A Teacher's Heart

Warning, the following is not a light-hearted/ funny post. This is real bidness ya'll:

So, the last week before winter break, the bond issue we so desperately need was voted on by the patrons of our district. The basic premise is this:

Bond passes= close schools, consolidate and build new schools, minimal loss of jobs and programs, rainbows, unicorns, and happy fairy dust.

Bond fails=close schools, consolidate in old schools,200+ people lose their jobs, higer class size, plague of locuts, and weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In our state, the law says a bond has to pass with 60% yes vote. Ours failed with a 59.93% yes vote. Once the numbers were crunched, it came down to a difference of 15 votes. 15!

So now, we are looking at rift in faculty and staff that could go as high as 6 years. It's depressing, and hard, and many have shed tears over it.

But I have to say, this is my third year of teaching, and the third year that I don't know if I will have a job next year. For years, we've been told of teacher shortages, (which at some level is still a problem) and that education is a safe, secure profession, yet I've had to change schools every year because I my lack of tenure/budget cuts.

I want to teach. If I could have all my bills paid for me, I'd do it for free. Teaching is not a job, it's a calling; a calling to make a difference, to change the future. So it hurts my heart to see the sad state of education, not only in my district, but at the state and national level as well. Why are we letting go of those who are called to positively impact the lives of children?  Why will I, and several other colleagues, have to start looking for work in the middle of a recession that is probably outside our field of study?Why is education important enough to talk about, but not important enough to fund?

I love my job. Why can't I keep it?

Shopping Spree

Sorry it's taken so long to post, here is a story from the last few weeks before break:

December is here, and for almost every kindergartener that means presents. We've discussed the history and true meaning behind the December holidays, as well as the joys of giving presents (quite a hard concept to grasp when you're five!). To support the idea that giving is often just as good, if not better, than getting, our PTA hosts "Giftland ", a shop where students can buy small trinkets as gifts for family members. To a kindergartner, you may as well be shopping on Madison Ave.

Yesterday, I took the students who had brought money down to Giftland to purchase their presents. Little Dennis had $20 to spend, a veritable fortune in kindergarten terms. With the help of a PTA mom, he looked around, carefully selecting the items he wanted, buying multiples of many things like yoyos and rings and flashlights. At the exhaustion of his $20 budget, he had two plastic bags bursting with dollar store treasures. As the PTA mom helped him tie the bacgs close, he looks up ever so sweetly and says, "Hey, where's my change?" PTA mom,, looks a bit confused and reminds him that he spent all his money, and that if he wants change, he'll have to put something back. "Would you like to put something back?" she inquires. "No," he replies with the space cadet stare, "but I would like some change."

Que the laugh track.

I love my job.

Success!

It's been a rather interesting past few days. All of the kindergarten classes have been in rare form. From puking during snack time, to destroying valuable collector's items, to throwing all out tantrums, I am pretty sure I've seen and heard it all so far this week. It's almost enough to make me want to throw in the towel.

But then they go and surprise me.

Today's goal was finishing up assessments for progress reports. I dreaded testing two particular students, both of which were on the lower end of the academic spectrum. I finally called them back today (individually), and was pleasently surprised. Scatch that, I had my socks blown completely off. Both kids whizzed through the assessment with confidence and near 100% accuracy! I wanted to get up and do a dance; I was so thrilled! Their smiles before going back to their previous activities were priceless. A much needed reminder of why I teach.

Man, I LOVE my job!

Switcheroo

After school yesterday, I finally got around to re-vamping the layout of my room (with the help of the amazing Mrs. T). The previous set up just didn't utilize space efficiently, and frankly was driving me batty. I haven't had the luxury of staying in the same classroom every year, so it takes a little while to find the "perfect" setup that works for myself, as well as my dear kindergarten people. I have learned, however, that the reactions the next day are usually priceless:

Dennis: WOW!!! What did you DO?!?!


Me: I moved somethings around


Dennis: By yourSELF? Whoa you are Soooooooo Strong Ms. S!

and then a little later

Twin: I really like the way you moved things


Me: Thank you, Twin


Twin: You should move the whole school around!!! (breaks into huge grin)


Me: (confused look)


Twin: HAHAHAHAHA (walks away)

I love my job!

 P.S. I've been thinking about doing a blogging blitz, to make myself a better blogger. Perhaps reviewing children's books? Thought and opinions?

Thank you

It's November, so we have been talking about Thanksgiving. While many, well most, of the kindergarten people thought the primary reason for Thanksgiving was eating turkey, I did have a few that were able to help fill in our circle map with more than just food.  This lead to a discussion about being grateful, and the true meaning behind Thanksgiving ::cue cheesy sentimental music:: which is giving thanks.

In that spirit, we have been making Thank you cards. Yesterday, we worked on cards for the wonderful people who funded our project on Donors Choose. They did a fantastic job! Some chose to write full sentences, while others drew pictures of themselves and how getting our new math manipulatives made them feel. It was awesome to see them working on something so hard because it was for someone else.

Today, they went even farther in making cards for Veterans Day. Living in a military community and having a few military kids in our class, my kinder people are very aware and VERY grateful for the service that our armed forces perform. It was so cool to see their excitement to say thank you to a member of the armed services.

I love my job!

Giggles

It might be the cold front pushing through, or perhaps the left overs of a Halloween bounty, but today was a day full of giggles. Everything made us laugh today, be it the sound the letter F makes (it does kinda tickle your lip), measuring objects with linking cubes (did you know that The SuperHero is 47 cubes tall?), or eating snack (it's not everyday you get a corn dog for a snack!). So I went with it. I used our giggle energy, and channeled it into creative, interactive games and activities.The tots LOVED it! Heck, I loved it. It's what I'm called to do. In this current world of meetings, paperwork, assessments, data, etc. it's too easy to get caught up in the secondary tasks. Kindergarten is about learning, loving, and giggles, and today was the kind of day I needed to remind me.

By the way, if you are looking for a giggle inducing book    is a winner every time. After all, underpants are just funny!

Party

Yesterday was our October birthday party. Our school doesn't allow Halloween parties, but I do have a celebration sometime during the month to celebrate all the kids who have birthdays that month. This helps in keeping cupcakes and other sugary snacks to a minimum.

This was also the first party of the year. My kids were over the moon excited for it, and had a very, VERY hard time staying focused. In fact, three kindergarten people had to miss part of the festivities because of their behavior. I thought I was going to go crazy from reminding and redirecting behavior.

