They Answered My Question

I’ve become addicted to watching TED Talks lately. I’ve been addicted to reading Mamacita’s thoughts for over a year now.

Sir Ken Robinson answers a question, a pondering I had quite a while back, about whether or not public education today (with the drill and kill for state assessments) was squashing or killing students’ creativity. Mamacita addresses the same topic, in her blunt and brilliant way.

In his presentation (which is humorous and charming), Sir Ken reminds the audience that educators of young children should “educate their whole being.” Intelligence is “diverse, dynamic, and distinct,” and “creativity is as important as literacy.”

The clip is twenty minutes long- sit back, listen, think.

By the way, Mamacita (Scheiss Weekly) has moved- I’ll update my blogroll this weekend, but you can now find her here.

Thank you Sir Ken, thank you Mamacita.

Houston, We Have Lift-Off!

I’m ready, are you?

(Enjoy it, it’s the cleanest my desk will look all year!)

*****

A few more plants for the classroom, and I’ll be happy.

~Here’s a list of safe and poisonous plants to review before you purchase greenery for your classroom…  VERY important info since some kindergarten students are still *oral* when school starts, putting lots of non-food-items into their mouths.

*****

I’m baking Kissing Hands today- head over to Mrs. Fischer’s Kindergarten Theme page for  more ideas on how to use this special story on the first day of school!

*****

I hope you have a WONDERFUL start to the school year!

A Full Teacher Work Day Tomorrow

…and you know what *that* means! No meetings, no professional development, no inservice topics to discuss. My to-do list? A full page in my notebook. But it’s a small notebook. And I’ll have Dear Daughter to help. We…will…plow.

Tonight I’ll be making the Rolo/Pretzel/Pecan nummies, and tomorrow my house will be smelling delicious as I bake cookies, cookies, and more cookies for my colleagues’ Friday treat. When you’re new to the staff and can’t possibly learn the names of everyone in the school, I highly recommend taking in wonderful treats. It’s staff support, I tell you!

Don’t tell my grade level colleagues, but I’ll be making something for each of them this weekend! We are going to have a GREAT year!

*****

I need to make sure I have my “beginning of the year” kindergarten playlist loaded onto my iPod this weekend.  Songs to remember?  Shake My Sillies Out, The Wheels on the Bus, Five Little Monkeys, Purple People Eater, YMCA… and some Summer Solstice selections by Windham Hill for our “Brain Break” time.  Can’t forget Apples and Bananas (you *know* it’s a cool song if Keith Urban will sing it!):

*****

Tomorrow is Show and Share Thursday (hey, I didn’t forget this time!) so check back in for some updated photos of the classroom- school starts Monday, so we’re in the home stretch!

Need…More…Coffee

I’m ever-so-resistantly moving back to my school schedule.  In bed by nine(ish), up at five(ish), out the door by seven(ish), needing another cup of coffee by three(ish).  Problem is, if I drink coffee at three, I’ll be exhausted but unable to get to sleep at nine.

My toddler has been *so* helpful keeping me on my school schedule over the past two weekends as well.  He’s awake and rarin’ to go at five.   Not five(ish), FIVE.  Bouncing.  Running.  Yelling.  Happy, smiling, exuberant.  No coffee needed.  Not a chance of sleeping in for me.  I feel no guilt sending in the attack toddler to wake up Daddy and Sister at seven.  NONE.

*****

My husband took me to Lydia’s last night for our anniversary dinner.  Num, num, and MORE NUM!  He enjoyed the bottomless pasta (the servers had a much prettier sounding name for it) and I indulged with a perfectly cooked salmon steak on a bed of Yukon Gold potatoes and (get ready to catch my mother as she faints) green beans!  We had a piece of “Happy Anniversary” Tiramisu for dessert, and then attempted to burn off some calories walking through Barnes and Noble.

Finding the newest editions of Somerset’s Artful Blogging, Somerset Home, and Somerset Life in stock at B-and-N also helped burn off some of our delicious dinner: jumping up and down with glee is exercise, right?

