Note to Self

Remember the first days of school. PreK students love school, but always want to know when they get to go home and see mom or dad. They cry and test each other out by hitting, saying all kinds of things - kind and unkind, playing with, falling on, kissing, befriending, and ignoring. When they get angry, they say "no" a lot and resist attempts at comforting. They don't listen when you try to teach them the important procedures for a smoothly running school, and they have many stories of their own to tell you and no sense of when to tell them. They have accidents. They don't know how to keep their place in line or walk quietly down the hall. They don't know how the lunch line works at all, and might be scared of it because it looks like "the doctor." They don't know how to take silverware, choose a tray, push it down the rails, choose sides, turn the corner, wait for the space next to the cashier to open up, choose their milk, tell whether or not they have lunch money, or hold on to their lunch card. They don't remember where to sit, and if you try to point to the place, they will not look where you are pointing. They throw up for no apparent reason. They buy a snack credit, but don't know what it is and therefore do not redeem it. They play with absolutely everything. They don't know how to drink from the water fountain and are not strong enough to push in the knob on the faucet that turns on the water for washing hands. They can't quite reach the monkey bars and aren't skilled at sharing or waiting their turn. They do know that the important thing about a finished wooden puzzle laying on a table is that you can turn it over and dump all the pieces out. They know that the thing to do when you see someone running is to chase them, indoors or out, and the thing to do when you hear someone screaming is to join in. They know that if you sing a song with the words "I love you" in it, then you should dogpile the teacher with hugs. They really like to take naps. They love to sing and dance and listen to stories. They smile and laugh a lot. They are challenging, exhausting, wild, and wonderful!

How Wonderful It Is

I have been on the fence, so to speak, about this school year. Many things have changed since this time last year, and many of the changes are not for the better. We return - to battle the disappointments of realizing that Camelot will not materialize as originally promised, to tackle the challenges of working with an impoverished student body, and to push through the stresses of moving forward in uncertainty and unpreparedness that is beyond our control. We face the pressure of outside forces that muffle our heart cry for meeting the needs of our students in meaningful ways, and navigate the internal strife caused by politics and misunderstandings. So I came back to school still mourning the loss of our collective dream and my personal ideals. I dismantled the hurried packing job that I completed last June and stood in the midst of the chaos, overwhelmed by the clutter. I sat through the first two days of somewhat dubious professional development, gritting my teeth and trying to be invisible. Then I spent the weekend with my loved ones and cherished reality. I prayed a lot and thought about God's sovereignty. I remembered that God disciplines and prunes and that the process is painful, but the result is fruitfulness. On Monday, our teaching and leadership staff undertook a community walk to disseminate information and welcome families back to school. I saw some of my students and parents from last year. As my group walked and talked, I got some face time with my principal and was able to express some of my concerns. On Tuesday, I was beginning to feel ready to meet the new school year. My friend posted this quote from Anne Frank: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. Today, I attended some professional development that was right on target and very encouraging. I feel lucky to be working in a department that understands and advocates best practices for Prekindergarten teachers and students. I have a lot to accomplish before Monday, but wondering if I will love teaching is not one of those things. It's going to be a great year.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Today the students came back to school after being out for a week in the wake of the N1H1 flu scare. After all of the turmoil of April - stomach flu, broken arm, a long parade of substitute teaching assistants, the second new student in six weeks, a new Promethean board and training for it, deciding to build a house and trying to get ours ready for sale, TAKS testing, and the swine flu craziness - this has been one of my favorite days of this school year. My students were rested and happy to be back. I was rested and happy to be back after having yesterday to work on some of the organizational challenges of my classroom. Everything was pretty calm in the classroom and througout the school. We worked really hard all morning, and then worked on a Mother's Day project for the afternoon. My students were trying to use their words to solve the daily problems that arise in a classroom full of 5- and 6-year-olds. I still had three absent, but that left 18 students which is a practically perfect number. All in all, the students seem to have grown in many ways over the past week. They have been showing a lot of growth in many areas, but I think the time off was good for them. I didn't have to resort to using any official means of monitoring their behavior, it just flowed. And I think almost every child told me they love me at least once during the day. You just can't top that!

