So, it’s Spring! And the way Spring is visible in my classroom is that kids start bringing in Easter candy, Mardi Gras beads, and you know, a bunch of crap that takes their attention away from school. But, we are all ready for Spring break – the kids and me, so I sort of just tell them, you can wear that plastic necklace/ring you got from the top of a cupcake/shamrock pin/etc. as long as I don’t see you or someone else playing with it during lessons.
Now, for most kids, this becomes to difficult after about 10 seconds and I take it from them until the end of the day (or forever because half the time the kids don’t even remember they had this can’t-live-without-it treasure, and I certainly have other things on my mind at the end of the day rather than redistributing plastic junk).
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I have a lot of really quick-learning kids in my class this year. Some of the kids came in at the beginning of the year already reading, and even more of them are just really good thinkers – really evaluating things they read and learn. Sometimes you just get a class one year that’s really low or really high as a group, and it has been kind of an exciting experience to work with these little geniuses this year. The funny thing is, some of the kids are reading really high level stuff (like 1st or 2nd grade reading level) but their opinions and interests are still normal 5-year-old ones, so some of their reading abilities sort of outstrip their level of world experience, which can be pretty funny.
Read MoreI have a student with social/emotional issues. Lets just say she (Rainbow Punch) started the year unable to communicate her feelings with words. If she didn’t want to work, or didn’t want to sit by other kids, or just didn’t want to do whatever we were doing she would choose randomly from the following list: run away (man she is faster than she looks), scream (sometimes words, sometimes just scream), hit another kid, hide under the table, throw herself on the floor, put her head down and fake cry, laugh in a creepy not-happy way, or just plant herself in the nearest chair and not move for anything. There was never any telling what would set her off or which fun item from her repertoire she would choose.
Read MoreAlternate title: You can’t always choose the kids in your class…but sometimes they move!
Probably one of the hardest adjustments for me moving from teaching 2nd grade last year to teaching kindergarten this year is the amazing difference in the maturity levels and capabilities between 5-year-olds and 7-year-olds. It is quite amazing how mature 2nd graders can be both emotionally and academically. I mean, 2nd graders can understand how to do a project with minimum explanation, they can be trusted to do jobs for you around the classroom (my favorite was how excited they would get over wiping down transparencies or cleaning my old dirty coffee mugs, I mean seriously, it was the most chosen classroom job of all including line leader!). And, those kids produced some amazing writing, could read and understand REAL books (Captain Underpants is a real book, right?), and could understand complex social situations like being nice to the teacher when she’s sick (Yes, teachers go when they’re sick) and letting another kid go first in line to make him feel special after getting a bad grade on a test.
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Running on Empty
Alternate Title: Switching heels for running shoes
I got a new student who speaks no English at all. This poor kid not only doesn’t speak English, he apparently has no interest in being in school-I mean literally, we can’t keep him in the freakin’ room. Now, it’s not like this kid is the first one who has ever had the idea to leave. Kids have tried to leave the room all the time; this was especially common at the beginning of the year. For about the first month, when parents drop off their kids and actually leave, the kids’ eyes dart back and forth like a scared bunny (complete with wiggling nose). You can see the kids’ thought process on their scared little faces, “If I ran away, I would have to run faster than that teacher…if I can outrun her I’m free, but if I try to run and she catches me, she might eat me.” I imagine this is the relative scenario they are running in their minds.
Read MoreWhen I tell my friends and family that I’m teaching Kindergarten this year, they always eventually ask one question: Do you have nap time? I think people are intrigued by the idea of being a teacher who has nap time as part of her day, sort of like, Oh, you get paid to sit and watch kids sleep. If only.
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Recess Duty
Does any teacher really like recess duty? Whenever I see a movie or t.v. show about an elementary school teacher, they always show the teacher calmly lazing the afternoon away watching the kids joyfully share swings, make scientific ladybug discoveries, and bring the teacher wild flowers. They also have these same teachers dressed in dry clean only clothes and high heels – yeah right
Read MoreIt’s Friday of the first week of school, and I’m just starting to actually recognize the faces and names of all 30 of my kindergarteners (yes, 30). But despite the multitude of tiny high pitched voices, “hey, teacher, teacher, teacher, teeeeeeacher,” and the sea of little sticky hands always reaching out to poke and pull me desperately, one little girl has already managed to stand out. You’ve heard about the squeaky wheel right? Apparently this little squeaker has too.
Read MoreThe math lesson had stopped, and 24 pairs of 6-year-old eyes stared at me in silent anticipation. As I towered over Justin’s desk, my hand stretched out toward him and I heard an authoritative teacher’s voice say, “Justin, give me the trophy.” It was my voice, and it wasn’t working. At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder: “How did I get here?” I was 22 years old, and this was my first year teaching elementary school. I knew I was bigger and smarter than this three foot tall twerp, but he was the one holding the trophy—and the attention of the class.
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