*****

Yes, I’m heading back to my classroom today.  I managed to avoid it yesterday, though I did take the kids on a bit of a drive to find another teacher store out of town, and visited Goodwill to find a reading chair.  Two vests and three purses for the pretend center later, I found a sturdy yet comfortable chair.  I’ll be so happy when my class finally has that “all pulled together” look, ready for students with bright, shining eyes.

*****

Speaking of bright, shining eyes, get comfy, and watch this video of Benjamin Zander, speaking about classical music and life, and think about checking the connection you have with your students when you meet them for the first week of school:

I Miss Mr. Rogers

SpeakerSue shared this on her blog, but I had to share it here just for the sheer child advocacy of it all in regard to what our children see and think about when they watch television and movies today. Mr. Rogers is speaking before the Senate in this video, regarding funding for PBS, seven months before I was born:

Show and Share Thursday: We Made It!

Hello again! I’ve managed to get the computer unpacked, the desk and chair situated, and thanks to Time Warner Cable, have internet access once again. Just don’t look around the rest of the house. Really. You’ll get to see photos of the mess sometime this weekend, I promise, but for today, check out some scenery from the trip:

Here we are, moments before we hopped into the trucks (Dear Husband drove mine, with the kids, hauling the big trailer, while I drove his white Chevy, pulling the Harley, with the cat in her carrier on the seat next to me):

Driving out of Texas, in the morning before triple digit heat set in for the day (ooh, look at all of that lovely…BROWN…):

The first of two blown tires on the trailer (yes, I’ve gained a few more gray hairs thanks to driving behind my family, watching helplessly as tires smoke, shred, then pop):

A tire repair shop that for some strange reason, we had trouble finding at first:

A storm rolling in (the weather service put out a hazardous weather warning over the radio as we were driving, telling all to “take cover”):

Driving past some wind power on Day Two:

An ominous looking sky later in the day:

Stopping for lunch (no, not at Walmart, we just parked in their lot) before the big push “home:”

Me checking on Anni the cat:

She loved the air conditioning:

Look!  A patch of green:

…and another!

Honey, I don’t think we’re in Texas (or Oklahoma) anymore!

Where our adventure picks up:

**Spoiler alert: This is the photo I took BEFORE we were able to get inside.  Other than the patchy grass, we weren’t at all concerned…until…

…to be continued…

*****

Here are some quick links for you (I read through 1300+ blog posts on NetNewsWire yesterday!):

~PhotoJoJo has a Photo Chain idea that I’d like to try!  Anyone up for it?

~Cream Puffs in Venice just might lure me away from my usual stress relief food (peanut M-n-M’s) with this strawberry tart…

~I’m back to teaching in a few weeks, so with the hopes that parents who are still in the dark about NCLB and recent “school reforms” can better understand what is *really* going on, here’s Schools Matter, advocating for students and their teachers.

Sweeties, when we were in school, were we just taught the ITBS (or whatever version YOU took one time each spring) year ’round?  NO.  After watching Dear Daughter’s eighth grade curriculum material consistently being replaced by “test preparation” for the ENTIRE YEAR in Texas, I was appalled.  Remind me to show you the DOG TAGS (military style) necklace her school gave out as “rah rah’s” for the TAKS.  This military spouse, parent, and teacher hasn’t been amused for some time.

*****

I’m off to unpack some more boxes, but hope that all of you are enjoying a happy and sunny (yet not-too-hot) summer!

Blogging and Technology Reflection

I’ve caught myself in a state of self-reflection again, this time in regard to my presence out here on the web.

