Elbow, knees, dreams

a blog about preschool, public schools, and what it's really like to be a teacher

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Open House night

I am in pajamas as I type this, and while I am exhausted, it’s more of a good/content tired than a frantic/despairing tired. The room was, after all, ready in time, and it looked great. A few colleagues, including one I hadn’t seen since May, came by Read More...

things I would like to tell my students’ parents (but won’t)

Could you please check your child’s backpack weekly, if you can’t manage daily? Do you remember back in October when we met at your parent conference and I asked you politely to keep checking your child’s backpack? It makes me sad when I see your child’s Read More...

zip, zoom, hello, goodbye

Two of my new students are now gone, just like that. To be honest, my life is easier without them, but still. ARGH. Why would you put your child in a preschool class for a month, and then pull him/her out without even saying goodbye? One family pulled Read More...

April is late, too: musings on my failures

I haven’t posted much lately. I think it’s because usually my posts about my year and my class tell a story, and this year, the narrative keeps getting botched up. Three years in a row I had an awesome class. Last year’s bunch mostly had two parents at Read More...

yank your kid out of school and other thoughts on problem-solving skills

Yesterday our bus driver, an immigrant man who is great with the kids and delightful to talk to each day, reported that on Thursday, when he got to my new student’s stop, there was no one there to collect him. The bus driver waited for ten minutes until Read More...

a difficult Valentine’s day

One of my friends came to school yesterday, limping heavily. She explained, “I was bad, so Daddy punched me in the leg.” My assistant teacher, who was the one who greeted our friend off the bus, said later that she nearly threw up, right then and there. Read More...

I have a daddy but my daddy hates us

Today was our first day learning about our February theme, Families. We talked about different people who are in a family — mommies (I said, “some families have a mommy, but not all”) and daddies (I said the same thing), and sisters, and babies, and brothers, Read More...

bad guys busting through the windows

I’ve got a new friend in my class. He is very much like one of my other boys, in appearance, behavior, curiosity, and temperament. However, the original boy has a really stable home life, considering that he was once homeless. The new boy….maybe not. Read More...

the boy who doesn’t know how to play with blocks

One of my developmentally delayed sweethearts is a little boy who knows all the letters, and a lot of sounds. He knows numbers, colors, shapes, and that sort of thing. It’s obvious that he has difficulty with verbal communication — he will repeat what Read More...

free boots and mittens fall out of the sky

During morning meeting today, the phone rang, and it was for me. My Americorps volunteer took over with the class, while I talked to a woman from a non-profit organization. I applied for a grant there earlier in the fall, for bus money and outdoor clothing Read More...

take a few steps forward, take a few steps backward

I haven’t named any of my students so far this year, with the exception of Little One with her large personality, so it is high time. I will start telling tales about this year’s class, and will name them all after colors. When I arrived this morning, Read More...

an insult to preschool teachers (and working mothers) everywhere

I like the fashion blog She’s Still Got It , so I visit it at Cafe Mom fairly regularly. While there this morning, I stumbled upon this article: “ 6 Lies Parents Tell Themselves About Preschool ,” by Amy Reiter . Here’s what she had to say, prompted by Read More...

forcing a leftie to write with her right hand

I have a girl in my class whose parents are from an Asian country (although I’m not really sure if Dad is still in the picture). Her mother, who has limited English, brings her to class each morning and stands over her as she signs in, making her use Read More...

now that was a margarita day if I ever had one

Yesterday was even more difficult than I had expected. I got to work early, but it still wasn’t early enough to get everything done before the big meeting. The meeting was actually quite productive; Mom showed up, with Little One in tow, and Mom was very Read More...

my back to school list

I need to get to school soon, to give the school secretary a letter from me to send out to my new students’ families. I used to request school supplies (Crayola crayons and markers, pencils, Elmer’s glue, glue sticks, tissues, etc.) but I ended up with Read More...
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