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/