I’ve read the newest issue of Artful Blogging. For months now I’ve been enjoying my morning ritual of parking myself and my coffee in front of the computer to scroll through NetNewsWire. I’ve noticed the monthly blogging/commenting challenges that have popped up all over Blogsville this past week, and have wondered if I should join in or just keep my blogging activities to myself and my readers. I’m still confused as to why some of my subscriptions load reliably almost every day, while others get stockpiled in blog limbo and then flood my feed in one fell swoop after a month or so. It reminds me of my cell phone service here in the Bordertown. I miss calls, and messages get held for days, weeks sometimes, before hitting voicemail. Message after message, the callers’ tones seem to get testy, because they* JUST KNOW* I’m ignoring them and not returning their calls.

There goes that blind trust and over-reliance on technology again. Don’t trust the phone company or advances in voicemail technology, trust ME.

*****

From what I could gather during my job interview over the phone with my new employer (I’ll be back in Oz, this time at District #2), I’ll be working with a staff that is a bit different from the last three with whom I’ve taught. This is completely understandable to me because I’ve witnessed first-hand the diversity that exists in the United States each time Uncle Sam has relocated us, however it might still come as a surprise to those who assume school districts across our nation are actually nearing some state of standardization with one another.

During my interview I was asked about PLC’s and technology in particular, a question I’ve never been asked before. It’s a question I myself have asked prospective employers at each of my interviews here in the Bordertown, a question I received very awkward answers to, responses indicating that I was more familiar with current technology usage in education than the interviewing principals were. I was told by District #2 that my classroom would have at least three wireless laptops for my students to use, so no, I wouldn’t have to bring my outdated iMacs with me when I moved. For the first time, I was able to say “I have a blog” without worrying that the interviewer’s mental alarm bells were going off, imagining a site full of inappropriate photos and text of a wanna-be-web-celeb instead of a teacher/crafter/mother/military wife who was sharing recipes, craft ideas, family updates, and links to kindergarten-related themes. I’m guessing someone at District #2 has already Googled me…probably did it before ever dialing my number for the interview. I would if I were in his or her position.

*****

I know that time has continued to march on as my family and I relocate from state to state. When I left Alaska, my teaching experience was built over a decade’s worth of observations and paradigm shifts, most notably in regard to technological advances and their impact on school and society. I had to learn how to be responsible for an entire new iMac lab (not so new now!), and had to exercise caution because of what my students might encounter or see “out there,” *NOT* what they themselves might PUT out there. Teachers with their own web pages were testing the water for all of us, and must have felt the pressure of it. My usage of White Out decreased significantly when a computerized report card replaced the traditional hand-written one.

In New Mexico, the kindergarten curriculum included goals for computer technology, but my classroom was given rarely operational PC’s for the job because really, why would five year olds need computers? They’d just “play on them.” Many of my colleagues had never heard of or seen Living

Books before (another no-longer-”new” resource). Teachers emailed, or instant messaged one another, but other than professional communication and entering data for attendance records, computers were to be used for student assessment only via Accelerated Reader. During chats in the staff lounge, no one complained about their own childrens’ MySpace pages, and no one understood why I would want a dry erase, mobile magnetic white board in my room instead of the singular chalkboard I had. My son’s and daughter’s teachers didn’t assign web projects. My own students were taught how to use the overhead projector, c.d. player, computers, and scanner instead of just being parked in front of them during lessons. Report cards still had to be filled out by hand. DIBELS too, though the number crunching of scores took place at Central Office somewhere.

In Oz, District #1 seemed to focus on using technology primarily again for student assessment. Improved reading and math scores were the be-all-end-all goal, with lists of acceptable web resources and sites xeroxed off and distributed ad nauseum during most professional development seminars, while statewide assessment test “practice” took precedence over any other web activities or lessons that students might have normally been assigned. My old iMacs came in handy, as my students were never a priority for computer lab time when the assessment crunch was in full swing unless my colleague and I were prepping them for future first grade AR assessments. I’m guessing the proposal I helped to author for an additional portable/cart computer lab wouldn’t have created increased computer access for my kindergartners…it would have provided more test prep for additional (older) students. District email was handy, as were the attendance and report card programs though the kindergarten report card wasn’t aligned with state standards and didn’t provide enough narrative space for additional and essential info/documentation.

