer!"
And my favorite. One of the boys was waiting for his mom to come get him, and usually she is there waiting for us, but today she wasn't. He says: "What is she dead or something? Where is she?!"
I love the things they say!
The Struggle: I think the hardest part about today was during writing time. I'm struggling with how much work I think they should get done, and how much they do get done. The kids go so long without seeing each other and when they get to the tables where they write, they just want to chat with each other. But then it starts to get loud, and kids aren't working while they are writing. I need to find a happy medium where kids are talking, but also working at the same time that is acceptable for me and for them.
The Ludicrousness: Today was a day of memorable quotes:
"This sandwich is paradise."
Reaction to a cloth shopping bag with the Fred Meyer emblem:
Student A: "Hey, I have one of those at home!"
Student B: "That's from Fred Meyer!"
Student A: "Hey, I've been to Fred Meyer!"
And my favorite. One of the boys was waiting for his mom to come get him, and usually she is there waiting for us, but today she wasn't. He says: "What is she dead or something? Where is she?!"
I love the things they say!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Read, Read, Read!!!
The Triumph: One of my little English Language learner guys, who came into the school year knowing only 1or 2 numbers and zero letters asked if he could read me a book today! It was "David Goes to School" by David Shannon, and this boy did memorize what happened on each page, but it was so wonderful to hear him excited about reading and excited about sharing with me! He has really come far since the beginning of the year!
The Struggle: Still having those conversations with certain children, who should know better, about appropriate behavior for school. It is agitating, and I feel like I am always having the same conversations with the same kids. I have to find a way to get through to them, and am not looking forward to the repeated conversations that I will have tomorrow for those problem behaviors.
The Ludicrousness: Listening to Kinders read!! I was listening to one boy read today. I had asked him to be sure to look at all of the words on the page and try to match the sounds that went with the letters he was seeing. At one point he read a few words in the sentence wrong, looked up at me and said "Well that just doesn't even make sense!" I told him, "Well, you're right, it doesn't make sense! What can you change so that it will make sense?"
The Struggle: Still having those conversations with certain children, who should know better, about appropriate behavior for school. It is agitating, and I feel like I am always having the same conversations with the same kids. I have to find a way to get through to them, and am not looking forward to the repeated conversations that I will have tomorrow for those problem behaviors.
The Ludicrousness: Listening to Kinders read!! I was listening to one boy read today. I had asked him to be sure to look at all of the words on the page and try to match the sounds that went with the letters he was seeing. At one point he read a few words in the sentence wrong, looked up at me and said "Well that just doesn't even make sense!" I told him, "Well, you're right, it doesn't make sense! What can you change so that it will make sense?"
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Can I Have a Grape?
The Triumph: Since I am in a classroom with two part time classes, I often have the chance to reteach lessons, and make changes based off of the first run of the lesson. After my lesson yesterday on ways that authors sometimes organize their books (Days of the Week), I was able to re-word my lesson delivery and students today seemed to have a better grasp on the idea!
The Struggle: Teaching with a headache! I woke up 15 minutes before I had to leave and have had the most awful headache all day long (I think from the lack of caffeine!). It really makes it hard for me to enjoy the day when I just want to close my eyes and go sleep. I did my best for the kids today, but geez it was difficult!!
The Ludicrousness: We got a new student today! Cutest little girl ever. I walked in to lunch with the kids, as a usually do, and stayed with them a little longer than usual to help a student with his sopping wet lunch bag. I made sure to go around and check in with our new student to see how she was doing so far and ask her what she had for lunch. She showed me her delicious looking sandwich and then I left the lunchroom. At the end of the day we have been doing sharing as a whole class and students can share something that they brought in from home or share a story about something that they have done. It has also become a time when kids will take remainders from their lunch boxes and munch on them. Our new student had noticed this and asked me if she could eat one of her grapes. I told her yes of course. She opened her lunch box and there was her sandwich, completely untouched!! She then told me she didn't have time to get to her sandwich. She decided to eat her sandwich, and ate it quicker than I have ever seen any kid eat their lunches!! She must have been so hungry!
The Struggle: Teaching with a headache! I woke up 15 minutes before I had to leave and have had the most awful headache all day long (I think from the lack of caffeine!). It really makes it hard for me to enjoy the day when I just want to close my eyes and go sleep. I did my best for the kids today, but geez it was difficult!!
The Ludicrousness: We got a new student today! Cutest little girl ever. I walked in to lunch with the kids, as a usually do, and stayed with them a little longer than usual to help a student with his sopping wet lunch bag. I made sure to go around and check in with our new student to see how she was doing so far and ask her what she had for lunch. She showed me her delicious looking sandwich and then I left the lunchroom. At the end of the day we have been doing sharing as a whole class and students can share something that they brought in from home or share a story about something that they have done. It has also become a time when kids will take remainders from their lunch boxes and munch on them. Our new student had noticed this and asked me if she could eat one of her grapes. I told her yes of course. She opened her lunch box and there was her sandwich, completely untouched!! She then told me she didn't have time to get to her sandwich. She decided to eat her sandwich, and ate it quicker than I have ever seen any kid eat their lunches!! She must have been so hungry!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
To the Cheetahs!!!
