Time To Say Goodbye

As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, today was a very emotional day.  First and foremost, all of the Village School students performed at the second annual dance show, Dolphins Like To Move It!  My third graders did an AMAZING job and I was (and am) simply bursting with pride.  Seriously, check out their sweet moves here.  I also had a great time collaborating with our school's dance teacher on making the show happen this week.

Just look at my sweet tiny darlings.  How cute are they???

But all that excitement and pride was tempered with bittersweet sadness.  Unlike in the American school system, the Korean school year starts in March.  This means that our big season for student withdrawals is...well, right now.  Today we had to say goodbye to two third graders:  one from 3A (the class I worked with first trimester) and one from 3B (my current class).  We celebrated these transitioning students with gifts, cards, snacks, and promises that this isn't goodbye - it's just see you later.  BK from 3B was devastated to be leaving; we've seen a lot of tears from him this week, which was just so hard to watch.  My co-teacher and I gave him all the reassurance we could.  He is such a sweet and sensitive boy, and I know he'll make wonderful new friends and be remarkably successful.  We've promised to share the results of our upcoming science experiments with him on Edmodo (like Facebook for classrooms).

I got to give BK one last hug before he went home at the end of the day, and was worried I wouldn't catch my 3A kiddo, KL.  As luck would have it, as I rushed out to catch the bus after my parent meeting, there he was!  I got a big hug and a promise to keep in touch.  He was such a lively, spirited, funny kid - a real presence in the classroom and the school.

I hate goodbyes.  (To be fair, I don't think there's anyone who really likes them.  But you'd think given how much and how far I've moved in my lifetime, I'd at least be a little better at them.)  I spent the bus ride home crafting emails to both children, expressing my sadness to see them go, my positive vision for their future, and my hope that they will email me from time to time and visit whenever they can.  My heart was overflowing as I typed out my good wishes for them, but it never felt like quite enough.  I only hope that they - and all of my students - understand how deeply I care for them, no matter how far they go or how long it's been.  I truly believe that as a teacher, my greatest strength (and sometimes my fatal flaw) is how much I love my kids.  I am so incredibly invested in each and every child's success and well-being and happiness, and I will do everything in my power to try and help them toward a good life.

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Currently reading:  The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson - who will visit CI next week!

Current high:  my kids' dance performance, I seriously couldn't stop grinning my face off

Current low:  not knowing when I'll see those munchkins again :(

Drama, Drama, Drama

...but don't worry, only in the theatrical sense ;)

I realized it had been a bit of a while since I posted!  Things are getting super busy here at CI, here's what Ms. H has been up to...

• I had been working with a group of seven grade 4 students who wrote plays on staging and rehearsing them.  After a crazy final week of gathering props, creating backdrops, and rehearsing on the big stage, they put on a show for most of the Village School on Valentine's Day!  Check out the final product here.  It's certainly not perfect, and we all learned a lot.  Their teacher has suggested he may have them write one more play before the year is out - this time with a few long scenes instead of so many short ones!
• You may recall way back in the beginning of the year when I talked about House.  In January, they decided to switch up some of the House activities, and added one called Theatre Sports.  As the resident Village School thespian, I was tapped to plan and implement these activities.  The challenge?  Finding and leading a competitive theatre activity that will engage 40 - 80 students for 45 minutes.  I had my first session with one of our largest grade levels, grade 2, on Friday.  Giving instruction was difficult to be sure, but they had fun, and the teachers offered their compliments on the way out!  Stay tuned for video to come the next time I lead the activities!
• Kindergarten is gearing up for a full-grade theatre production in May.  I've been doing some technical advising about the easiest ways to have students create backdrops that don't have to be hung (yay for projections!) and collaborating on doing some simple readers' theatre with small groups.
• Since our school does not have an elementary drama program this year, I have no supplies for my program next year!  It's purchasing season, so I spent several evenings trolling online sites for resource books, props, wigs, hats, and decor.
• Grade 1 is also working on a drama unit right now - so much theatre happening!  I'm guest teaching a lesson on what feelings look like in our faces and bodies tomorrow.  This is probably my favourite grade to teach, so I'm pretty stoked :)
• Our school has a student visiting for two months who is getting her BA in Contemporary Performance Studies, and she has a particular interest in how drama increases confidence for ELL students.  I cannot tell you how many people met her, then came to me and told me that we just had to be introduced!  She helped out with our grade 4 group, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with her.
• On Thursday evening, I'm jetting off to Singapore!  The wonderful Ms. W helped me get school funding to attend a PYP workshop on encouraging children's creative instincts in the classroom.  I am so excited to get some more guidance on how to build an inquiry-based, student-centred drama program for my kids...and catch a few rays!
• After flying back from Singapore overnight on Sunday, I'll kick off Monday morning with rehearsals for the VS dance show the following weekend.  That should be an interesting week...!