A younger group of teachers have MySpace pages, but several still don’t quite know that their just-out-of-college-weekend-partying photos that they regularly post on their public sites are still viewable by students, parents, and colleagues. Some post photos on their personal pages of not only themselves but their students as well, something as a parent and teacher I find highly inappropriate. Some colleagues have their own personal blogs, where they reflect on their teaching practices and philosophies, their frustrations and their goals. Many of their identities are kept private for good reasons, as professional retribution and/or public misunderstandings by parents and colleagues who might search the web for them would be unbearable and possibly even job-threatening.

District #2 sounds incredibly promising, pro-teacher and therefore pro-student.

*****

I’ll reflect more on why I blog at some later time, but I have to tell you, it’s because of blogging, reading, commenting, participating in discussions, and contributing to the sea of teaching perspectives out there that I’ve been able to continue my own professional development during my Stay-at-Home-Mom year. My professional learning community stretches around the world, crossing borders, philosophies, cultures and ages, and in many cases it includes my own personal tastes and interests apart from public education. A wiki on cross stitching, a MySpace group devoted to scrapbooking techniques, a subscription to a photographer’s blog overseas, my weekly download of the latest Oprah podcast for A New Earth, and my own contributions to blogs like In Practice aren’t threatening to me or my employer- they’ve been essential to expanding my connections with others, and with myself.

My next goal? Podcasting- reading my students’ favorite stories for them to access at school or at home. My voice, and the memory of face-to-face storytime can increase the personal connection with my students that promotes literacy better than any digital/cartoon character ever could.

*****

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to comment here for a chance to win the blue wreath tomorrow~

That Time of Year…Kindergarten Roundup (Repost)

**The following was originally posted by me at In Practice**

It’s that time of year for kindergarten teachers: planning to meet “next year’s” (August’s) kindergartners. After Easter and spring break, school districts nationwide hold their Kindergarten Roundups, encouraging enthusiastic parents and usually eager-yet-nervous children to start making their immunization, school shopping and pep talk plans in the hopes that the first day/week of kindergarten is emotionally survivable for all involved. I have to admit, I’ve never been able to keep the image of lassoing five-year-olds-that-yes-have-made-the-cut-off-date out of my mind during spring registration, and in fact, several of my former administrators have even suggested that my colleagues and I “troll for kids that look old enough” as we drive through the school’s neighborhoods before work each morning. Each administrator has wanted our numbers to be as close to accurate as we can have them before school staff sizes are re-evaluated over the summer due to increases or decreases in enrollment- very understandable.

Teaching in schools with larger student and family populations that fall within lower socio-economic levels means that I have had my share of hosting kindergarten “sneak peeks” involving myself, my students, future students, and their preschool or Head Start teachers, and not the students’ parents. Typically, preschool teachers contact me and my colleagues in advance, asking us to look at calendar dates to find a morning or two when they can bring their students over to see what kindergarten is all about. They ask to sit in on storytime, centers, and participate in snack and possibly recess. I of course, give my Super Stars the heads up that younger visitors will be spending time with us during the week, and each year we inevitably agree that we should do what we can to help them feel comfortable during their stay.

Three or four students per preschool teacher arrive for their sneak peek, usually wide-eyed, and not at all reluctant. I purposely revisit old standby stories such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See or Green Eggs and Ham for storytime, and my Super Stars teach their guests the motions to our fingerplays, “Two Little Sausages,” “Once There Lived a Quiet Mouse,” and songs like Shake My Sillies Out. The preschoolers visit the learning centers they are most interested in, and can tour the classroom and its materials on their own, with a friend, or with one of their teachers. Painting, playing with blocks, dressing up in the pretend center, counting/sorting/classifying with math manipulatives, pounding and rolling clay, putting puzzles together, working on the computer, playing musical instruments, or quietly looking at books…are some of the activities that I will watch my future students exploring during their visit. *

Why am I watching instead of putting myself front and center, vying for their attention? For one, I might not be their teacher in August. Two, I feel it’s important that the children make this transition successfully in their own way(s) and in their own time. It’s not important that students *like me* when they first meet me, it’s important that they feel welcome, and that they feel safe. And finally, yes… I’m taking mental notes, sometimes scribbling thoughts and observations down about each of the children as they familiarize themselves with their future environment.