The Triumph: As time goes on, I have been teaching more and more. I have always taught lessons, but more often I am teaching, leading, and facilitating the kids and I love it! I feel like I am really gaining a good sense of when they have had enough, such as today during an observed lesson. The kids had a package of 6 crackers with a crinkly wrapper. They were really good for the first few minutes while they were still eating. I ended up challenging them to quickly and quietly get their wrappers in the garbage can while I closed my eyes and counted to 20.... and it worked wonderfully!
The Struggle: Today, I felt that I struggled with following through with what I say when it comes to discipline. I had asked one particular student to stop making noises with his mouth and told him if I had to ask him again that he would go to the Cheetah Chairs. Well, about a minute later he was rocking on the floor. But.... he was doing it silently! I just reminded him of how he should be sitting and when he still did not sit as I had asked him, sent him to the Cheetah Chairs! I later talked with my observer about and she let me know that yes it is ok to just send a student there who should know better! And this rolling, noisy child most certainly does know better!
The Ludicrousness: While standing with my University Coordinator today during recess, one of the boys in my class came up to us and asked her to tie his shoe. I said "You didn't want me to tie your shoe?" and he responds with "Well, you do it every other time!" He also happens to have the tiniest, cutest voice ever, which made it even funnier!
The Struggle: Today, I felt that I struggled with following through with what I say when it comes to discipline. I had asked one particular student to stop making noises with his mouth and told him if I had to ask him again that he would go to the Cheetah Chairs. Well, about a minute later he was rocking on the floor. But.... he was doing it silently! I just reminded him of how he should be sitting and when he still did not sit as I had asked him, sent him to the Cheetah Chairs! I later talked with my observer about and she let me know that yes it is ok to just send a student there who should know better! And this rolling, noisy child most certainly does know better!
The Ludicrousness: While standing with my University Coordinator today during recess, one of the boys in my class came up to us and asked her to tie his shoe. I said "You didn't want me to tie your shoe?" and he responds with "Well, you do it every other time!" He also happens to have the tiniest, cutest voice ever, which made it even funnier!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Can You Lead the Line?
The Triumph: We had a great first day back from spring break! Through most of the day today, the kids (all 28 of them!) were working on math stations. All of these stations were centered around shapes since we will be moving towards geometry! It was great to see kids making the shapes that were in front of them, as well as new shapes that they came up with using the HandWriting without Tears materials. We worked all day with shapes and it was great to see the student engagement!
The Struggle: Like I said, there were 28 of them. It was great to see them all again, but difficult to make connections and observations about all of the students on a day with 28 kids! My friend and other Kinder intern asked me how one of my students was doing today, and I had to really think about how he was. Normally this student stands out to me, but when there are 28 kids demanding my attention, I had to think if he was even there! I'm so grateful that we have two smaller classes and that there will only be a few more big Mondays left!
The Ludicrousness: It is mind-boggling to me how long it takes for these kids to get in a line quietly! And how difficult it is for them to stay in that line as we move through the halls! We had lots of opportunities for practice since the Mondays with 28 kids are also the Mondays that we have Music and P.E. At one point as we were walking down the hall today, two boys were facing each other (meaning one was walking backwards!) and high-5ing each other! REALLY?!!? Is that a good time for high-5ing?!
The Struggle: Like I said, there were 28 of them. It was great to see them all again, but difficult to make connections and observations about all of the students on a day with 28 kids! My friend and other Kinder intern asked me how one of my students was doing today, and I had to really think about how he was. Normally this student stands out to me, but when there are 28 kids demanding my attention, I had to think if he was even there! I'm so grateful that we have two smaller classes and that there will only be a few more big Mondays left!
The Ludicrousness: It is mind-boggling to me how long it takes for these kids to get in a line quietly! And how difficult it is for them to stay in that line as we move through the halls! We had lots of opportunities for practice since the Mondays with 28 kids are also the Mondays that we have Music and P.E. At one point as we were walking down the hall today, two boys were facing each other (meaning one was walking backwards!) and high-5ing each other! REALLY?!!? Is that a good time for high-5ing?!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Robert Munsch Day
I am hoping that this will be my only delayed blog entry. Too much happened on Friday and I just didn't get a chance to blog then. It is so much harder to reflect two days later than it is that same night, so I'll do my best!
The Triumph: My CT and I survived the last day of school before spring break. We had a Robert Munsch Day and watched a ton of his books on this website called tumble books. It's through the local library and the books are read out loud and it was AWESOME!! We have been reading Robert Munsch for quite awhile now and got through all of his books that we have in the classroom. It was so nice to have a low key day and I know that the kids loved it too!