I See the Finish Line

This is the first post of 2009. School has been closed for a week now in the wake of the Swine Flu scare. This has been a crazy year of starting behind and catching up, moving ahead and falling behind again. There have been so many last minute changes and unknown elements in each day that I struggle to know how to make a plan for anything. The good thing about all of the craziness and flexibility is that the really important things start to stand out. Even though it sometimes seems impossible to press on through the mirky chaos, the finish line starts to look clearer and somehow we gird up and try again, even more determined and more focused. I can't wait to see what the last month of school will look like. I am excited to look back over how far we have come. But the time seems so short now, we still have so much to do. How will we ever get everything done? I'm already starting the mental checklist for next year...

A Christmas Story

I gave each of my students a book and a Chapstick for Christmas. I knew they would like the Chapstick, but I wasn't sure about the book. I picked out several copies of 5 titles and tried to give each student the book I thought he or she would most enjoy. One of my students is very smart and could easily do well in first grade. In fact, he's so smart that he is beginning to realize that there is a difference between what some people have and what his family doesn't have. He loves school, though, and often says so with a really big grin as he goes about his work. I couldn't wait for him to open his present because he is the one student that I had in mind specifically when I selected a certain book. He loves trains - draws them into every story, reads books about them, asks questions about them - so one of the books I got was about Thomas the train. When he opened the package, he gave me the biggest hug and it lasted a long time while he recovered his composure. "Thank you, thank you," he said, clutching the book. Waving the wrapping paper he added, "I'll never throw this away, never, never, never!" I know we joke about little ones who would rather play with the wrapping paper, but I have to wonder what this child's Christmas must be like when he is so excited to have a present that he keeps the paper for a souvenir...

Pinata Plans Agley

It turns out that if you are studying Christmas in Mexico and plan to make pinatas from balloons, newspapers, and flour paste, there are a few things you should know. First, although it does wash out, flour paste is one of the messiest substances I've ever used in a classroom, and since students don't like it on their hands, they regularly wipe their hands clean using whatever is available be it furniture or clothing. If you should decide to tackle a project of this magnitude, you should plan ahead and ask students to bring a change of clothing or else you might find yourself writing notes home to explain to parents why you are sending their children home looking like tiny mummies. Also, flour paste is quite drippy and does not vacuum out of the carpet when dry as one might expect. Second, it takes about two to three days for each layer of paper mache to dry, so please do not begin this project on the Wednesday of the last week before winter break. Third, if you plan to paint the pinatas, you must not plan to do so on the morning of the Christmas party when your students are wearing their "fancy clothes" which they gained permission to wear after writing a letter to the principal. This remains true even if the students are wearing smocks. If, however, you should begin this activity unaware of the pitfalls and realize too late that there is no way to finish in time, please note that you can always fall back on the paperbag pinata as a last-minute alternative. It is much less messy to make, although it does not have the satisfying hit-it-with-a-stick hard shell found in the paper mache version. Decorate with markers, stickers, colored paper or tissue paper, stuff and tie the top with yarn. Ta-dah!

Holiday Happenings

This week has been very interesting. I've changed the routine a bit and we are studying holidays around the world in place of our usual literacy & Social Studies. My students seem to be feeling a bit more free to express themselves, and we've had several "bad word" incidents. On the positive side, I've seen students quizzing each other and me about the ABCs, reading out loud to themselves and each other, and writing a lot more. Today we made mkekas, the woven mats used in celebrating Kwanzaa. This is probably the largest, and most individualized, project to date, and many of my more diligent students did not know what to make of it. It took quite a while and a lot of helping and fixing of mistakes, but most of them are finally finished and they are so proud of themselves. The mats look great. Now it's time to plan the holiday party - yea! My students want to write a letter to the principal asking permission to "dress up" for the party instead of wearing their regular school uniforms.