~Does the child wear glasses? Hearing aids? Appear to have physical limitations that differ from his/her peers? What is the child’s size, and how does s/he use physical space? Does the child squint, or say “huh” or ask for directions to be repeated again?
~ I listen to them speak…is there an accent? Is the child bi-lingual? Is only English spoken in the home? Does the child speak English at all? Understand it without speaking it? Are there pronunciation issues separate from language comprehension and expression? Regardless of oral language, does the child prefer to use sign language of some sort, gestures, to communicate rather than speaking?
~ Does the child interact with others? Others of the same gender? Opposite gender? Does the student only demonstrate parallel play? Does the child recognize and choose to acknowledge and cooperate with transitions?
~ Is the child passive or aggressive? How about passively aggressive (that one usually takes time to observe once the new school year has started, unless parents, a previous teacher or daycare provider tells me in advance)? Allergic to anything?
~ Is the student a watcher or a do-er? A little of both? How long does it take him/her to come out of a comfortable shell?
~ Is the student aware of his/her own needs and wants, and is s/he capable and willing to be in control of belongings, potty issues, and sharing resources? Does the student ask for help?
~ Left handed? Right handed? Ambidextrous? Knows how to cut, hold a pencil or crayon, and move objects and materials from hand to hand smoothly?
~ How does the child move? Running? Jumping? Climbing? Walking, skipping? Does s/he have good balance?
~ Does the student appear well nourished, clean, wearing clothes that fit? Does s/he appear well rested? Is the child lethargic, or a bundle of excess energy?
~ Does the child like to complete one task before moving on to another, or does s/he flit and float, moving between activities and projects, dabbling a little bit here, a little bit there?
~ Are hands and kleenexes used when the child sneezes, or are sneezes wide open and shared with the classroom? Does the child still put objects like toys, pencils, crayons, rulers, scissors in his/her mouth?
~ I also listen to our guests, what I call “professional eavesdropping.” Do my students shout out “Hey, we have that book at our house!” Do they question what paint or clay is? I can learn a lot about my future students’ prior schema just by listening in on their stories and interactions while they’re in my room.

Colleagues at each of the schools I’ve worked have asked me if I can tell with just one visit which students have had prior exposure to a school-type setting or structured learning environment, if I can tell which students have been read to nightly at home, which students have experienced hands-on learning, which students have made mudpies with real dirt and water and which have only made them by drawing or painting them with a computer program.

Yep. I can. While I hope that Kindergarten Roundup leaves each preschooler with a good feeling and anticipation about the upcoming kindergarten experience, it gives *me* my own sneak peek, providing me with vital information that I feel better about having long before the DIBELS test booklets arrive in the building in the fall. Recognizing and appreciating the wondrous diversity, strengths, needs, and potential that each new class represents makes essential relationship-building happen more smoothly and naturally for our youngest learners.

Welcome to kindergarten! Bienvenido!

* Yes, some schools include preliminary formal assessments for incoming kindergarten students during Roundup . I’ve worked at one that did, and two that did not. My own preference is to refrain from putting barely-five-year-olds through additional performance stress on a day that should be about discovery, bravery, inspiration, anticipation, and belonging. Of course, that’s just me.

Transition Time

Before becoming an Army Wife, images of herding large groups of five year olds to and from centers, art lessons, the gym, lunch, and recess were the only ones that popped into my mind when I heard the term “transition time.” After receiving the latest version of our latest orders (military families will understand that one), I’m preparing for my family’s next move. It requires us to get back into the all-too-familiar yet not-at-all-convenient preparation mode, and it lasts for months.