The Struggle: Honestly, I can't think of a specific struggle from that day. I think that more and more I am realizing how important it is for the kids to come everyday. We have a few kids who would be so much more successful during the day if they had the routine of the school day down, but since they aren't there everyday it is hard to get them to a routine!
The Ludicrousness: While we were watching a series of books on the SmartBoard, one student raised his hand and yells out, "My foot is asleep!!" This is the kid who previously couldn't contain his excitement about the type of pizza he likes to eat. He just kept saying that his foot was asleep, and something about the blood in his foot and we told him to just stretch out his legs. He would not do it though! Luckily I was sitting near him and helped him move his legs to a stretched out position and the problem was solved.
There'll be a break in posts, since I am now officially on Spring Break!!!!! WOOOO!!! See ya in a week!
The Triumph: My CT and I survived the last day of school before spring break. We had a Robert Munsch Day and watched a ton of his books on this website called tumble books. It's through the local library and the books are read out loud and it was AWESOME!! We have been reading Robert Munsch for quite awhile now and got through all of his books that we have in the classroom. It was so nice to have a low key day and I know that the kids loved it too!
The Struggle: Honestly, I can't think of a specific struggle from that day. I think that more and more I am realizing how important it is for the kids to come everyday. We have a few kids who would be so much more successful during the day if they had the routine of the school day down, but since they aren't there everyday it is hard to get them to a routine!
The Ludicrousness: While we were watching a series of books on the SmartBoard, one student raised his hand and yells out, "My foot is asleep!!" This is the kid who previously couldn't contain his excitement about the type of pizza he likes to eat. He just kept saying that his foot was asleep, and something about the blood in his foot and we told him to just stretch out his legs. He would not do it though! Luckily I was sitting near him and helped him move his legs to a stretched out position and the problem was solved.
There'll be a break in posts, since I am now officially on Spring Break!!!!! WOOOO!!! See ya in a week!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
It was HORRIBLE!!!!
The Triumph: We successfully took a walking field trip to the creek today. Our school has been raising salmon in a tank near the office and students have been watching them grow from eggs to little teeny fish. And we had the opportunity to release them in the creek that is about a 15 minute (a 15 minute walk for Kinders) walk from our school. Kids knelt over the side of a bridge and dropped the small salmon in. I thought for sure one of our kids would go in, but they all stayed dry!
The Struggle: There have been a lot of small disagreements and arguments and feelings being hurt in the classroom lately. There were about 5 times today where one girl in particular was coming up to me, saying that some girls wouldn't include her. We need to have some conversations about how to be a friend and that we all need to be nice to each other, but with there only being one day until Spring break, it won't be as useful, especially since not all kids come everyday!
The Ludicrousness: Ok, I have to share two Kinder comments for this one today. They both made me laugh and both occurred as we were returning from releasing the salmon. As we are walking down the hallway towards our classroom, the school secretary came out to meet us and asked "How was it?" And one of my students yells out "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" He did not like the walk there and back and I think he may have even said something like, "We had to walk a really long way to get there and back!" I laughed out loud.
Then, as we are still in the hallway, on our way to the classroom, one of my girls noticed the tank where the salmon had been growing and she says "Hey are the salmon all dead? Where are they?" My only response was "Do you remember the creek we were just at? Those fish we just put in the creek? That was them!" Still has me laughing now!
The Struggle: There have been a lot of small disagreements and arguments and feelings being hurt in the classroom lately. There were about 5 times today where one girl in particular was coming up to me, saying that some girls wouldn't include her. We need to have some conversations about how to be a friend and that we all need to be nice to each other, but with there only being one day until Spring break, it won't be as useful, especially since not all kids come everyday!
The Ludicrousness: Ok, I have to share two Kinder comments for this one today. They both made me laugh and both occurred as we were returning from releasing the salmon. As we are walking down the hallway towards our classroom, the school secretary came out to meet us and asked "How was it?" And one of my students yells out "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" He did not like the walk there and back and I think he may have even said something like, "We had to walk a really long way to get there and back!" I laughed out loud.
Then, as we are still in the hallway, on our way to the classroom, one of my girls noticed the tank where the salmon had been growing and she says "Hey are the salmon all dead? Where are they?" My only response was "Do you remember the creek we were just at? Those fish we just put in the creek? That was them!" Still has me laughing now!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I've Been to the Zoo!!
I'm exhausted, so this will be a short one today.
The Triumph: Another successful lesson taught today on writing. I have been working on my think-alouds to students, and I think this skill really needs to be practiced more! It's more difficult than I thought to tell students what my thinking process is, especially when they are a bunch of 5 year olds who just want to join in and help tell my story!
The Struggle: There are a few students in my class that I have no idea how to motivate to start writing. So many kids have such great ideas, know their letter sounds, and come up with sentences that go along with their pictures. Yet, there are only a small handful of kids that will add words to their books, and even fewer who will add full sentences!
