First week of first grade is over! And what a crazy week it was. A quick rundown...
* Every day was something! Tuesday was their first day back after two snow days, Wednesday they had a performance, Thursday was Valentine's Day, Friday was the day before vacation.
* I got to visit my kinders a few times -- this leads to hug attacks. Golly, I miss them!
* I have learned that my favourite grades are kindergarten and third grade. As my father said, I come by that naturally; those are my mom's favourite grades too!
* By comparison, first graders are huge and independent. But, I'm growing to love them.
* I have awesome connections to a bunch of them. I had one girl's younger brother in preschool; one girl has sisters who I taught in kindergarten and second grade; another is the younger brother of one of my second graders; two are the children of professors at my college. Small world!
* Next week I will be teaching phonics and hopefully start leading morning meeting.
* Either I have a horrible cold or I am allergic to toxins in the school building. I'll know for sure the week after break, I guess!
* Mrs. V and I are discussing moving up my lead teaching by a week so that instead of having the weeks before and after vacation, I would have the two weeks before and then an easy last week. We'll see how I feel mid-March!
Stay tuned for more :)
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Currently reading: Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Sidney Charney
Current high: vacationnnnnnn
Current low: still recovering from my cold/flu/allergies
Monday, February 18, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Ms. H circa 1998
"1. Have you ever secretly read under your desk in school because the teacher was boring and you were dying to finish the book you were reading?
2. Have you been scolded for reading at the dinner table?
3. Have you ever read secretly under the covers after being told to go to bed?
My students and I agree that if a child answers yes to all three questions, he or she is destined to become a reader for life." (Esquith, 33).
Well, Mr. Esquith, this young woman pursuing a goal of reading 50 books this year must agree with you :)
Also, note to self -- e-mail school librarian and ask for recommendations of second/third grade appropriate literature to start checking out!
**********
Currently reading: Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith
Current high: FINALLY SCHOOL TOMORROW
Current low: only a little more time to read tonight :P
2. Have you been scolded for reading at the dinner table?
3. Have you ever read secretly under the covers after being told to go to bed?
My students and I agree that if a child answers yes to all three questions, he or she is destined to become a reader for life." (Esquith, 33).
Well, Mr. Esquith, this young woman pursuing a goal of reading 50 books this year must agree with you :)
Also, note to self -- e-mail school librarian and ask for recommendations of second/third grade appropriate literature to start checking out!
**********
Currently reading: Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith
Current high: FINALLY SCHOOL TOMORROW
Current low: only a little more time to read tonight :P
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Book Review: What Teachers Make
Golly, I have been a reading machine this weekend! Although my pace is somewhat helped by the fact that I finished my 1,000-page novel and moved onto 200-page nonfiction ;)
I first learned about Taylor Mali this summer during a professional development lunch led by one of my favourite educators, DS. He showed us a video of Mali's now-famous poem "What Teachers Make" which truly made me tear up. The poem has become part of Mali's New Teacher Project, in which he tries to recruit college students to change their major to education because of him.
I've looked forward to reading this book for quite some time, but I was well and truly hooked when Mali asserted that "the most important work to be done in education is with the youngest possible kids, the ones in primary school and pre-primary" (27). So many books and articles I have read for my methods classes have had grand ideas for activities, strategies, and so on, which sounded amazing...but not at all applicable to my work with students between pre-K and third grade. While Mali's own work has been in secondary education, I appreciated his acknowledgment of the hard work of primary educators.
This book was filled with amusing anecdotes, poignant stories, sage advice, and inspiration for new teachers, veteran educators, parents, policymakers...everyone who believes in children. It's another very quick read, and I encourage you to read it.
**********
Currently reading: Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith
Current high: a blissfully free Sunday, the likes of which I have not seen in weeks!
Current low: I honestly can't think of one...
I first learned about Taylor Mali this summer during a professional development lunch led by one of my favourite educators, DS. He showed us a video of Mali's now-famous poem "What Teachers Make" which truly made me tear up. The poem has become part of Mali's New Teacher Project, in which he tries to recruit college students to change their major to education because of him.
