surprise visitor tomorrow

We are having an extra special all-day visit tomorrow from Ms. J. I told them she is coming because they are the smartest Kindergartners in the whole city.

When a visitor came today, I told them the same thing. When I said, "you're practically famous," their eyes all lit up.

Five-year-olds are the best.

words

It's quiet time, and I just looked over at A with his head down, eyes closed, and realized how far we have come.

A couple of months ago every single day was a face-off. During quiet time, he would instantly begin to cry -- loudly. Eventually, I could get him to sit in his seat quietly, but he refused to close his eyes. If I asked him to close them he would scream and wake everyone up. I could never decide if it was better for me to get him to follow the rules, or to have quiet during quiet time. He had absolutely no skills for expressing what he needed or wanted, so he would simply cry all day long.

Today, someone upset him and he began to cry. All I had to say was, "use your words." He stopped crying and told me what had happened. I'm so proud of him.

Something that amazes me about teaching is how dynamic some of my relationships are with my kids. I need to supply constant care and growth in order to for them to remain positive. Sometimes my children need all of the support, scaffolding, love, and nurturing I can muster. Sometimes they need very little. For A, it's a hug first thing in the morning, a thumbs up at some point in the afternoon, and a little tough love.

9 day 9 leaf challenge

We have 9 leaves to go on our tree. Nine students who are close but have not mastered letter recognition. So, I offered them a challenge. If we can help each other get all of the leaves up on the tree in 9 days, I am going to give them 5 marbles for their prize cup. They're pumped and we even made up a dance. I think we can do it!

butter

Today for science we are making butter... like the pilgrims. Although as of last night I wasn't entirely sure that the pilgrims churned butter. What I do remember is that when I was in Kindergarten, Mrs. T let us shake cream to our hearts content. And that is exactly what we are going to do today.

I can't wait!

k under pressure

Pressure? This is kindergarten, the happy land of building blocks and singalongs. But increasingly in schools across Massachusetts and the United States, little children are being asked to perform academic tasks, including test taking, that early childhood researchers agree are developmentally inappropriate, even potentially damaging. If children don’t meet certain requirements, they are deemed “not proficient.” Frequently, children are screened for “kindergarten readiness” even before school begins, and some are labeled inadequate before they walk through the door.

-- Boston Globe