The Ludicrousness: There were many points throughout the day today where I found myself laughing quietly (and hiding my face from the children), including during my writing lesson to the Kinders. As I write my story to them, I am always reminding them that "it is my story, so it is my turn to talk" and that they will have a chance to share their own stories in their books. That having been said to them (several times, of course) I still saw many small excited hands waving in the air at me. So I still include them in my story by making statements like "If you like to have green peppers on your pizza, tap your nose and if you don't like green peppers tap your knee." Well, for some kids that just isn't enough and they feel like they HAVE to share a statement with me. One boy in particular is always extremely excited to share and as I was telling them my story of how I got pizza with another intern, he patiently raised his hand. I talked about the crust, the sauce, the peppers, the mushrooms, the tomatoes. I reminded students that it was my story so I wouldn't be calling on them, but this one boy still had his hand raised the entire time. Finally, I asked him if he had something that he needed to tell me. He said yes, so I asked if it was about my story. He said no. So I told him he had to wait, save it in his head and tell me when we were done in a few minutes.
Well, he just couldn't wait anymore! "But Miss Castleton, I LOVE CHEESE PIZZA! AND PEPPERONI TOO!" Well, I do too, friend! And that was the first of several excited outbursts from that student today! I'm ready to hear what he has to share on Friday!
*"I've been to the zoo" was another outburst from this student during a story about a fish! One of my favorites so far from him!
The Triumph: Another successful lesson taught today on writing. I have been working on my think-alouds to students, and I think this skill really needs to be practiced more! It's more difficult than I thought to tell students what my thinking process is, especially when they are a bunch of 5 year olds who just want to join in and help tell my story!
The Struggle: There are a few students in my class that I have no idea how to motivate to start writing. So many kids have such great ideas, know their letter sounds, and come up with sentences that go along with their pictures. Yet, there are only a small handful of kids that will add words to their books, and even fewer who will add full sentences!
The Ludicrousness: There were many points throughout the day today where I found myself laughing quietly (and hiding my face from the children), including during my writing lesson to the Kinders. As I write my story to them, I am always reminding them that "it is my story, so it is my turn to talk" and that they will have a chance to share their own stories in their books. That having been said to them (several times, of course) I still saw many small excited hands waving in the air at me. So I still include them in my story by making statements like "If you like to have green peppers on your pizza, tap your nose and if you don't like green peppers tap your knee." Well, for some kids that just isn't enough and they feel like they HAVE to share a statement with me. One boy in particular is always extremely excited to share and as I was telling them my story of how I got pizza with another intern, he patiently raised his hand. I talked about the crust, the sauce, the peppers, the mushrooms, the tomatoes. I reminded students that it was my story so I wouldn't be calling on them, but this one boy still had his hand raised the entire time. Finally, I asked him if he had something that he needed to tell me. He said yes, so I asked if it was about my story. He said no. So I told him he had to wait, save it in his head and tell me when we were done in a few minutes.
Well, he just couldn't wait anymore! "But Miss Castleton, I LOVE CHEESE PIZZA! AND PEPPERONI TOO!" Well, I do too, friend! And that was the first of several excited outbursts from that student today! I'm ready to hear what he has to share on Friday!
*"I've been to the zoo" was another outburst from this student during a story about a fish! One of my favorites so far from him!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Greatness of Student Sharing and Positive Reinforcement
The Triumph: Today we set up a bulletin board in the hallway for the Kindergarten open house. We created some spring art for our hallway and I went in to the hall to start putting our wall together. A student that I have been struggling with decided to come in the hallway with me and was an awesome helper. He ended up taking charge and designing a majority of the wall! I was so impressed with his involvement, and the positiveness that he showed me through that experience. This student needs so many experiences with positive reinforcement and I was glad to have such a great experience with him where he could take charge.
The Struggle: I was shown by the full time Kindergarten intern today the amount of snacks that her class brought in after a note was sent home to families. The inequity between our two classrooms is immense. The other Kinder classroom at our school is a full-time program, where families pay money to send their students to school all day everyday ( and yes this is a cheaper alternative to daycare!). It is crazy to think that my kindergarteners and the full-time kindergarteners will be going into the same 1st grade classrooms. At this point my students have had half the amount of time that full-time students have been to school, and that difference will exist when they are joined in the same classroom.
The Ludicrousness: This is so kindergarten. During our writing time we have been making books. I taught a writing lesson today about adding details and talked about how writers add details to their pictures and their words to make their books more interesting and exciting to the reader. Well, during sharing I had each student share one detail that was added or included to show a detail. One student in particular started his sharing about his book that he started today. A book about war. A book about, as he quoted "the war between his people (the U.S. and the Nazi's." WHAT?!?! I could not even believe that he knew what a Nazi was. What is this kid watching at home?! And boy did he keep on sharing about the Nazi's and how the soldiers in his country fought against them. I tried as hard as I could to keep a straight face and to get him to move on so the next student could share. Sometimes I really wonder what these kids do at home and what types of things they can watch on T.V.!!!!!