I've looked forward to reading this book for quite some time, but I was well and truly hooked when Mali asserted that "the most important work to be done in education is with the youngest possible kids, the ones in primary school and pre-primary" (27). So many books and articles I have read for my methods classes have had grand ideas for activities, strategies, and so on, which sounded amazing...but not at all applicable to my work with students between pre-K and third grade. While Mali's own work has been in secondary education, I appreciated his acknowledgment of the hard work of primary educators.
This book was filled with amusing anecdotes, poignant stories, sage advice, and inspiration for new teachers, veteran educators, parents, policymakers...everyone who believes in children. It's another very quick read, and I encourage you to read it.
**********
Currently reading: Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith
Current high: a blissfully free Sunday, the likes of which I have not seen in weeks!
Current low: I honestly can't think of one...
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Book Review: Educating Esme
On Thursday evening, I started reading Educating Esme. Thanks to a snow day yesterday leaving me plenty of spare time, I finished it this morning.
I really loved this book. Codell writes with enthusiasm, passion, honesty, intelligence, and wit. Having a window into the life of another beginning teacher was brilliant. I rarely highlight in books that I read for pleasure, but as phrases resonated with me or she presented ideas I hope to try in my own classrooms, I couldn't resist.
I used her mentor Ismene's words to fuel my weekly practicum journaling as I reflected on lessons that did not go as planned this week. I thought back to Esme's ideas and lessons as I wrote out discussion points for our assigned reading from Understanding By Design. She inspired me to think big, think creatively, write down my hopes and dreams of teaching and then remember to read them. (Speaking of which, this blog may soon link to a Google site so I have somewhere to maintain documents like that...stay tuned. Winter break project?)
Educating Esme was a quick and delightful read, and I would encourage any new or veteran teacher to take a look at Codell's irreverent and unconventional classroom -- which, in my opinion, more classrooms should look like.
(Man, this reading 20 minutes every night shtick is working for me! Love it! Thanks for the idea CB <3)
**********
Currently reading: What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali
Current high: beautiful snow, everywhere!
Current low: the beautiful snow has cancelled my meeting with my future employer for tomorrow :(
I really loved this book. Codell writes with enthusiasm, passion, honesty, intelligence, and wit. Having a window into the life of another beginning teacher was brilliant. I rarely highlight in books that I read for pleasure, but as phrases resonated with me or she presented ideas I hope to try in my own classrooms, I couldn't resist.
I used her mentor Ismene's words to fuel my weekly practicum journaling as I reflected on lessons that did not go as planned this week. I thought back to Esme's ideas and lessons as I wrote out discussion points for our assigned reading from Understanding By Design. She inspired me to think big, think creatively, write down my hopes and dreams of teaching and then remember to read them. (Speaking of which, this blog may soon link to a Google site so I have somewhere to maintain documents like that...stay tuned. Winter break project?)
Educating Esme was a quick and delightful read, and I would encourage any new or veteran teacher to take a look at Codell's irreverent and unconventional classroom -- which, in my opinion, more classrooms should look like.
(Man, this reading 20 minutes every night shtick is working for me! Love it! Thanks for the idea CB <3)
**********
Currently reading: What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali
Current high: beautiful snow, everywhere!
Current low: the beautiful snow has cancelled my meeting with my future employer for tomorrow :(
Friday, February 8, 2013
On the ninth day...
My dad called this morning to wish me a happy snow day :) We reminisced about spending my elementary snow days skiing on the local mountain after the roads had been cleared. He also mentioned seeing this story in the teacher's room back in the public school where he worked and I attended for first through seventh grade...I looked it up and loved it, so I thought I'd share!
Where Teachers Came From:
On the seventh day, God rested. Not so much to recuperate, but rather to prepare himself for the work he was going to do the eighth day.
For it was on the eighth day that God created the teacher. God made the teacher more durable than other men and women.
The teacher could arise at a very early hour and to go to bed far past normal bedtimes with no rest in between. The teacher could withstand being locked up in an airtight room with 27 little cherubs on a rainy Monday. And the teacher had to be fit to prepare semester grade reports over Christmas vacation.