But it was worth it. My little Southern Belle came up to me, smiled her shy smile and said "This is the best party ever!!!"

I love my job!

Just Dance

I know I've been a bad blogger of late, but with assessments, report cards, breaks, and the impending holidays, I've been a tad stressed busy.

In fact, I started yesterday in quite a funk. A morning allergy attack + a "mandatory" before school meeting = one very grumpy kindergarten teacher. Not wanting to shield the kindergarten people from the fact that adults get grumpy too, I shared my feelings with the group during dear time. Very understanding, they offered suggestions to make me feel better. The major consensus was to dance to a song we had just learned from( #3 the Wheels on The Bus Rap). So we did. And they were right. Sometimes you just need to dance.

Smartboard Saturday: Fire Safety

October is Fire Safety Month. My team and I wanted to provide our kindergarten people with real, authentic experiences (like taking up the local fire department on their offer of a field trip, or perhaps inviting them out to our school), however, due to admin., budget, yada, yada, yada, it can't happen. So I have scoured the internet, and have found a little jewel that would make our fire safety lessons a tad more meaningful.

The good people at Owen Sound Fire and Emergency Services in Canada have created a virtual firefighter that displays and explains in great detail each piece of a firefighter's equipment. As you progress through the tour, each piece of the equipment is added to the firefighter, resulting in a fully dressed firefighter at the end. The information itself is a bit wordy for kindergarten people, however, the pictures are fantastic and a crucial part in discussing about not hiding from the "scary" firefighter in the event of a fire.

So there you have it people! Smartboard Saturday is back in action. Have a great weekend!

Class Obsession: Flies

Like a good teacher, I have read and will read a plethora of books to my kindergarten people in an effort to teach concepts and spark a love of reading and good books. Like good students, my kindergarten people take what they have learned, and apply it to real life. Which is every teachers dream....right?

Right now my entire class is OBSESSED with and the rest of the books in the series, which is pretty awesome in itself. It's about a boy, Buzz, and his pet fly that can say the boy's name, Fly Guy, and the many adventures they have in their community, like going to school or playing in a football game.

However, our classroom is also infested with flies. Our maintenance staff have sprayed for bugs, however, it only makes the flies drunk and bold. They have a tendency to land on the faces of my dear kindergarten people throughout the day. However, instead of swatting them in annoyance, they will shout "HEY LOOK! IT'S FLY GUY!!!" at which point every one will crowd around until I remove the pest/pet and continue our day.

Only in kindergarten...I love it!

Discovery

Today during afternoon seat work, one of my kindergarten people came up to me and said "Ms. S! Look!  Blue and yellow make green!"  He brought me his paper and showed me how he had colored over a yellow spot with his blue crayon, making green. We celebrated his discovery with a high five, and he skipped off happily to his seat.

Now that the essence of kindergarten...discovery and amazement.

I love my job!!!

P.S. I know that I am behind on my Smart Board posts, but I promise they are coming!!!

I think we have the makings of a kindergarten track team

Today I had recess duty, the most tolerable of all "extra" duties. I love having the opportunity to get outside any chance I can, and it's a great way to get to know the kids outside my class as well.

One little fellow, we'll call him Marlon, that I've gotten to know well (from behavior, as well as recess) has an affinity for the trikes that are available to ride during recess. This kid would ride them all day, every day if he could. This however, creates a problem, for he is not the only kindergartner who enjoys a trike ride. It is usually a battle to get this kid of the bike, which almost always ends in a pouting session on his end, and a very unhappy person on my end. But today, I tried a different approach. This is how our conversation went.

Marlon: " Hey Ms. S, watch how fast I can go!"

Me: (Watches him ride at a break neck speed) " Wow, Marlon, that was awesome! You are really fast on that bike. Are you fast on your feet too?"

Marlon: (Looking uncertain) "Yeah"

Me: "Really? Show me how fast you can go."

Marlon: (Takes of in a dead sprint, along with 7 other kindergartners who heard me issue the challenge and now want me to watch them as well.) " Told ya I was fast."

He then proceeds to spend the rest of recess proving to me how fast he is, racing with all the other little runners back and forth on the playground. He's off the bike, other kids are getting a turn, and now I'm thinking about a kindergarten track team. Good golly  those kids are fast!

Growth

And so it begins. My little dears are becoming less and less little. It was definitely noticeable today, I only had to repeat myself 95 times, instead of my usual 100. We took care of business today; remembered procedures, followed directions, listened and focused on learning. I think we have officially made it through the "first days of school."  Now the real work begins!

Smartboard Saturday: Sorry

I have been fighting sickness all week to make it through Parent Teacher Conferences. And I have succumbed to the illness today. Sorry, I will post two next week, but for now...SLEEP!

Parents

It's been a long week filled with even longer days. Parent-Teacher Conference Week. Our district only requires us to stay late on Thursday night, with a half day on Friday (no school for kids), but most teachers, myself included, offer parents any time after school for the first four days of the work week or Friday morning. After all, the goal is 100% attendance.

Sidebar: It is  a complete and utter joke to expect 100% attendance when we have absolutely no influence over whether or not a parent shows up. Just thought I'd put that out there.

Although it means long hours, I do really enjoy conference time. It gives me a chance to assure parents that we are all on the same team, and no matter what preconceived notions they might have, I am here for the best interest of their child.

And of course, the kids love it too. They get to show the people most important to them what they have accomplished in the 28 days that we've been in school. It's a hoot watching them give a tour of a our little world, making sure little brother and/or sister follow all of our classroom rules (even if they didn't during the day!)

Smartboard Saturday: ABCya

Today's post is on the website ABCya.com.

This website was introduced to me by a colleague who used it as a tutoring tool on her interactive white board. After observing her and the student work on it together, I was totally hooked. The activities provided would be great for center time, both on the computer and on the Smartboard. Check it out, and bookmark it as a favorite.

Have a great Saturday!

Dorothy

 This little girl is the newest of our bunch, and is known throughout the school for the sparkly ruby red shoes she wears everyday. However, the shoes are about the only thing this little miss had in common with the kind, gentle character portrayed by Judy Garland.  This little girl is a rebel without a cause, prone to throwing fits and ignoring directions.

