Payday, Friday, Crushing Blow, and Tea Time!

Yesterday was our first department chair meeting. For some reason, I was asked to fill that position for Kindergarten. It's kind of funny to me because I'm not the most experienced or the most motherly or the best organized or the most inspiring or the best yes-man, but my principal assures me that she chose me purposefully. I kind of think she got me confused with someone else. However, my point was about the meeting. I found out that our team should be meeting pretty regularly, maybe everyday, at least until things settle into a bit more of a routine. So, we met today. It was a good meeting and we covered much ground. Yesterday was also payday. Everyone was pretty excited about that. It felt really good to have worked so hard and made it through the first week of school and see that nice amount go into the bank. Someone said, "That check looked good!" That about covers it.

I was so excited about today being a great day. Not just because it was Friday, but because it was the first Friday, and because I had a kind of laid-back day planned with a few special events included. It started with a wonderful breakfast courtesy of the admin. team. (At my school, a different team provides breakfast on the Friday following payday each month.) Then class started with a new plan because there were several different instances of crying in my room yesterday. I was frustrated, the kids were not having enough controlled fun, and I did not enjoy the climate in my classroom. I was determined to end the week well so that the students would be able to spend the long weekend decompressing on a positive note. I thought I was pretty successful. I had several more "I love you"s and hugs and even a few "I love Kindergarten!"s, so I was pretty excited. That is, until I asked for my T.A.'s opinion of the day. She felt that it was not a good day, and that it was far too chaotic. Now I can't decide if she is correct, or overly tired, or just lacking in vision for the big picture. After all, it is only the first week of school. It made me wish I hadn't asked. I don't know if I will ask again. I do need to implement a few more things in the classroom. For example, I haven't opened any play centers, and I think we need to have those to look forward to at the end of the day. We will start Writer's Workshop next week as well. I have the long weekend to make plans, so enough of that for now.

The day ended pretty well. Our staff celebrates the Friday after pay day together with tea time (read happy hour). I don't go to bars and rarely even drink, but it sounded like fun so I went. It was. I learned a few interesting, personal-type stories about my principal which is good because she seems more human now and maybe I will be less nervous. Then, I spent a half-hour discussing Fort Worth food and restaurants. This sounds pretty boring, but I'm old and not that exciting, so it was a good time. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but I've barely seen my family this week. Yea for Labor Day!

Labor Day is Coming!

Tomorrow is Friday and my feet are so happy that we have a long weekend. This has been an amazing, but exhausting week. I sat in a meeting today and heard stories from teachers in other grade levels about how they had been collaborating and implementing strategies to improve the learning climate after a pretty crazy first day. The transformation from Monday to today is hard to believe. We've each had some frazzled moments, or days, but we keep moving forward. As for me, I keep adding layers of structure as I discover more about my students. I feel so bad for them because they are very young and they are completely out of the habit of going to school. So after about noon they are hungry and tired and have lost their focus. I keep adjusting my activities to suit their level of endurance, but I haven't found the right mix yet and that is frustrating for me (and for them). We did make our literacy boxes yesterday. Right now, they have self-selected books in them for independent reading. My class loves books! Monday we will add writer's journals. We started Student of the Day and they love that, too! Tomorrow we visit the library and the guidance counselor is coming. That should break up our day quite nicely. Next week, I think we will move recess to the afternoon.

Day Two - Monitor and Adjust

Yesterday, I was nervous. I really did not know what to expect. What would my students be like? Would their parents look me over and be satisfied? Would I connect with anyone? It turned out that every child in my class except one attended PreK at our school and were already well-versed in school procedures and there were no tears about saying goodbye. This was a great relief and the day went smoothly. Today, however, my students felt much more comfortable, and I struggled to keep their attention. I guess the drawback to experienced students is that the new wears off quickly. We have a strange schedule that gives us a huge block of time from 11:30 to 3:00, and this is a long time to be in one room with a group of young children whose attention span is about 15 minutes. I think these students are ready for more challenging projects than what I gave them today. Tomorrow I'm adding centers and some think-pair-share discussion, and we will take a learning walk through our school's amazing garden. Also, I will need to work out a bathroom plan. We share restrooms with the class next door, and my students are visiting the restroom in a continuous stream. Some just like to wash their hands...a lot. So far we've had 2 accidents, 3 crying episodes, 1 lost child (who followed another class from recess), 0 fights, 0 upset parents, 1 "you're a nice teacher!" and many, many hugs and smiles. I did make many more connections with the students and their families. I guess, all in all, it's been a good 2 days!

Aaahhhhh!

I spent just about every minute at school that the doors were open. Somehow, I think I've made some sense out of an overwhelming pile of curriculum, materials, furniture, and expectations. At least, I hope so, because tomorrow is the first day of school. Now, if I can just get to sleep...

Time to Cut Bait! & Yesterday

This last week has been a whirlwind. Trainings and meetings and planning and shopping and sorting and cleaning and hanging paper. I've been too busy to sit down and write so this post covers two topics. Tomorrow night is Meet the Teacher night on our campus. So I expect to spend tomorrow finding hiding places for things which do not yet have a home, then putting the final touches on making the room look presentable. I really don't know what to expect for tomorrow night. We may have many visitors because the community is curious about what we have done to restructure the school, or we may have just a few.