Yes, God made the teacher tough - but gentle too. The teacher was equipped with soft hands to wipe away the tears of the neglected and lonely student...of the nine-year-old girl who was not asked to the sleepover...or the first grader whose daddy moved away.
And into the teacher God poured a generous amount of patience. Patience when a student asks to repeat the directions the teacher has just repeated for someone else. Patience when the kids forget her lunch money for the fourth day in a row. Patience when 1/3 of the class fails the test. Patience when the text books haven't arrived yet, and the school year starts tomorrow.
And God gave the teacher a heart bigger than the average human heart. For the teacher's heart had to be big enough to love the kid who screams, "I hate this class," and to love the kid who runs out of the room at the end of the day without so much as a goodbye or a thank you.
And lastly, God gave the teacher an abundant supply of hope. For God knew that the teacher would always be hoping. Hoping that the students would one day learn to write...hoping not to have lunchroom duty...hoping to eventually catch up...hoping for wisdom to do all things well.
When God finished creating the teacher, he stepped back and admired the work of his hands. And God saw that the teacher was good.
And God smiled, for when he looked at the teacher he saw into the future. He knew that the future is in hands of the teachers, and they were prepared for the challenge.
And because God loves teachers so much, on the 9th day God created SNOW DAYS.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
"Ms. H, what do you do on a snow day?"
Greetings, readers! This question was posed to me in my first week in kindergarten as we had a writing exercise in which students wrote, "On a snow day, I like to..." Tomorrow will in fact be a snow day, which I am happy/sad about. I am sad because I feel as if I have been robbed of my last day with my kindergarten peanuts! I will transition as planned to first grade with Mrs. V on Monday. BUT, I'm happy for the time off. On this snow day, Ms. H will...
* Read, read, read! For class and for pleasure :)
* Attend a board meeting for her theatre org
* Hold a rehearsal with her cast that she would have otherwise missed
* Update her PPA to include all that she accomplished in kindergarten
* Probably sleep in (a whole extra hour to 8:30, woo!) and watch TV
* Drink tons of tea to ease her sore throat (hold out until February break!)
In other news, my supported lead day went fairly well! The morning was quite smooth until jobs time. I taught a mini-lesson on tricky letters which was really fun, then our first job was "magic c mystery letters." Children received a sheet with several rows of lower-case c characters. Their job was to trace the C, then follow my instructions to make a new letter -- a, d, g, o, or q. HELLO DISASTER. Getting 21 kids to follow an instruction like this all at once proved nightmarish. We wound up only doing 28 of them, then leaving the last line blank, which freaked a bunch of kids out. Then the second job was a worksheet very unlike anything they had done before. I was so stressed about time that I did a poor job of explaining it. It was chaos! We didn't even think about the other two jobs. But as Mrs. M said as the kids left for lunch, "Welcome to my world...changing plans on the fly." So, it seems that I coped well.
We spent lunch in the classroom, wolfing down the occasional bite of food and frantically prepping for 100th day and our Chinese New Year party. During lunch, Mrs. V popped in and told us a snow day had been called...so we proceeded to prep for Monday plans instead! While the kids were in PE, the Chinese food we ordered should have been delivered...but we waited and waited to no avail. When the kids returned and we were still food-less, I waited in the office with the money in hand. 35 minutes late, the delivery guy rushed in! He had been pulled over, so he gave us the food for free :) We ate veggie fried rice, drank apple juice, practiced picking up pom poms with chopsticks, and then went on a dragon parade. TOO CUTE.
The day wound down with Mrs. M running reading groups and me squeezing in a last few assessments. As I said goodbye to my kiddos, I failed to remember it was my last day with them! But fortunately I'll be able to visit, and Mrs. M said they'll be thrilled when they see me around school :) Onward and upward, I suppose. Trying to mentally switch gears to prepare for what I know will be an entirely different world. I leave kindergarten surprised at how much I loved it...who knows what this might mean for my future career?
Speaking of career, I will (hopefully, weather allowing) be meeting with my future employer from Korea on Sunday. Hoping to hear a little more about how and when they do grade level placements -- I'm gunning for half-time in second and third grade classrooms, but I'm open to anything!