But today, I meet the sweet child I knew was buried underneath. After an almost meltdown this morning over a paper, she was sweet as peaches and cream the rest of the day, even helping and sharing with the other kids at her table! Best part of the day: As we are getting ready to switch centers, she asks for a hug. She gives me a fierce hug, and sneaks in a peck on the cheek too.

I know we will probably butt heads everyday for the rest of the year. But this little girl knows she is loved and safe in my class. What an awesome reminder of why I teach.

I love my job!!!

If you don't laugh, you'll cry....

Today was one of those days that I'm pretty sure the entire cosmos was against us getting anything done. We started the day in our regular fashion: Turn attendance cards, turn in folders and agendas, start morning work. We even got through morning work without a hitch. However, in the middle of morning meeting, an unexpected fire drill.

Now most fire drills teachers know are coming, even though we aren't "supposed" to. I think it's a good thing to give us a heads up, that way we can prepare our little ones, who tend to be very excitable/terrified when something like this occurs. However, we did exceptionally well, barring the field of mud we had to trudge through.

Coming in from the fire drill, I decided was the perfect time for a restroom break. It gave us the opportunity to refocus, regroup, and de-mudify. Just as we were settling into our reading lesson, my class was called for eye and ear screening. Now, don't get me wrong, I love, LOVE, love that we offer this service for our kids, many whom have never been to a doctor, however, the timing could not have been worse. It took up the rest of our morning, leaving us just enough time to grab lunchboxes and head to the cafeteria.

BLEH...Frustrating to say the least. The prime teaching time ripped out of my day. But the great thing about kindergarten is that my students have a way of making it all a joy.

For instance, today we were reading , a favorite in our class. Just as a let out a "HOLY GUCAMOLE! What stinks?" in my very best Skippyjon Jones voice, my dear sweet little friend, who has earned the nickname Dennis (as in Dennis the Menace), lets a huge one rip. And of course, the class catches a huge case of the giggles. Being the somber adult in the room, I got us back on track and finished the book. But on the inside, I was rolling! Let's face it....farts are funny. And nothing fixes a frustrating day like a good laugh.

Smartboard Saturday: Morning Math

Unfortunately for my class (and myself!), this year the classroom we are in does not have a Smart Board. According to the powers that be, we are priority #1 when it comes to budgeting, and we should be receiving the aforementioned piece if technology before the year's end. Here's to hoping!

The lack of a Smart Board, however, will not stop me from finding and collecting amazing resources and lessons to be shared! Smart Board Saturday has returned!

Morning Math is the foundation of almost every kindergarten day. Also know as Circle Time, Calendar Time, and a plethora of cutesy names, it starts the day with critical routines that are built upon for the rest of the day/year/educational career. The Smart Board is a great tool to integrate into this morning ritual. I stress integrate for a reason. There are many classrooms that rely solely on the Smart Board for morning routines, which is great if the classroom teacher can guarantee that she/he will be there everyday, and that the technology will work every single day. In the event that the teacher is not available, or the technology goes down for whatever reason, it can make for a very, VERY stressful start to the day. Those who teach, especially the lower grades, know that the morning routines are imperative to how the rest of the day will go.

How can I integrate the Smart Board into our morning routine, you ask? Fantastic question! There are several templates floating around cyberspace that can easily be found using your favorite search engine. I do have a particular template that I am partial to, and would be very willing to share to any who ask for it. Most templates are in the SMART Notebook software, so if you don't have it, get it!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

And so it Begins!

I know, I totally fail. School has started, and I even had a back-to-school post. I just didn't post it. I will try to do better ;) Without further ado, here is the aforementioned post:

Our First Day of School was this past Thursday (the 12th). Every year, I am amazed at how little my new students are, and how dependent they are for everything! But I know that in just a few weeks time, they will have our procedures and policies down, and will be growing by leaps and bounds.

The first day back also made me realize how much I took for granted last year. I started in October, so someone else had done the hard work of laying the foundation of procedures, I only had to tweak them a tad when I started. This year, I am starting from scratch. It's hard. But I love it!

I have 20 kids this year, an almost even split between boys and girls. And as is my m.o., nicknames have already been assigned to a few. Meet a couple of my kids:

The Whiner- This little boy was my only crier the first day, and was down right inconsolable. It took three teachers to get him to my classroom, and one to keep him from bolting out the door. My principal removed him for a while, and then brought him back to join us; sitting with him during morning work. While he did not cry the rest of the day, and only once the next day, he has a maddening habit of whining when he doesn't get his way. Which is pretty often because I am the teacher and he's not in charge. But on Friday, I did catch a glimpse of the sweet nature I knew was somewhere behind the fear and whining. I don't think this nickname will stick for long.

Dennis- This kid is Dennis the Menace without the charming little overalls and cowlick. He seems to get himself in trouble without the slightest idea of how. He does, however, have this amazing smile that seems to charm the socks right off of most people. It's gonna be a fun year with this one!

As of now, those are the only nicknames. I'm sure as I get to know their personalities, I'll have more. For now, Happy Back-to-School!!

I'm Back!!!!!

I got word yesterday that I will still be at a different school, but I will be in kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year! I am pumped!

Change

I have been reassigned to a different school and different grade. I am not quite sure what will happen with this blog, but I hope to be back in kindergarten soon!

Fire Drills and Tornadoes

It has been quite an interesting day.

Tomorrow is our Kindergarten Awards ceremony, so we spent a large part of our day finding our places on stage and rehearsing our songs. Corralling 80+ almost-first graders is quite a feat in itself, let alone two choreographed numbers. How ever, it went well, and I am so excited to see my not-so-little kids  make themselves and their parents proud.

If performing on stage is not enough to rile up a class, today's class activity also involved painting. We read Little Cloud by Eric Carle and created our very own "little clouds" with blue construction paper, cotton balls, and white paint. They turned out fabulously. However, while creating the aforementioned clouds, we had an unexpected fire drill. Apparently, the heat from the cotton candy maker (PTA) next to our classroom was enough to set of the alarms for the entire school. While there was no actual fire, it was enough to get everyone's blood pumping. Although not perfect, we did a pretty good job getting everyone out and accounted for.

Today is also an "extreme weather" day in our state. I had recess duty, so I made it a point to keep my eye on the weather reports all day. As expected, we had indoor recess, and now I sit working on the awards ceremony slide show under a tornado watch (soon to be warning), for the second time in a two week period. Granted severe weather affords me time to hang out with friends at my old stomping grounds, but I'd rather not have had this happen the night before awards. Oh well, c'est la vie.