The Struggle: I was shown by the full time Kindergarten intern today the amount of snacks that her class brought in after a note was sent home to families. The inequity between our two classrooms is immense. The other Kinder classroom at our school is a full-time program, where families pay money to send their students to school all day everyday ( and yes this is a cheaper alternative to daycare!). It is crazy to think that my kindergarteners and the full-time kindergarteners will be going into the same 1st grade classrooms. At this point my students have had half the amount of time that full-time students have been to school, and that difference will exist when they are joined in the same classroom.
The Ludicrousness: This is so kindergarten. During our writing time we have been making books. I taught a writing lesson today about adding details and talked about how writers add details to their pictures and their words to make their books more interesting and exciting to the reader. Well, during sharing I had each student share one detail that was added or included to show a detail. One student in particular started his sharing about his book that he started today. A book about war. A book about, as he quoted "the war between his people (the U.S. and the Nazi's." WHAT?!?! I could not even believe that he knew what a Nazi was. What is this kid watching at home?! And boy did he keep on sharing about the Nazi's and how the soldiers in his country fought against them. I tried as hard as I could to keep a straight face and to get him to move on so the next student could share. Sometimes I really wonder what these kids do at home and what types of things they can watch on T.V.!!!!!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Strep Throat... Spreading Like Wildfire!
The Triumph: Today was another day without my cooperating teacher. She came down with strep throat, which has been making its way through the Kindergarten students and teachers. The triumph wasn't in her absence but in the fact that I was able to successfully plan out the flow of the day and execute that plan successfully! AND without really using any technology. We didn't use youtube for our movement (we did "The Bunny Hop") or the whiteboard for modeled writing. However, there were only 7 students there today!
The Struggle: It's hard seeing students come to school when they don't feel good. One of my seven today came to school sick. He went right to the office when he got to school, complaining of ear ache and sore throat. He came to the classroom, did his math review and then went to nap at the back of the classroom for the entire morning. He ate lunch and then came back to nap some more. Poor kid! His mom couldn't get him until after lunch because of her work schedule and I just feel bad that he has to come to school despite feeling ill.
The Ludicrousness: The second grade student who often spends his afternoons in our classroom came in today. There was a neatly folded table cloth out on our train table, he walked in and whipped it open (after I had just neatly folded it!) I looked at him and said "What are you doing?!" He just looked at me and smiled, so I told him he had to fold it up before he could play with the trains. He then crumpled it up, and shoved it under the train table. I bet he does the exact same thing at home! When I told him that didn't count as folding, he just smiled again, but together he and I were able to fold the tablecloth up even neater than before. And he did a great job listening to instructions!!
The Struggle: It's hard seeing students come to school when they don't feel good. One of my seven today came to school sick. He went right to the office when he got to school, complaining of ear ache and sore throat. He came to the classroom, did his math review and then went to nap at the back of the classroom for the entire morning. He ate lunch and then came back to nap some more. Poor kid! His mom couldn't get him until after lunch because of her work schedule and I just feel bad that he has to come to school despite feeling ill.
The Ludicrousness: The second grade student who often spends his afternoons in our classroom came in today. There was a neatly folded table cloth out on our train table, he walked in and whipped it open (after I had just neatly folded it!) I looked at him and said "What are you doing?!" He just looked at me and smiled, so I told him he had to fold it up before he could play with the trains. He then crumpled it up, and shoved it under the train table. I bet he does the exact same thing at home! When I told him that didn't count as folding, he just smiled again, but together he and I were able to fold the tablecloth up even neater than before. And he did a great job listening to instructions!!
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Day of Complaining
Successful first week of blogging!! Yay!! And I'm so glad that it's the weekend!
The Triumph: I successfully taught my first art lesson today to a gaggle of 5 year olds. It was a lesson based off of following directions, as well as shapes. We created clowns that turned out looking amazing! It was nice to see how well the kids followed the step-by-step directions, as well as the individuality that each clown had.
The Struggle: The students were just whiny today. This group of students so different from the other group of Kinders that I am working with this year, and they complain about the silliest things. For example, this morning two students were in tears because they "didn't get a turn." We are almost done with the school year kids!! And there have been so many times throughout the year that we have discussed taking turns. I'm not sure if today was a good snapshot of how these students typically behave but man oh man, if it was, we are going to be having some major changes.
The Ludicrousness: Despite the whining that I dealt with today, it was a good day. I worked with a sub, who I absolutely love working with. I asked her in the morning if we could do some music and movement throughout the day that does not use technology. When we normally do music and movement, we use youtube. The Banana Dance is one of my favorites! Some of the kids seemed to be so resistant to the change, but finally were able to get into the songs and dances that we were doing!
The Triumph: I successfully taught my first art lesson today to a gaggle of 5 year olds. It was a lesson based off of following directions, as well as shapes. We created clowns that turned out looking amazing! It was nice to see how well the kids followed the step-by-step directions, as well as the individuality that each clown had.