And of course, it's not all drama.  We've also got some regular old grade 3 stuff :)

• For our change unit, we have resumed science lab!  So far we have planted bean sprouts and watered them with different liquids (except none of them have sprouted...uh oh, Ms. H has a black thumb); tried dissolving various liquids in water; and chosen several liquids to freeze.  This week we'll be experimenting with heat instead of cold - either microwaving or burning materials.
• My co-teacher was out for two days over the last week and a half, so Ms. H was flying solo.  We did some fun stuff, and the kids and I are comfortable enough together that it doesn't feel much like subbing.  We are reaching that point in the year when they might be a little too comfortable in the classroom, so they're all starting to push a little bit.  The end of the week was a struggle, but we have high hopes for next week.
• I've started researching Masters programs to begin this fall.  Currently debating Instructional Technology and TESOL - advice on which might be more beneficial is more than welcome!

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love to be busy.  Good thing - I adore the chaos of my dramatic life :)

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Currently reading:  Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Current high:  brunch with a friend this morning followed by a very productive afternoon!
Current low:  lacking in cooking inspiration :-/

A Change is Gonna Come

Today in 3B, we kicked off our unit on change.

The central idea:  Change is inevitable and happening all around us.
The provocation:  Spend an afternoon modeling an old-fashioned classroom.

Today, my students walked up to the classroom after art class, giggling and goofing around like they usually do, expecting to walk in, be welcomed by Ms. Hudkins, and prepare for mindfulness.  Instead, they were greeted at the door by a stern Ms. Hudkins.  "Please walk in silently, find your seat, and wait quietly for the lesson to begin."

The children entered to find their classroom transformed.  The desks that usually sit in clusters of 4 or 5 were in neat rows, each with a cursive name tag.  They were seated in alphabetical order.  There was no writing on the whiteboard.  A desk for the teacher was moved to the front of the classroom.  They even observed a few changes I made to my own appearance:  hair pulled back, pencil skirt, and heels.  It didn't take long for them to figure out I was serious - anytime sometime talked or whispered to a friend about their surprise, I loudly reminded them that silence was expected inside the classroom.

Then, the lesson began.  I explained that we would be learning cursive writing today.  Each child would practice writing her or his own name, then move on to a series of worksheets in increasing complexity.  I instructed them to raise their hand if they needed anything or finished their work.  They were to work in complete silence.  While they worked, I sat at my desk, grading papers with a red pen and getting up to address students' questions.  If students stood up to blow their nose or get a pencil without permission, they were asked to return to their seats and raise their hands.

After about 35 minutes of silent practice, I had a student collect the worksheets while I began drilling times tables.  We went in order around the classroom from 1x1 to 10x10.  Having finished that, I couldn't handle it anymore, and broke into a smile.  I explained that I had made some changes for the afternoon to help introduce our new unit, and it was time to discuss.  Before I introduced discussion questions, several people burst out with "You were scary!"  One student even told me that he thought Ms. Hudkins had been kidnapped and replaced by an alien or a robot.  I apologized for scaring them, and told them it was really hard for me to be "Mean Ms. Hudkins!"

In pairs and then as a whole group, students discussed the changes they noticed in the classroom, why they thought the changes were made, and whether they liked them.  They made some fantastic observations about the lesson, the classroom, the expected behavior, and so on.  Many of them hated it, but several children did note that it was easier for them to focus on their work in that atmosphere.  The students correctly concluded that this lesson was an example of how classrooms used to be, and it was intended to help them experience change.

Finally, I answered several questions they had.  They included:
"Are we going to keep learning cursive writing?"
"Can we keep the name tags?"
"Where did you put the books that used to be in front of the classroom?"
"Did Mr. Harnish [my co-teacher, who was absent today] know you were going to do this?"
And, my personal favourite, "How did you keep a strict face for so long?"

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Currently reading:  Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Current high:  off to celebrate a friend's birthday tonight!
Current low:  super sleepy, coming back from vacation is kicking my butt

What A Difference A Year Makes

Well, folks, today is my birthday :) Another year older and none the wiser!  With my birthday so close to New Year's, I find that I am often still reflecting on how much has changed in the past year.  In my last 365 days, I have:

• completed my student teaching semester
• acted as student speaker at Baccalaureate
• graduated from college
• visited more than half of the US states on my third cross-country road trip
• become a licensed teacher
• moved to a foreign country
• begun making a living with the arts
• received a job promotion
• traveled to four countries

That's a remarkable amount of change to undergo in just one year.  It's been a challenging and incredibly exciting year of my life, and I can't wait to see what the next one will hold.

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Currently reading:  still The Warmth of Other Suns and Aimless Love
Current high:  great start to birthday celebrations last night, and more to come tonight :)
Current low:  no lows allowed on birthdays!

Just Showing Up

If you've talked to me about teaching and education for more than five minutes, you've probably heard me mention my parents.  As the daughter of two educators, a lot of my beliefs and philosophies have been inspired by them, then solidified as I put them into practice or saw them in action.