More Names

In an earlier post, I introduced a few of my munchkins and the nicknames that I have for them. Meet a few more:

The Professor- This little guy can tell you all about the life sciences. His specialty is aquatic life, specifically sharks, but he knows all about dinosaurs, bugs, and the like as well. He has a superhero alter-ego named Shark Boy.

The Supremes- I have four fabulous divas-in-training. These girls have got spunk, moxie and attitude to spare, but have hearts of gold.

The Banshee- This is little girl is the newest member of our learning community. She can be quite excitable, and will let out a head-splitting, ear-shattering shriek whenever she is overcome with mirth and joy.Which happens quite often.

Appreciation

Last week was National Teacher Appreciation Week. Our PTA was wonderful in giving us little treats, and a tasty baked potato lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed the art my class created for me as well. But. what I treasure the most are the kind words from parents of my sprouts. I've had a few parents tell me that they appreciate how I work with their children, and how they have watched their child bloom before their eyes. I've even had one or two request me as their child's teacher for next year.Conversations like these with parents do wonders for my heart. It helps me know that  I am where I need to be doing what I need to do- teach and love children.

Perception

It has been an interesting week so far. Monday night brought hail and tornadoes to our part of the world, which was quite a thrilling, yet horrifying experience. The majority of my class loves tornadoes, so it was a very energetic morning meeting the next day. Many of my kids had very interesting stories to tell , so I made the executive decision to bypass our morning reading lesson to create a class book centered on tornadoes. All of my students , except one, did a fantastic job writing their rough draft, revising & editing, and then publishing  & illustrating their stories. ( I will post pictures very soon)

We have also been working on our kindergarten memory books. Three particular pages pique my interest the most; the self-portrait page, the teacher page and the friends page. It is very interesting to observe how my student's perception of themselves has changed, as well as how they perceive the others around  them. While Bad Robot was creating a picture of me, he remarked "You are tall Ms. S. I am going to make you tall." I chuckled inside, thinking to myself "at 5'2" I am pretty tall to these wee ones. The must think our principal and gym teacher are huge!"

Another student remarked she would draw me with a smile, so I wouldn't have to holler so much. Boy, did I feel mean. However, it did lead to another discussion on why Ms. S has to yell sometimes, and that I don't like doing it anymore than she does. I don't think I yell often, but I do have to use quite a forceful voice when we get a bit too boisterous, which has been happening quite frequently as the last day draws near. I think I detected a glimmer of understanding in her eyes after our conversation (she is one of my most boisterous darlings).

We have eight more days left, and still so much I would like to do! We will make the most of it, laughing and learning to the end!

Smartboard Saturday: Wordbuilding

One of my favorite items in the gallery of the SMART Notebook software is the refrigerator magnets. Paired with student magnetic whiteboards and their own bucket of letters, my students have a blast with word building. I even set it up as an activity in the ABC center, and it is amazing the words they can build!

Recap

The end of the year is upon us, and it has gotten crazy. So here is a quick recap of the happenings of our week.

Monday was...well, a Monday. Lack of sleep over the weekend made it a hard day for many of my sprouts.

Tuesday was Transition Day. In the afternoon, all of kindergarten visited a 1st grade class, while we kindergarten teachers met with incoming Pre-K parents to introduce ourselves and give them a little preview of  what to expect in kindergarten. It was pretty cool to meet some of our "new" parents, and my kids LOVED first grade. They were captivated by Mrs. P, the 1st grade teacher they visited, and have asked me every day if they can go back to first grade.

Wednesday was the EHES Teacher Appreciation Day. Our awesome PTA put on a baked potato lunch for all teachers and staff. I received lots of "treasures" from my darling class.

Thursday we started work on our Mother's Day cards. Instead of doing the watercolor cards this year, my kids were given total creative freedom. The only rules were A) Only the outside was to be decorated today, and B) they had to sound out and spell "Happy Mother's Day." They did a fantastic job, and even wrote a few lines of poetry to their lucky mamas.

Friday(Today) we finished up our Mother's Day cards, and made our bath salts. My kids had a blast mixing everything together in the bag, and they loved the scent we used (peppermint). We also (reluctantly) released our butterfly friends into the wild.

It has been a crazy, wonderful week, and I am ready for the weekend!

Friday Feature: Kites

I found this awesome website that shows you step-by-step how to make a kite. Best of all, they actually work!
Check it out!    Kites

Smartboard Saturday: Kidspiration

In the past few weeks, we have been learning all about life cycles. An awesome software to use when creating life cycles, or any other kind of graphic organizers, is Kidspiration, a K-5 version of the Inspiration software.

This software can be used for much more than graphic organizers, however. Students use the graphic organizers to expand on their thoughts in the Writing View. In the Math View, students use manipulatives to explore concepts such as counting, place and value, and fractions.

When paired with the Smartboard, Kidspiration becomes an awesome tool for whole group lessons. It is also great for a center-time activity, giving children the opportunity to explore a ready-made activity, or elaborate more on an idea that was discussed in an earlier lesson.

My favorite part however, is the free trial. There is nothing like checking something out for yourself, so check it out!

Friday Feature: Mother's Day

I was overcome with illness last Friday, so here are two Mother's Day Ideas to make up for not posting.

Bath Salts We will be making these this year for the wonderful ladies in our lives!

For this project you will need:

Ziploc Quart size Baggies
Epsom Salt
Perfume Oil
Food Coloring
Glycerin
A pretty container to put the finished product in

In the plastic baggie, combine about 1 cup of the Epsom salts, a few drops of perfume oil, a 1/4 teaspoon of glycerin. Add food coloring to make desired color. Seal the baggie, and squish vigorously to blend all ingredients. Clip a corner of the baggie and squirt the colorful, scented salts into the pretty container.

Watercolor Cards We will also be giving our Mother's these beautiful handmade cards.

For this project, you will need:

White construction paper
White Crayons
Watercolors of your choice
Water
Paintbrushes
Any choice of covering to keep both kiddos and community clean

Have student write their message to  mommy dearest with the white crayon on the white construction paper. Students then use the water and watercolors to paint the entire card. The white crayon writing will stand out against the watercolor paint. They turn out beautifully, and the kids think it's magic!

