Girl student: "Are you married?"
Me: "No, not now. I hope I get married someday though!"
Girl student: "Oh, you'll get married. You're cute." I love this job!
I have also decided that the format of my last post really helped to organize my thoughts better than my previous posts. Starting yesterday, I wrote down highlights or things that I wanted to talk about or remember. I think I'll try posting them in a list format rather than running through the day chronologically so that I get to the "good stuff" rather than having to sift through fluff.
Walk & Talk
Last week we did a very simple yet very effective exercise during the last ten minutes before our afternoon recess. We gathered all of the kids outside and gave them the question, "What was a highlight of your summer vacation?" My CT and I then modeled what this activity should look like. We stood shoulder to shoulder and took turns sharing a highlight of our summer. When one person was sharing, the other was using their eyes, body language, and quiet mouths to show that they were listening. We then paired kids up with other kids and let them go. I was pleasantly surprised that even though we paired kids with kids who were not their BFFs, they were able to talk and share. Sometimes I think we as teachers forget how little people converse these days without social media or other influences. The kids responded that it felt really good to be listened to, even if it was just for a few minutes.
Flow
As my CT asked me to reflect on the first week, the first thing I said was how relieved I was that things just seemed to "flow"together. Perhaps it is the understanding, child-centered approach used by my teaching team, but neither the teachers or the students were stressed during that first week. Though assessment deadlines were looming, these teachers made it their priority to establish a community of learners, rather than a group of guinea pigs. I have the biggest anxiety about teaching when it comes to time management and fitting everything in. What I discovered this week though, is that there are always little chunks of time in between scheduled activities were you can discuss behaviors or upcoming events. If the kids aren't getting something done in the time you allotted, you shift things around in the afternoon. Everything will get done. There is no need to create stress and tension for you and the students just because you're worried Johnny won't finish his sentences as quickly as the rest of the students. It will always get done.
Self-Labeling
Another strong indication of the commitment these teachers have to our students is that the kids label everything. As an inexperienced or type-A teacher, one might want to have everything labeled prior to the kids arriving on the first day of school. In some schools of thought, kids should arrive with their own labeled school supplies, have a locker to go to, a book box to call their own, and anything else that is to be customized, customized. In this house, however, not a single thing was labeled ahead of time. On the first day, students made their own locker tags, pick sticks, and name tents. Each day since, they have made something else their own. We've labeled notebooks and folders as well as students' book boxes. While I would probably be one to label all of this ahead of time, seeing how excited the kids are to create and draw and represent themselves has really changed my mind. We expect kids to maintain and take ownership of their school supplies, yet we put their names on it? We choose the font, the color, the format? The only rules we've had in terms of labeling is that the student's name is readable. So far, things have turned out really well. Besides, kid artwork is always cuter than anything made on the computer. :)
I have my first day of seminar tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be weird to miss three hours of time with my kids every week, but I am really excited to see my cohort again! I can't wait to hear all of the crazy stories everyone has.
Later gators!
Ms. T
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