The Struggle: The students were just whiny today. This group of students so different from the other group of Kinders that I am working with this year, and they complain about the silliest things. For example, this morning two students were in tears because they "didn't get a turn." We are almost done with the school year kids!! And there have been so many times throughout the year that we have discussed taking turns. I'm not sure if today was a good snapshot of how these students typically behave but man oh man, if it was, we are going to be having some major changes.
The Ludicrousness: Despite the whining that I dealt with today, it was a good day. I worked with a sub, who I absolutely love working with. I asked her in the morning if we could do some music and movement throughout the day that does not use technology. When we normally do music and movement, we use youtube. The Banana Dance is one of my favorites! Some of the kids seemed to be so resistant to the change, but finally were able to get into the songs and dances that we were doing!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Does 'cat' rhyme with 'turtle'??
Back in the classroom today!! And I can't wait for tomorrow, since I'll be seeing some of my students that I haven't seen in weeks!!
The Triumph: Recently, we have begun working on rhyming words. We have been reading books that have rhymes, as well as a song that has rhyming words that we can switch out. For example, "Did you ever see a sheep in a jeep?" We have been working on making new sets of words that also rhyme, and today, we started our own books that have rhyming words in them. These books have the same layout as our song, so students were just searching for two rhyming words, and then writing them in their books. During the book writing activity, I sat with two boys who have really been working hard on learning their letters and letter sounds. At first, when we were trying to come up with rhyming words, they were really struggling. They would give me a suggestion, and we would talk about the end of each of the words and if they sounded the same. It took quite a few tries, but finally the boys were able to come up with some awesome rhymes, including "Have you ever seen glue in a shoe" and "Have you ever seen a hook in a book?" It was great to see that idea really click for them, and will be even better to see if it settled for them!
The Struggle: A huge problem in our classroom as been using respectful language and respectful behavior. This is a problem between students, as well as between students and myself. There are so many different parts of the day where students are coming up to me saying "She said I can't be her friend" or "They said I can't play with them" or students disrespecting me by repeating what I say in a mocking tone (which I can not stand!!!) or just making noises that are inappropriate during a lesson. I have been talking with students in small groups, or even individually, depending on the situation, but it really has been time consuming and difficult to deal with. We need to have a whole class discussion about how we should treat friends in our room.
The Ludicrousness: This morning while doing math review with some of my students, one of my boys noticed a small object on the floor. He picked it up and wished to keep it, so I told him he had to put it in his pocket, or put it in his backpack. He looked real excited and said "I have a pocket on my shirt!" He then went up to reach for the pocket on his button up shirt. He was feeling around for it, when I noticed that his shirt was on inside-out. But it was buttoned the correct way. I brought this to the boys attention and he thought it would be best to go down to the boys bathroom to fix it.
About a minute later he returned, shirt still inside out, but somehow the buttons were all off by one. At this point, he said that he still couldn't get it fixed and moved to the back of the room, where there is an art area. He hid behind our easel so that he could unbutton and fix his shirt. The funny thing is, in the past, this student has made himself clothes out of paper during work time, including an outfit that consisted of white butcher paper wrapped around his waist and no shirt on! I was so glad that day that he had kept his pants on under his paper made clothes! You turn your head for 30 seconds in a Kindergarten classroom and anything can happen!!
I'm not sure what changed his ideas about removing clothing in the classroom, but I'm glad that they have changed!!
And we were able to successfully get his button-down shirt on the correct way!
The Triumph: Recently, we have begun working on rhyming words. We have been reading books that have rhymes, as well as a song that has rhyming words that we can switch out. For example, "Did you ever see a sheep in a jeep?" We have been working on making new sets of words that also rhyme, and today, we started our own books that have rhyming words in them. These books have the same layout as our song, so students were just searching for two rhyming words, and then writing them in their books. During the book writing activity, I sat with two boys who have really been working hard on learning their letters and letter sounds. At first, when we were trying to come up with rhyming words, they were really struggling. They would give me a suggestion, and we would talk about the end of each of the words and if they sounded the same. It took quite a few tries, but finally the boys were able to come up with some awesome rhymes, including "Have you ever seen glue in a shoe" and "Have you ever seen a hook in a book?" It was great to see that idea really click for them, and will be even better to see if it settled for them!
The Struggle: A huge problem in our classroom as been using respectful language and respectful behavior. This is a problem between students, as well as between students and myself. There are so many different parts of the day where students are coming up to me saying "She said I can't be her friend" or "They said I can't play with them" or students disrespecting me by repeating what I say in a mocking tone (which I can not stand!!!) or just making noises that are inappropriate during a lesson. I have been talking with students in small groups, or even individually, depending on the situation, but it really has been time consuming and difficult to deal with. We need to have a whole class discussion about how we should treat friends in our room.