One such belief came from my father, who is (among many other things) a high school advisor.  For the ten or so years he's been in that role, on many evenings and weekends I would hear him say that he needed to stop by this wrestling tournament or go hear that orchestra concert or attend someone's arangetram.  To build meaningful relationships with students - especially in such an intimate role, where he works with a group of less than ten students from freshman year to graduation day - takes effort.  You have to know your students, and they have to know you care.

Over the last two weeks, our school's instrumental music program has been putting on a series of recitals showcasing private lessons students.  Maybe a dozen third grade students, plus a handful of others I know from teaching drama or babysitting, were performing over the course of seven recitals.  As part of my responsibilities in the theatre department, I worked four of them.  Before Tuesday's, one of my students finished a final rehearsal and bounded off the stage to where I was sitting with a tech theatre student.

"Hi Ms. H!  Can you come to my recital tonight?" he asked me excitedly.  I was so happy to be able to tell him that I was absolutely staying, and the grin on his face made three extra hours after school worthwhile.  He played brilliantly - a far better pianist than I was at his age, and an emerging cellist.  Three other grade 3 boys performed in the same recital, and I was so happy to be there to give them a high five after their performance.

As Woody Allen said, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up."  I'm not sure that's entirely true, especially for teaching - we've got a lot of other work to do.  But I truly think it makes all the difference to see a child in school and be able to congratulate them on that great assist in the soccer game or their impressive figure skating routine.

Do teachers already have too much on their plates?  Absolutely.  And with a class of 21, is it unreasonable to expect myself to be at every single child's special events?  Definitely.  But when I can, I am so proud to support my students and single them out for their unique talents.  Those are the things they'll remember us for.

Back row:  a pianist, a cellist, and a drummer
Front row: the aforementioned pianist/cellist.
Love my amazing third graders!

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Currently reading:  The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Aimless Love by Billy Collins
Current high:  my birthday weekend is almost upon us, shortly followed by a trip to Abu Dhabi!  Plus already scheming for a trip next year with my two best friends...
Current low:  an email from a student who is VERY nervous about performing tomorrow - but I'm so glad she reached out

To Thine Own Self Be True

Well folks, I am thrilled to announce that I will be making a change next year.  Grace H, intern-no-more, has accepted a position as the Village School drama specialist!  I will continue working in the theatre part-time, but half my hours will be spent teaching drama in my own classroom.  I will work weekly with pre-K and kinder throughout the year, and on a rotating basis each trimester with grades 1 through 5.  I am so excited to develop an entire program, create and implement a new curriculum, collaborate with classroom teachers, and coordinate with the middle/upper school drama teacher.  Truly a dream come true :)

As I have mentioned previously, our current unit in grade 3 is focused on self-expression, and my co-teacher and I are focusing on drama.  We have had so much fun playing drama games, analyzing short films and clips from stage productions, and guiding our students through putting on their own reader's theatre plays.  Every time we tell our class it's time for drama, they cheer excitedly.  As Mr. H said to me yesterday as they whooped with joy, "Clearly we're doing something right!"  The idea that I get to spend my days next year sharing my passion with students and hopefully inspiring them to love theatre - just like I have been these past few weeks - is the greatest thing I could ask for.

Since I recognize how unique it is that our school has a dedicated drama specialist, stay tuned for tips for homeroom teachers on incorporating drama into the classroom!

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Currently reading:  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and B by Sarah Kay
Current high:  wonderful dinner with friends last night, delicious Thai food delivery tonight, and babysitting my favourite kiddos tomorrow night
Current low:  battling a headache since lunchtime...I'll be calling it an early night

Kid Quotes Collection, part I

You know what they say...kids say the darnedest things!  Here's a collection of the craziest, silliest, funniest things I've overheard from my third graders and middle schoolers in South Korea in 2013.  Happy new year, more to come :)

Third grader:  Ms. H, you're too short to be a teacher!

Middle schooler in response to teachers joking that the kids should take our trays back:  Teachers are like babies.  They need us to take care of them.

Third grader:  Ms. H, are you married?

Me:  Nope!

Third grader:  Pffft.

Third grader [sniffing my sleeve]:  You smell like Ms. H.  And my grandma.

Middle school student to a group of friends:  You're taking selfies without me?!

In response to another third grader who told me to be a witch for Halloween:  Yeah, you look like you should be a witch!

Third grader:  My teacher last year was X.

Me:  Aw, she's so nice!

Third grader:  Yeah, but sometimes kids don't listen when you're too nice.  I like you better.

Me:  ...are you saying I'm mean?!

Third grader:  My best question [for my research project]...what does the fox say?  (Side note:  he was researching the solar system.  Sigh.)

Director:  I got pizza for you guys for snack, but no Coke!  I don't believe in Coke.
Middle schooler:  Pizza with no Coke?!

Third grader:  I want to be in space!  But the food is not yummy.

Third grader:  Ms. H, did you get your hair cut?
Me:  Yes!  Do you like it?
Third grader:  No.

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Currently reading:  The Book Thief
Current high:  catch-up dinner with a dear friend tonight
Current low: likely to crash around 2pm today...uh oh