**********
Currently reading: NOT GEORGE R. R. MARTIN! I finished last night, just started Educating Esme today
Current high: a really fun, productive, and challenging choir rehearsal
Current low: no more kinders, it's really hitting me hard!
* Read, read, read! For class and for pleasure :)
* Attend a board meeting for her theatre org
* Hold a rehearsal with her cast that she would have otherwise missed
* Update her PPA to include all that she accomplished in kindergarten
* Probably sleep in (a whole extra hour to 8:30, woo!) and watch TV
* Drink tons of tea to ease her sore throat (hold out until February break!)
In other news, my supported lead day went fairly well! The morning was quite smooth until jobs time. I taught a mini-lesson on tricky letters which was really fun, then our first job was "magic c mystery letters." Children received a sheet with several rows of lower-case c characters. Their job was to trace the C, then follow my instructions to make a new letter -- a, d, g, o, or q. HELLO DISASTER. Getting 21 kids to follow an instruction like this all at once proved nightmarish. We wound up only doing 28 of them, then leaving the last line blank, which freaked a bunch of kids out. Then the second job was a worksheet very unlike anything they had done before. I was so stressed about time that I did a poor job of explaining it. It was chaos! We didn't even think about the other two jobs. But as Mrs. M said as the kids left for lunch, "Welcome to my world...changing plans on the fly." So, it seems that I coped well.
We spent lunch in the classroom, wolfing down the occasional bite of food and frantically prepping for 100th day and our Chinese New Year party. During lunch, Mrs. V popped in and told us a snow day had been called...so we proceeded to prep for Monday plans instead! While the kids were in PE, the Chinese food we ordered should have been delivered...but we waited and waited to no avail. When the kids returned and we were still food-less, I waited in the office with the money in hand. 35 minutes late, the delivery guy rushed in! He had been pulled over, so he gave us the food for free :) We ate veggie fried rice, drank apple juice, practiced picking up pom poms with chopsticks, and then went on a dragon parade. TOO CUTE.
The day wound down with Mrs. M running reading groups and me squeezing in a last few assessments. As I said goodbye to my kiddos, I failed to remember it was my last day with them! But fortunately I'll be able to visit, and Mrs. M said they'll be thrilled when they see me around school :) Onward and upward, I suppose. Trying to mentally switch gears to prepare for what I know will be an entirely different world. I leave kindergarten surprised at how much I loved it...who knows what this might mean for my future career?
Speaking of career, I will (hopefully, weather allowing) be meeting with my future employer from Korea on Sunday. Hoping to hear a little more about how and when they do grade level placements -- I'm gunning for half-time in second and third grade classrooms, but I'm open to anything!
**********
Currently reading: NOT GEORGE R. R. MARTIN! I finished last night, just started Educating Esme today
Current high: a really fun, productive, and challenging choir rehearsal
Current low: no more kinders, it's really hitting me hard!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Lead Teaching Lite
Well, tomorrow's the day...Mrs. M has elected to give me a full day of supported lead teaching! Typically in the short three-week kindergarten placement, it is only expected that student teachers will run portions of a day. However, Mrs. M felt that I needed an opportunity to try managing all the transitions and moving parts at once! I so appreciate her immense faith in me to let me take over after so little time, but I am daunted by trying to manage everything for a full day.
For supported lead teaching, Mrs. M will be in the classroom for the entire day and will jump in as necessary for additional management, reminders, etc. But did she elect to give me a normal day? HAH. No. Tomorrow...
* A student who has been out of school for the last 2.5 months returns
* We practice our brand new Korean greetings and counting
* Instead of message at morning meeting, we're doing a guided writing exercise
* The class does not have a rest period
* We celebrate Chinese New Year with fried rice, chopstick games, goody bags, and a dragon parade
* Is the 99th day of school, so kids will be hyped up about the 100th day party
* May be the last day before the weekend given an impending snowpocalypse on Friday
Hoo boy! I guess it's sink or swim :)
In other news, it really just hit me this afternoon that I only have two more days with my kindergarten babies, which breaks my heart! I'll only be upstairs, so I will be able to visit during my prep periods and such, but I am going to be so sad to leave these little people who I have gotten to know so well during the last 2.5 weeks. First grade will be such a different world...but I know in my heart that I will grow to love Mrs. V's class just as much.