Our “transition time” involves evaluating every personal belonging…is it a needful thing, or a wantful thing? Then sorting, yard saling, donating… We do enjoy knowing that we help each local Goodwill or Salvation Army with our clothing, bedding, and household items before we move, and yes, having a weight limit on our household items certainly does keep packrattiness at bay. But it’s a PAIN. This will be our fourth move in five years. Our first move was from Alaska to New Mexico done in two trips as my husband had to report to duty six months before the family finished up the school year. Our next move was to be back to Alaska, only Uncle Sam decided we’d take the scenic route through Kansas first. After one year in Oz, Uncle Sam decided my husband needed to see the desert firsthand while the kids and I stayed in Tornado-ville. Upon his return, we were told we were moving to the Bordertown, for a one-year-only stay. We arrived over the fourth of July weekend last year, and more than likely, we’ll be leaving over the fourth of July weekend *this* year.

*IF* our orders hold, we’ll be returning to Oz, though a different post, two hours away from friends we made during our first assignment. I’d appreciate any good thoughts and positive energy in regard to getting hired- a year off at home with the toddler has been terrific, but I’ve got that itch to teach more children and be surrounded by kindergarten magic again. I’ve peeked at the websites of the school districts in the area we’ll be living, and I’ve been pleased to find phrases like “developmentally appropriate practice” used regularly to describe the teaching methods used by kindergarten and primary teachers. Hopefully they’re not all whistling Dixie for PR purposes while really inflicting NCLB atrocities upon children behind closed doors.

Future possible employers, I’ll be bringing a classrooms’ worth of materials, manipulatives, books, and even computers with me, though my most effective and important resource is my appreciation of children, how they think, how they learn, and how they share. Hire me. I make good cookies too, just ask my previous three employers! Yes, oh yes, GOOD cookies are important, very important- just ask any teacher sitting through yet another staff meeting, redundant professional development seminar, or lunch time in the teachers’ lounge on that last crazy day before winter break. Cookies…good.

Who knows, by August, perhaps this blog will return to its original kindergarten focus- just another transition.

********************************************************************

While digging up my “flagged” list on NetNewsWire to share with you, it registered to me: once we’re on the road again this summer, it will probably be a few weeks before MY computer arrives, is hooked up, and I’m back online. I will have a TON of reading to do! It seems I’ll have to scale back my subscriptions- yet one more sorting chore before the movers arrive (see how my mind has already started with the listmaking?!?!?)

***************************************************************

Moving right along:

~The Secret Recipe Blog has come up with yet another recipe for me to try, though I think I’ll have to save it for chillier months: Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf

~Cakespy cracked me up with its Interview with a Cadbury Creme Egg, apropos, no?

~Inspireco is making me rethink paper mache techniques with these beautiful “Surprise Eggs…”

~Dr. Jim Horn over at Schools Matter has been sharing, posting, and sharing some more… interesting stuff for parents and teachers alike that we should all really be aware of NOW, not later. Time to get fired up, think, put aside our lethargy and social exhaustion, and solve these problems:

Higher Teacher Pay: How To Kill a Great Idea

Opting out of Testing

Exterminating Public Schools

~And thanks to Ireland’s Eye, I have more than enough recipes for Monday’s St. Patrick’s Day meal!

(Illustration by Jennifer E. Morris)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Read It Read It Read It Read It!

Jim Horn at Schools Matter discusses Testing and the Death of Play, quoting a Morning Edition Story on NPR:

“Guess what? Play is required for the healthy development of children. Imagine that.”

“It turns out that all that time spent playing make-believe actually helped children develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Executive function has a number of different elements, but a central one is the ability to self-regulate. Kids with good self-regulation are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.”

Parents, teachers, administrators, “behavior specialists,” this is a *must read*.

Go.

Now.

Here.

Next Page →