Butterflies

The day we have all anxiously been waiting for has arrived. Our butterflies have "hatched!"

I was the first one to notice, but I kept it quiet because I wanted to see their reaction at such a remarkable development. Not even 10 minutes later, Miss Hugger, alerts her best friend in the loudest whisper I have ever heard, that "They're here! They're here! The butterflies have hatched!" This, of course, brings every kid from all corners of the room (we were at morning centers) to the counter where our butterfly house rests.

It was a moment of utter chaos, unbridled joy and excitement, and awesome discovery. And wouldn't you know it, my camera died. I didn't catch the great scene of discovery, but take a look at the newest members of or classroom.

Colleagues

While this blog is about the wonderful antics of my amazing kinders, I just want to take a moment and brag about my amazing colleagues. I am blessed to work with some of the most amazing people ever; directly as a kindergarten team and corporately as a school. My teammates are amazing women, whom I have learned sooooooooo much from since October. Each has a different background, teaching style, etc. that helps me to broaden my horizons and expectations for myself and my class. I am also honored to work with people outside of our kindergarten hallway. For me, it makes the end of the year easier, knowing that my kids are going to have equally amazing first grade teachers, second grade teachers, etc. Not to mention the fabulous team of special and activity teachers.

I guess my point is this: Thank you to all the wonderful people with whom I get to share my day and kids.

Names

I love names. I name almost anything that I care about, including my kids. Now, I know their parents have already bestowed them with names that they deemed fit, but sometimes I just nickname them before I know I did it. My sprouts don't know I have nicknames for them; I usually use them when telling funny stories about my kids (really helps to avoid FERPA violations). Meet my a few kids from my class:

The Politician/ Dennis the Menace- This little darling will give you an entire speech to answer a yes or no question. He also happens to find himself in the most mischievous of situations.

The Talk-show Host- This little dear can talk the paint of a wall. She also has the biggest heart I have ever seen in such a little body.

Dakota Fanning- I'm pretty sure she could be a celebrity look-a-like if she wanted.

Charlie Brown/John Tesh- This little boy has two nicknames because he has changed so much. He started out as Charlie Brown because he was very melancholy and down about school and life. Now that he has more stability in the classroom (a regular classroom teacher), he is a talkative, brilliant star. He starts every conversation with "Ms. Sulaiman, did you know...."

Bad Robot- This kid nicknamed himself. Read it here .

There are more nicknames, although not everyone has one. Perhaps I'll introduce them at a later date.

Sick

I feel bad for my kids, I'm a total grouch when I'm sick. Our screwed up testing schedule has not helped at all either. Going to the doctor tomorrow, hoping I'll be back in action on Wednesday.

Smartboard Saturday: Nonsense Words

It is a fine line that most teachers walk  to teach the skills that are assessed, but not "teach to the test." In our state, we use DIBELS as an assessment. During one section of this test, students are asked to sound out or read nonsense words. This is a difficult task for many students, mainly because they want to recode the nonsense word into a "real" word.

On a tip from a friend, I started to use my Smartboard to do quick nonsense word exercises. In the Gallery of the Smart Notebook software, there are consonant and vowel dice. I pulled three dice in a CVC format onto a blank page, and let me children touch and roll. They LOVED it. We sound out all the sounds, recode into the word, and discuss if it is a real word or a silly word. Now, it is part of our transition from Morning Meeting to our Reading Block.

Tip: Use the search bar to find specific things in the Gallery, i.e. type "dice" to find CVC , blank, number, or dot dice.

Feature Friday: Earth Day Projects

In honor of April being Earth Month, here are a couple of "green" activities that we are going to do in my class: Coke bottle Terrariums and Bottlecap Buttons and/or Magnets.

I didn't come up with the Coke Bottle Terrarium idea, I just remembered doing it when I was in kindergarten. So I Googled it and found this-Coke Bottle Terrariums.

Bottle Cap Buttons - This is a craft I learned from friends in college. This activity may be a bit too much for kinders, but I am constantly astounded by what my kids can do, so we are going to give it a try.

Materials needed:
Bottlecaps from glass bottles
1" hole punch
Various types of paper to hole punch, and cut out (magazines, old calendars)
Various beads, sequins, or small objects that will fit on a 1" circle
Pour-On resin
Craft Magnets/ or Button Backs
Hair Dryer
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Use a 1" hole punch to punch out circles from various kinds of paper (magazines, construction, etc.). Students can cut out letters to spell words inside their buttons, or decorate with glitter, beads, or whatever crafty thing that will fit on a 1" circle.

When students have finished filling the inside of the button, the teacher pours the resin (mixed according to box directions) in the button.  Use the hair dryer (set on low) to blow out the bubbles in the resin. Let dry overnight to harden. Attach the magnets or button backs to the back of the filled button with the glue gun, and voila....Bottlecap Buttons and magnets!

Kissing

Spring is officially here, and my sprouts have a new founded affection for each other. Not a day has gone by this month, when I have not heard "Ms. S! He kissed me!" or "I have a boyfriend, and I'm going to kiss him." Even I'm not safe. Just the other day, a friend came an gave me a chair hug (I'm sitting in my teacher chair, they wrap their arms around my neck, and press their cheek to my cheek), sneaked a peck on the cheek, and ran off back to her center. All I could do was laugh when I heard "I kissed the teacher!"

I love my job!

Funny

My sprouts are hilarious.

During afternoon centers, two of my boys were playing in the Imagination Station (Dramatic Play/Housekeeping). One had all of the play money in his hand, the other was trying to persuade his friend to share the wealth. Eventually, Mr. Scrooge got tired of his friend's persistent asking, stopped & sighed, dug through the stack of bills and pulled out a five. He turns and hands it to him, with the words "Here's a five. Go get a footlong."

I could barely contain my mirth.

A little while later, Mr. Scrooge is still hoarding all the cash. I call him over for a little chat.

"You should probably share that money, Bud. Share the wealth."

"But Ms. S, I'm Richie Rich!"

I couldn't help it, I laughed. With his almost white blond hair, and his pleading tone of exasperation, I just couldn't hold it in. He grinned, laughed, and skipped off to "spend his money." Methinks he has earned a nickname.