Well, busy day tomorrow. Time to jump into my bedtime routine and get plenty of sleep to keep up with those kiddos!
**********
Currently reading: Still George R. R. Martin and UBD
Current high: Georgian music in choir
Current low: possible snow day Friday???
For supported lead teaching, Mrs. M will be in the classroom for the entire day and will jump in as necessary for additional management, reminders, etc. But did she elect to give me a normal day? HAH. No. Tomorrow...
* A student who has been out of school for the last 2.5 months returns
* We practice our brand new Korean greetings and counting
* Instead of message at morning meeting, we're doing a guided writing exercise
* The class does not have a rest period
* We celebrate Chinese New Year with fried rice, chopstick games, goody bags, and a dragon parade
* Is the 99th day of school, so kids will be hyped up about the 100th day party
* May be the last day before the weekend given an impending snowpocalypse on Friday
Hoo boy! I guess it's sink or swim :)
In other news, it really just hit me this afternoon that I only have two more days with my kindergarten babies, which breaks my heart! I'll only be upstairs, so I will be able to visit during my prep periods and such, but I am going to be so sad to leave these little people who I have gotten to know so well during the last 2.5 weeks. First grade will be such a different world...but I know in my heart that I will grow to love Mrs. V's class just as much.
Well, busy day tomorrow. Time to jump into my bedtime routine and get plenty of sleep to keep up with those kiddos!
**********
Currently reading: Still George R. R. Martin and UBD
Current high: Georgian music in choir
Current low: possible snow day Friday???
Monday, February 4, 2013
No News is Good News
Hello, readers! I apologize for the dearth of posts lately. I've been busy and tired, but so so good. My kids make me so happy, and when I am at school I feel like I am in my element. I have been taking everything Mrs. M throws at me and running with it. She's decided to give me a day of supported lead teaching on Thursday -- eek/yay! A non-exhaustive list of what I've done so far in kindergarten...
The social aspect of student teaching has been tough; I had been warned that the practicum semester can feel isolating, and it has. I've had run-ins with multiple friends over the last two weeks, and I am struggling to feel involved in my own social life. A few friends are doing a very good job at keeping an eye on me thought -- props to EE, SC, CB, and SO.
In other news, I cast my play and am thrilled with the group. I am daunted by putting this project together so quickly, but excited to work with such a talented group of actors.
Hopefully more soon!
**********
Currently reading: So close to being done, my friends. Also reading Understanding By Design!
Current high: Talked to my mom for an hour tonight :)
Current low: Didn't get too much work done after seminar...and now almost bedtime.
- supervised 1-2 tables (4-10 children) during jobs for 8 days
- designed and led math instruction for 5 days
- read-alouds 4 times
- led morning meeting 6 days
- designed and implemented small group shoe tie lessons
- ran dramatic play puppet-making center
- completed DIBELS (reading assessment) on nearly all students
- taught Second Step (anti-bullying program) twice
- found and instructed addition/subtraction computer games
I had my first informal observation today during morning meeting, which went incredibly well. During my midway meeting with Mrs. M and Mrs V, they both raved about me -- I was embarrassed and awed by how highly these two incredible teachers spoke of and valued me.
The social aspect of student teaching has been tough; I had been warned that the practicum semester can feel isolating, and it has. I've had run-ins with multiple friends over the last two weeks, and I am struggling to feel involved in my own social life. A few friends are doing a very good job at keeping an eye on me thought -- props to EE, SC, CB, and SO.
In other news, I cast my play and am thrilled with the group. I am daunted by putting this project together so quickly, but excited to work with such a talented group of actors.
Hopefully more soon!
**********
Currently reading: So close to being done, my friends. Also reading Understanding By Design!
Current high: Talked to my mom for an hour tonight :)
Current low: Didn't get too much work done after seminar...and now almost bedtime.
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