The Ludicrousness: This morning while doing math review with some of my students, one of my boys noticed a small object on the floor. He picked it up and wished to keep it, so I told him he had to put it in his pocket, or put it in his backpack. He looked real excited and said "I have a pocket on my shirt!" He then went up to reach for the pocket on his button up shirt. He was feeling around for it, when I noticed that his shirt was on inside-out. But it was buttoned the correct way. I brought this to the boys attention and he thought it would be best to go down to the boys bathroom to fix it.
About a minute later he returned, shirt still inside out, but somehow the buttons were all off by one. At this point, he said that he still couldn't get it fixed and moved to the back of the room, where there is an art area. He hid behind our easel so that he could unbutton and fix his shirt. The funny thing is, in the past, this student has made himself clothes out of paper during work time, including an outfit that consisted of white butcher paper wrapped around his waist and no shirt on! I was so glad that day that he had kept his pants on under his paper made clothes! You turn your head for 30 seconds in a Kindergarten classroom and anything can happen!!
I'm not sure what changed his ideas about removing clothing in the classroom, but I'm glad that they have changed!!
And we were able to successfully get his button-down shirt on the correct way!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Snails, Snails, Snails.
I actually wasn't in the classroom again, so I'm not going to highlight the triumph, struggle or ludicrousness of my day today. Three days into my full time quarter and I have only been in my classroom for one full day!
Today, I was able to attend a science in-service day, specifically for Kindergarten teachers who are in the school district where I am teaching. And I didn't just attend. I was able to help, since my cooperating teacher is a member of the science team that is conducting the research on these science kits.
We have been comparing and observing pairs of animals. For example, goldfish vs. guppies, crocodiles vs. alligators, and pillbugs vs. sowbugs. We have also done land snails and water snails, which is what was presented today to all of the Kindergarten teachers, and what they did the science inquiry with.
It was great to see the interest on teachers' faces, as well as their involvement in the inquiry portion of the day. I enjoyed sharing with others what I have learned about snails, as well as sharing our own experiences with this science kit.
Did you know that snails breath through a breathing hole, located between their foot, and their shell?
They also have four tentacles, two that have eyes at the ends, and two that they use for feeling?
And finally, they eat by scraping with their tongues! So interesting!!
Today, I was able to attend a science in-service day, specifically for Kindergarten teachers who are in the school district where I am teaching. And I didn't just attend. I was able to help, since my cooperating teacher is a member of the science team that is conducting the research on these science kits.
We have been comparing and observing pairs of animals. For example, goldfish vs. guppies, crocodiles vs. alligators, and pillbugs vs. sowbugs. We have also done land snails and water snails, which is what was presented today to all of the Kindergarten teachers, and what they did the science inquiry with.
It was great to see the interest on teachers' faces, as well as their involvement in the inquiry portion of the day. I enjoyed sharing with others what I have learned about snails, as well as sharing our own experiences with this science kit.
Did you know that snails breath through a breathing hole, located between their foot, and their shell?
They also have four tentacles, two that have eyes at the ends, and two that they use for feeling?
And finally, they eat by scraping with their tongues! So interesting!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My Cowboy Fish!
Yup.... one of my students drew a fish that was a cowboy. He also drew a worm as a cowboy and an alligator eating a cowboy. All are now in his science notebook and today during science I heard him exclaim to his table mates "Look! My cowboy fish!" Best. Science. Notebook. Ever.
The Triumph: Today I led a small math discussion. I have been working on the types of questions that I ask of students, as well as advice from my cooperating teacher on the delivery of those questions. Students were involved in the discussion of dot cards (which are just that... half sheet cards, with a varying amount of dots on them) AND there was actually a great deal of sharing going on! Students were listening to each other. Students weren't shouting out! I only had to remind them a couple of times of what it was they were supposed to be doing. I really am just excited about both my development in questioning and the growing that they are doing as learners!
The Struggle: As I was leaving school, I noticed a student of mine and his two brothers walking away from the school. Normally these students walk home, but recently they have been crossing a busy street to head to a nearby city bus stop. It worries me, and knowing the background of these students it worries me even more. Another intern and I wondered if we should follow them, or even offer them a ride home, but is that crossing the line? I wish I knew what to do to help them more!
The Ludicrousness: During share-time at the end of the day, I was sitting next to one of my students who stated that he had not been feeling well. We were going around the circle and stopped on two of the girls in class, who wanted to share together. They were sharing a drawing that one of them had done as a gift for the other, and then stated that the boy sitting next to me was in the drawing. He turned, looked at me with a slight smirk on his face and said "Now that's just creepy." I just laughed and told him he must just be a popular guy. This is the same little guy who, a few weeks ago, gave me the 411 on Justin "Beaver". In his words, "He is a weird kid, that all the girls think is cute!" When I asked if Justin "Beaver" came to our school, he looked at me as if I was absolutely insane!!