Zoo Day

Today was the day my little superheros have been waiting for for weeks! ZOO DAY! I was just as excited (perhaps a little more) as my kids were. I love field trips, and am very blessed to be among the dwindling number of schools that still has them. It was a great to watch our kids have this great experience. Many of them have been to the zoo (several times), but they have never been with their friends. It was great to see them "show each other around" and to hear all about the awesome animals they saw.

The highlight, however, was the bus ride. My little John Tesh raises his hand and says "Ms. S, did you know, I have never been on a bus before?" Of course this sparks a chorus of "me, too" and  "neither have I"s. 2 out of 20 friends in our class ride the bus to and from school, so this was a novel expereince for most of our class. They were in a state of pure bliss during the bus ride. Seeing Dunkin Donuts was almost better than seeing the zoo. Who'd a thought?

Smartboard Saturday: Harnessing the Power of Touch

As one of of my favorite kinder-bloggers wrote in a post, there is something transformative and captivating about touch in the kindergarten/early-childhood classroom. Reveal a new item to a group of kinders and you are sure to hear "Can I touch/hold it?" That is what makes teaching with the Smartboard so awesome.

At first, when wearing my rational adult hat and thinking about how expensive this awesome piece of technology is, I was terrified for my kids to be around the Smartboard, let alone touch it, lest they besmirch it with paint/marker/booger covered fingers . However, my inner creative teacher won out, and I now daily utilize  our Smartboard in student-centered or student-led, interactive, engaging lessons.Granted, I am still a stickler about students using/touching the Smartboard without permission, but with the appropriate modeling and procedures, my kinders have a healthy respect and appreciation for it. The point is, don't be afraid to let your kiddos touch and learn.

Tip of the Day: If you don't already have it, go to the Smarttech website, and download the thirty day trial of Smart Notebook software, and explore what it has to offer. This software is designed to enhance classroom use of the Smartboard, and has so much more to offer than PowerPoint.

Zoo shirts

So I have been a lazy bum and haven't posted for a while. Our Easter egg hunt was a great success, and now we are on to our next big spring event...the Zoo! We are blessed to be one of the few (if not the only) in our district who are taking a field trip this year, and we are making the most of it. I learned that it is a Kinder tradition at our school to make shirts for our kiddos to wear in the field trip. Now, I can be as crafty and artsy as the next teacher, until it comes to paint. The mess and stress drives me crazy. But we did it, and it was soooooo worth it.
Who knew that sharpies, sponges, and a little bit of paint could make such adorable creations?

The First Feature Friday- Building a classroom Family

Awhile back, I wrote about a couple of directions that I take this blog. A friend suggested that I could start doing features to integrate some of my other educational-related musings, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. So, henceforth, I shall be posting an idea/ activity or activity that I would like to share or try in my own classroom on Fridays, and sharing Smartboard tips, tricks, and lessons on Saturdays.

For the First Feature Friday, I would like to share a beginning of the year activity that I want to use next year.
The goal is to promote and build a safe, family-like classroom environment, and help students understand how important every student is. The materials needed are a floor puzzle (teacher keeps one piece), the book The Crayon Box That Talked, and the song We Are a Family by Jack Hartmann (on the Learning to Love CD).

Read the book to children, discussing how the crayons act, and how they would feel. After the book is read, as a class, put together the floor puzzle. As students realize that their picture is not complete without the missing puzzle piece, discuss how the classroom family is not complete without every person. Listen to and learn Jack Hartmann's We are a Family.

Manners

Today was our kindergarten Easter Egg hunt, our 1st official spring activity. It was all my kiddos could talk about; it was like pulling teeth getting them to focus for our reading lesson. But we did it, and even made our adorable bunny masks.

Not every little bunny brought a basket to collect eggs today. Thank goodness for a very thoughtful grandma who brought a lot of extras for our class. When my Bad Robot found out that a fellow classmate had provided him with a basket, he marched right up to him and said in his very direct style of speech, "Thank you for the Easter basket. " His classmate grinned from ear to ear and they shared a hug.

Such a lesson in grace, thankfulness, and kindness. You really do learn everything you need to know in kindergarten.

A new blog or a new direction

So I've been playing with the idea of taking this blog in a new direction or perhaps starting a new one. I've had a few teachers message me or become my friend on Facebook for some help on using a Smartboard in a kindergarten/ early childhood classroom. We are blessed to have one in our classroom (mounted w/ LCD projector and speakers). and I try to utilize it as much as I can on a daily basis. I am steadily building up an arsenal of Smartboard lessons and tips, created by myself. or borrowed from colleagues, that I think might help others who are looking to use for more than a giant movie screen.

I've also been thinking about starting a "next year" blog. As any good educator does, I'm constantly reflecting on activities. events, and lessons. I'll have grand epiphanies on how I can improve for next year, yet the next time it (activity. event, or lesson) I can barely remember how I originally did it.

We'll see. I have enough trouble keeping up with the two blogs I already have.

We're back!

So I was too exhausted to post on our first official day back from Spring Break, so here is a quick recap:

Our schedule has been overhauled to accommodate centers twice a day, literacy in the morning and developmental in the afternoon. It was chaos for a bit, however, it smoothed out and I was able to work with two reading groups and informally assess where we are. My superkids totally blew me away with their reading; we are exactly on target for Spring (which is a pretty big deal considering they had a string of subs until October when I was hired)! Ms. M, our literacy coach, returned to our class, much to the delight of my budding sprouts. We learned, we laughed, we played, and it was a fantastic start to the last quarter.

Today, we added to our numbers, bringing our class count back up to twenty. Our new friend was shy, but was welcomed warmly, and soon felt at ease. Again, chaos ensued when it was center time, but we figured it out and got down to business.

I realize this is not a very detailed post, however, I am one tired teacher. I will try to do better on the morrow.

Ready

So it's the last day of Spring Break, and I am more than ready to see my cherubs again. I've been housebound for the past 48 hours due to the "blizzard," and used the time to get some school projects out of the way. Our new center system is complete (for now), and our classroom website is finally up and running. I am excited for spring and all the newness it brings, and the growth I am sure to see in my sprouts. I'm ready for discovery and exploration and lots of laughter and learning. I love my job!

Truth in Play

I am a big advocate for play. I think it crucial to the way children develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively. It allows children to express what they may not be able to during direct one-on-one conversation, and provides teachers/parents/child specialists a chance to glimpse the world of a child, as evidenced by a particular conversation in my classroom.