Yesterday, I saw my couch friend walking along the road - we waved. Yesterday was also our district convocation. We heard inspiring messages from the newly elected School Board President, the Superintendent, and our keynote speaker, Dr. Adolph Brown. I had Googled Dr. Brown, and I have to say that he was much more down-to-earth than I expected. It seems like every event that I attend brings on a deeper conversation with myself about what I want my classroom culture to look like and what I need to convey to my students. I've begun taking notes. Here are a few:

• If my students watched any of the Olympics, I want to talk about focus, purpose, training, and the amazing fact that new world records are continually being set, and how this applies to our learning community.
• I want the students to look around them and notice the faces of their teammates and realize that each one of us is responsible for our learning.
• One of the teachers we saw in a video was an absolute cheerleader for her students. She said things like, "I am so proud of you and so happy that you are in my class," and "Aren't they wonderful!" I have to remember to cheer for my students with lots of enthusiasm and to teach them to cheer for each other.
• I hope to help them envision what it would be like to be the most impressive class in the school with regards to the way they approach their own learning and behavior, and then help them to become that - quiet when necessary, sharp like a military patrol, caring and serious about learning. (Without feeling competitive with other classes.)
• I want them to know that they can expect to leave Kindergarten reading & writing. They will become authors, illustrators, scientists, mathematicians, community members.
• I want to encourage them to love being challenged and to let me know when they are not.
• I want to ask them, "Is this your personal best?" I want them to know that if they are trying to do their best, I will never be angry with them. They should keep trying. Just because you mess up doesn't mean you have to give up. (I borrowed this one from Dr. Brown)
• We are also a family. Ohana means nobody gets left behind. (I borrowed that from Lilo & Stitch.)
• Here are some other things Dr. Brown said - The tree is in the seed. Be fair. Make room for everyone, all the time. Be firm with consistency, structure, and limits. Set boundaries. Be fun.
• Everyone gets a do over.
• When things go wrong you don't have to go with them.
• A setback is just an opportunity for a comeback.

And then we danced!

On Mission

Today our faculty received inservice from Coach 4 Success. We did a lot of team-building activities and talked about making connections with each other and our students, and about helping our students make connections with each other. We also learned many different structures for managing cooperative learning and sharing. Our mission statement has been finalized. In case you are wondering, our mission is to empower all students to achieve high levels of academic achievement and to participate successfully in campus life, to provide academic rigor in an authentic and relevant context, and to build a supportive community of lifelong learners who value and show respect for themselves and each other. I learned a lot about a lot of folks today. This faculty is amazing - we all want so much to make a difference in the lives of our children.

Go Team!

Today the school faculty met together for a planning retreat. I have not attended one of these before, and this one was phenomenal. I can't believe I get to be part of this group of 60 or so teachers who share such strong passion for giving our best to our students for the purpose of empowering them to achieve their best. I should explain that almost everyone on this faculty is new to the building and we have been charged with eliminating the achievement gap for students in a low-performing school. Today, we began to craft our mission statement for the school. I can't wait to see what the next week will bring as we continue to consolidate our team vision and purpose.

The Fab Four

Today was our first day of inservice for new teachers and new-to-the-district teachers. It's overwhelming to hear about all of the resources available in the different content areas. The best thing about today was meeting more coworkers and team members. All four of the Kindergarten teachers were together in one room - well, several rooms actually, before the day was over. We are a pretty cool team!

Craig's List & the Kindness of Strangers

I am still chuckling quietly to myself over some of the items people give away on Craig's List. If you have never looked at this, I recommend it. Over the past few days, I have been checking the "free" classification for a couch for my classroom. Today, someone posted an ad for five free frisbees, the kind you get at a trade show or public event, along with the suggestion that they would make good dog toys. Someone else was giving away free cookies and candy that they found when cleaning out their pantry, presumably in preparation for a new diet, because neither she nor her husband intended to eat them.

I did find a couch. It's red and only moderately worn, but I plan to vacuum and sanitize it, then slipcover it before school starts. The man who gave it to me was really nice - works in oil & gas, transferring to Pittsburgh because things are slowing down here in Fort Worth. He lived in a third floor apartment - I hadn't considered this possibility... Luckily, his friend (whose wife also teaches and who was also transferring to Pittsburgh) had just arrived to bring him a big box and was willing to help bring the couch down to my minivan. Since I had a red couch hanging out the back, I drove more slowly and carefully than I ever do. When I arrived at school, the building engineers measured the couch and discovered that it would not fit through the hallway door - it is one small door! I don't give up easily, so I began to look for another way and soon found it. The door at the other end of the hall leads outside and down 2 flights of stairs, hmmm... I grabbed a handtruck and as I was unloading the couch, all by myself, a gentleman walking along the street noticed and offered to lend a hand. We carried it to the bottom of the stairs and left it until my husband could come by at lunch and help me move it. Thankfully it wasn't that heavy & the door was quite near my classroom, so now I have a lovely couch in my room on which my little ones can read wonderful books and share amazing stories they have written.

Miles to Go Before I Teach

I guess I'm finished for the week. I'm not allowed to bring in any personal property until next week. I measured everything and mapped out my classroom on 3D Home Architect. It worked pretty well and makes a good planning tool. Now, I just need to purchase some inexpensive shelving and some plastic totes, make some curtains, and decorate. Here are the photos from yesterday.

These are my brand new computers with Internet access!

Two of my boys reading in the literacy instruction/group meeting area. The light blue chairs on the right represent a couch to be named later.