The Triumph: Today I led a small math discussion. I have been working on the types of questions that I ask of students, as well as advice from my cooperating teacher on the delivery of those questions. Students were involved in the discussion of dot cards (which are just that... half sheet cards, with a varying amount of dots on them) AND there was actually a great deal of sharing going on! Students were listening to each other. Students weren't shouting out! I only had to remind them a couple of times of what it was they were supposed to be doing. I really am just excited about both my development in questioning and the growing that they are doing as learners!
The Struggle: As I was leaving school, I noticed a student of mine and his two brothers walking away from the school. Normally these students walk home, but recently they have been crossing a busy street to head to a nearby city bus stop. It worries me, and knowing the background of these students it worries me even more. Another intern and I wondered if we should follow them, or even offer them a ride home, but is that crossing the line? I wish I knew what to do to help them more!
The Ludicrousness: During share-time at the end of the day, I was sitting next to one of my students who stated that he had not been feeling well. We were going around the circle and stopped on two of the girls in class, who wanted to share together. They were sharing a drawing that one of them had done as a gift for the other, and then stated that the boy sitting next to me was in the drawing. He turned, looked at me with a slight smirk on his face and said "Now that's just creepy." I just laughed and told him he must just be a popular guy. This is the same little guy who, a few weeks ago, gave me the 411 on Justin "Beaver". In his words, "He is a weird kid, that all the girls think is cute!" When I asked if Justin "Beaver" came to our school, he looked at me as if I was absolutely insane!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Gotta Have Those Resources!
Today is the first day of this blog, and the first day of my final quarter of student teaching. I have been in this classroom since the beginning of the year only a few days a week. Starting this week, I will be there every-single-day. And I can't wait! I have been learning so much about myself, as a teacher and as a learner, and would like to document at least one triumph, one struggle, and one ludicrous moment from each day.
Today was the first day of my final quarter of college (for now anyway), and I attended a student teacher job search seminar instead of going to my classroom.
The Triumph: Through this seminar, I have gained more confidence in myself. I feel more confident going out into the work field due to the interview tips, the resume writing tips, and the mock interviews. I have a clearer picture in my mind of what I need to do in order to pursue a teaching job, post-grad, and an abundance of resources to help me along the way.
The Struggle: I have also realized, mainly through the mock interviews, that I really need to practice! I need to figure out what my teaching philosophy is! How big should it be? I feel as if I could write pages on what I feel about teaching, but what are the main points that I want my future employers to be aware of? And exactly what type of literacy block would I develop based on assessment gathered from my students?!
The Ludicrousness: This is a hard one for today. There were no children blurting out the first thought that came into their heads, no lunch table freak-outs, and no musical instrument outbursts. However, after the seminar, I decided to google my name. I have done this many times before, mainly after hearing a family member rant about how awful the internet is and "don't you know, anyone can find you on there!" but today, I came across a lovely gem from a past class. Our assignment was to use the tool available on xtimeline, where students and teachers can create their own timeline on any subject. While in this class one of my classmates decided to write a timeline about me. These events are my favorite in my life (and I hope to see them come true in the future!) :
June 5, 2075 - First Death: Jen succumbs to the ebola virus after contact with an infected gorilla.
June 8, 2075 - Resurrection: Jen is brought back to life by becoming a vampire.
July 2, 3000 - Second Death: Jen succumbs to bubonic plague. Vampires can die from that, you know.
I could not help from laughing at that!
Today was the first day of my final quarter of college (for now anyway), and I attended a student teacher job search seminar instead of going to my classroom.
The Triumph: Through this seminar, I have gained more confidence in myself. I feel more confident going out into the work field due to the interview tips, the resume writing tips, and the mock interviews. I have a clearer picture in my mind of what I need to do in order to pursue a teaching job, post-grad, and an abundance of resources to help me along the way.
The Struggle: I have also realized, mainly through the mock interviews, that I really need to practice! I need to figure out what my teaching philosophy is! How big should it be? I feel as if I could write pages on what I feel about teaching, but what are the main points that I want my future employers to be aware of? And exactly what type of literacy block would I develop based on assessment gathered from my students?!
The Ludicrousness: This is a hard one for today. There were no children blurting out the first thought that came into their heads, no lunch table freak-outs, and no musical instrument outbursts. However, after the seminar, I decided to google my name. I have done this many times before, mainly after hearing a family member rant about how awful the internet is and "don't you know, anyone can find you on there!" but today, I came across a lovely gem from a past class. Our assignment was to use the tool available on xtimeline, where students and teachers can create their own timeline on any subject. While in this class one of my classmates decided to write a timeline about me. These events are my favorite in my life (and I hope to see them come true in the future!) :
June 5, 2075 - First Death: Jen succumbs to the ebola virus after contact with an infected gorilla.
June 8, 2075 - Resurrection: Jen is brought back to life by becoming a vampire.
July 2, 3000 - Second Death: Jen succumbs to bubonic plague. Vampires can die from that, you know.
I could not help from laughing at that!
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