During Free Centers, it is not uncommon for my students to involve me in their imaginative play. One of my boys, who I have mentally nicknamed Warrior, decided he wanted to be a bad robot.

"Ms.S, I'm going to kill you."

"Really, why?"

"Because I am a bad robot."

"Why are you a bad robot? Why not be a good robot?"

"I don't know. I'm just bad. Maybe I came from a bad factory."

Now, many people would have flipped out after hearing his initial statement, given the current climate from recent events. But I know how little boys play, and more importantly, I know this kid, so I didn't take it as a threat, but a compliment. He felt comfortable enough with me to include me in his play, to invite me into his world, which for this little boy is a big deal. But this conversation did confirm that there is much turmoil under his clam, quiet everyday demeanor. My heart aches for him, and all I can do is continue to love him and pray that he comes to understand that he is not a bad robot, no matter what the other voices in his life say.

Fantastic Friday!

What a great day to start Spring Break!

We had our EHES Olympic Closing Ceremony during Harmony on Friday. It was fun to see all the kids dressed in their grade levels/countries colors, wearing the hats of their country, and waving all the different flags. My little Olympians loved chanting/screaming "U.S.A!" as loud as they possibly could, and cheering when the medal winners were announced. Our class won a silver medal in Music, one of the two medals Team USA/kindergarten won. There are no words to describe the look of pride on ALL of kindergarten when Molly, our representative, went up on the medal stand.

After Harmony, we had just enough time for our morning drink & restroom break and morning recess before lunch. Pizza day and a silver medal; my sprouts were on cloud nine.

Afterward, we finished Dr.Seuss week out with reading The Foot Book. I then announced we were going to play rhyming bingo to help us with our rhyming skills. I was rewarded with "Thank you Ms. S! " "You're my very best teacher." and lots of I love you's. (I'm pretty sure this was more because of the prizes, than actually playing the game, but whatever motivates them to play!).

Playing Bingo in my class is loud, hilarious, and LOUD. I'm sure if someone would have walked in, they would have thought it was utter chaos. However, I love that we are loud; to me it says we are actively engaged in, and excited about learning. Each word I called out would be rhymed by everyone in unison, whether it was on their bingo card or not. We played three rounds (my usual limit), and had three winners. I only had one crier, which I consider a success.

Free centers were after bingo, which is also a pretty loud activity. My kids imaginations were on fire; I was served several delicious meals, visited by a team of doctors who cured me of "dying", and even rescued from a killer robot.

We ended our day with activity (art), snack, recess, and of course the Treasure Box. We did our goodbye song, and my kids were off to a week of quality time with their families. It was a long, loud, eventful day; the perfect end to Dr.Seuss week, and a great start to Spring Break!

Terrific Thursday

Today was "Theodore Thursday" and we had green eggs and ham! Our creative art teacher even created some Seussian verses ala Green Eggs and Ham using the names of each kindergarten teacher. My sprouts thought it was the coolest.

Of course, we read the book and discussed how the main character thinks green eggs and ham are gross but finds that they are very yummy. I then served the green eggs and ham scramble I made in the morning to my kids. Their reactions were what I expected: "Ummm, are these really eggs?" "This looks gross!" Their reactions after eating them, however, I was not expecting: " These are delicious! Can I have some more? It is soooo good!"

If you have ever seen green scrambled eggs with chopped up lunch meat ham in it, you know it doesn't look good and (to me) smells/ tastes even worse. Besides a little butter, salt, and pepper it was straight eggs and ham (instead of the delicious breakfast casserole I was supposed to make). But they loved, and even more exciting, they loved writing about it. We did a shared writing in the morning after announcements, an invitation to the principals to join us for green eggs and ham. My little writers also shared their opinion about green eggs and ham, which will soon adorn our bulletin board.

It was thrilling to watch my sprouts try something new, form their very own opinions, and then share them. It made me realize how much they've grown in the short time I've had them. Before I know it, they will be first graders.

Wacky Wednesday

Yesterday was "Wacky Wednesday" in our Dr. Seuss Week. We wore silly socks and read Wacky Wednesday and a few other Dr. Seuss books. By wore silly socks, I mean that we got to walk around in our classroom with no shoes on. My little buddies were delighted. "You mean we are going to do Morning Math in our socks?! That's wacky!!!" In fact, I think wacky has become the hottest word in kindergarten. "Ms. S , look at the bus! It has two steering wheels, that is soooooo wacky!"

Word to the wise: If you ever read Wacky Wednesday to young children, there is a bathroom scene with partial nudity. Consider yourself warned.

Tophat Tuesday...

aka Terrible Tuesday! We continued our Dr.Seuss week today, focusing on the Cat in the Hat. During Bell Work, students colored, cut, and assembled their Cat in the Hat hats. We all had our hats finished/mostly finished by the time it was time to go to our "special assembly." Now, I am all for school plays, and for showing of all of the hard work the wonderful 2nd graders have done, however, this was the worst week ever (for kindergarten) to have a play. My little ones were already excited about Dr.Seuss week and all that it entails, but disrupting our morning routine and not having enough time to even do calendar makes us certifiably INSANE. Not to mention that today was the first class rotation for Dr. Seuss week (instead of all of us coming up with numerous Seussian activities, my team decided we would choose one activity and rotate our classes in the afternoon). And that our special was combined with 1st & 2nd grade today.

By center time, my kids had transformed into little ping pong balls; they were bouncing off the walls. Thankfully, we were able to reign it in a bit with a never-been-read-or-heard-before Dr.Seuss book, and then outside recess. Then we went home.

Thank goodness for Spring Break! I don't know how much more of this Spring fever we can take!

Mixed Up Monday

Today was the first day of our Dr. Seuss Week, a week filled with wonderfully wacky themes and literature. Today was Mixed-Up Monday, for which we got to wear our pajamas to school It was a wonderful day of reading and literacy games/activities. We spent our morning reading block with Dr. Seuss' ABC and played Alphabet Bingo. I gave prizes (bubbles) out to the winners, which added an element of excitement, and afforded me an opportunity to talk about graceful losing and playing for fun.

Side note: I know a lot of teachers who try and make everything fair/equal for their students, especially in the lower grades. I've never been a fan of that philosophy; I think it is setting children up for even bigger disappointment later in life. In my opinion, it's better to learn how to deal with it in smaller situations (bingo), so that bigger situations (losing a national competition) are not as shocking/damaging to a child's self-esteem.

In the afternoon, we read Hop on Pop and Fox in Socks, and had all kinds of fun with rhymes, not to mention some much needed practice. This year, we have found rhyming to be a very difficult skill to master. We topped off our afternoon with a Dr.Seuss Rhyme Match game, which everyone enjoyed thoroughly. Of course, it made it so much better that we were in our pajamas. Seriously, who else gets the privilege of going to work in pajamas?

I love my job!

Spring Fever...

has sprung. It was positively insane today.

On the news a few weeks ago, a kindergarten teacher was in hot water for cutting one of her students braids. Of course, the mother was irate, and the teacher was appropriately disciplined. Her reason for cutting the braid...the student would not stop playing with it.

A few weeks ago, I laughed...today, I totally know where she is coming from.

While I was able to control my emotions enough to avoid making the 10 o'clock news, getting through today was as hard as whistling peanut butter. Every 10 seconds I was reminding a talkative student that it was learning time, or "helping" someone control their bodies (by helping, I mean isolation and think time, otherwise known as a timeout). However, we managed to make it through all of our lessons today, and even managed to squeeze in some extra outside play time (to get the wiggles out).

The highlight of our day was an unexpected visitor, or visitors: Travis & Presley They even brought us gifts (an autographed book and DVD for every child). We were so excited to meet Presley, and we were even allowed to pet him! I wish I would have thought to grab my camera, everyone was amazed/in love with the dog. You'll just have to take my word for it, it was great!

Moving

Today was the last day for a little girl in our class today; she and her family are moving 2 hours away. She didn't want to leave, and we didn't want to lose her. It was a melancholy touch to a spectacular Fun Friday. We had a blast in the new Dress-up Center, rocked out to new songs, played and imagined in Free Centers, but every so often this little girl would walk up and hug me, or hug a friend, trying to make a memory. So at the end of the day, inspired by another teacher blog, I took one of our reading buddies (stuffed animals) and passed it around on the carpet. I explained that we were going to fill it with hugs to give to our friend who is moving away; when she misses us, she can hug the animal and feel our hugs. My students were delighted, and told the bunny "I miss you" and gave it huge squeezes. When we presented it to our departing friend, she squeezed it tight and smiled. We dismissed with lots of hugs and goodbyes, but oddly enough, not tears. It makes me sad that these little hearts have learned to say goodbye so early in life. But then, that's life. Hellos and goodbyes and all the good times in between.

Permanent

I was welcomed back today with hugs and huge grins. My little darlings were excited that I was back, and were full of questions, the most frequent one being"Where did you go?" Now in most kindergarten classrooms this would be the norm, but for our class this was a victory.

Until today, the day after every absence I had taken since starting at the end of October (three days), I was met with "You came back!" or "We have a new teacher!" A heartbreaking reminder of how my kids started the year; with instability, a different teacher on any given day. Even when I was formally hired and we talked about and celebrated that I was the teacher for the rest of the year, they didn't quite grasp it. It took them two weeks of constant reminding that I wasn't a substitute anymore, I was the teacher. And yet, they were always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Until today. Today my kids expected me to be there. Today, I became permanent.

PINK!

y students are obsessed with the color pink, both boys and girls. It is quite a wonder to behold, really.

Morning coloring:

"You can use violet red to make pink."

When we got new journals:

"LOOK! They're PINK!"

During snack time:

"Can I have the pink one?"

Anytime a color vote is taken, pink is the clear winner. Our kindergarten T-shirts...you guessed it, pink.

And of course, our favorite book...PINKALICIOUS.

Ahh, the joys of kindergarten!

Kinder Conference

I love Kindergarten conference! The sights, the sounds, the shopping!

Joking aside, I DO enjoy going to professional development (although, I wish they wouldn't have them at the beginning of the week!). I am always on the lookout for more effective ways to teach my kids, to help my little ones reach their full potential. My goals this year were to learn more about integrating writing, finding out more about the role of play in the classroom, and finding a center system that works for my class. All three goals were met to some degree; my least fulfilled one was the one about play. The presenter in the RTI workshop I was in referenced an article about play in the classroom (here it is). It seemed that the majority, if not everyone, agreed with the thesis of the report. But we all have standards to meet, tests to pass, and administrators and legislators to appease, leaving most early childhood educators in a very difficult position.

I would love to know more on this topic, and perhaps how other educators integrate play into their classrooms. For now, my Fun Fridays will suffice.

BTW if you have not checked out Jack Hartmann and his great songs for learning, you really should!

http://www.jackhartmann.com/

Christmas in February

I set out new toys for Free Centers today, some from my kit and others from school storage. You would have thought my kids died and went to heaven. I had girls foaming at the mouth to play with the Polly Pockets, and my boys were absolutely enthralled with the Motorworks set. Everyone was gaga for our new cash register, play money, and grocery cart full of housekeeping toys. I'm thrilled that my students are getting to enjoy some of the "classic elements" of a kindergarten class. I'm looking forward to seeing them with the Dress Up center.

Best part of the day: Mr. "I-just-can't- do-it" tied his shoes ON HIS OWN! A much needed victory for this kid, and an awesome example of the little miracles I get to see everyday.

Rhyming

I have started doing a "pass" to line up again. Today's pass was rhyming words. The majority of responses were house/mouse, sun/fun, fox/box. I had one darling try extra hard do do something different.

"Car/rar"

"Good thinking! But I don't think rar is a word."

"Yes it is. It's what dinosuars say!"

LOL. I love my job!

Callbacks

I'm tired and I wanted to get my first "real" post done. So here it is.

Callbacks are my primary method of getting attention in our class. I introduced the few I knew at the beginning of the year, and the repertoire has expanded exponentially. I thought I'd share a few.
(For those who don't know- callbacks are a call and response yell/action/chant)

Kindergarten...ROCKS!
Oklahoma...OK!
And a hush fell over the crowd...SHHHH!!!
If you're listening and you know it, clap your hands....clap, clap

And my favorite:

Peanuuuuttt, Peanut Butter!....JELLY!

Introduction

So I have been on a "teacher blog" kick lately, and I decided to try it.

The basics:

I am a 2nd year kindergarten teacher. Last year, I had the honor of teaching at an inner city, Title I school. My kids were amazing; my co-workers...not-so-much. So I left, and was blessed to get a teaching position at a wonderful school. My faculty, staff, and students are the best!