Search results matching tags 'classroom management' and 'team teaching'

Noticed.

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:18:29 GMT

Last Thursday, I had to leave class for a few hours for a meeting. While I was gone, they made some super cute scarecrowsusing different colored shapes. Each child cut out their shapes and then put the scarecrow together. Finally, they added some real hay to finish the scarecrows off. At the end of the [...]

Tunnel Tag.

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:31:35 GMT

Two days of rain. Two days of inside recess. One of those days with no special. I’m convinced Mother Nature is a cruel, evil, spiteful lady… Of course, with no recess and no place to take the class, by the end of the day Friday, things were looking grim. To be clear, in our class [...]

No matter what.

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:56:53 GMT

As I reflect on this last challenging week, I can’t help but feel hesitantly triumphant. Life is about overcoming challenges and this year, my class is, well, difficult to say the least. As teachers, we are constantly reassessing our craft, changing and molding to meet the needs of our sprouts, but sometimes, you feel like the toolbox [...]

Puppets.

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:19:12 GMT

I love me some puppets. For whatever reason, they transfix the kids and I just love making them come to life. With the rowdy group of boys this year, puppets are helping tame the wild beasts during important listening times. My first friend, Eddie the Eagle (yes, I named him) has a critical role. When [...]

Brains.

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:38:04 GMT

Oh, I love the innocence of kindergartners. On the first day, when you tell them how excited mom and dad will be to see their picture and one of them shouts out, “No, my dad’s in jail!” you just have to smile. Yesterday, after asking a question and calling on a little girl (really, they [...]

Breathe.

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:19:20 GMT

Day three and things are getting better… slowly. I seriously forget how challenging the first few days (weeks, months?) can be. So many of my new friends have no pre-school or daycare experience and they truly have landed on a new planet. Everyday brings improvements and weekends bring an opportunity to catch up on sleep! [...]

Day One.

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:18:23 GMT

Day One. Captain’s Log entry. Stardate 65167.5 (9.1.2011). The natives are strange. Somehow, this year, there is a disproportionate amount of males. The males of the species known as ‘kindergartners’ are usually less developed than their female counterparts. Working with my co-pilot, together we have twenty males. Twenty. Being a male myself I understand where [...]

Fall Preview.

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:39:01 GMT

Well, all of the major networks are rolling out their Fall lineups, trying to get folks excited about the new and returning shows (for my personal taste, a little less reality and little more comedy), so I figure, why not me as well. I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve and I love giving [...]

Evelyn and Jason.

Anonymous — Sun, 15 May 2011 11:06:00 GMT

We all know the drill. The sprouts with the highest academic and behavior needs get the higher percentage of our attention… day in and day out. Is it fair? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles and there’s not much you can do about it.

Lucky for me, with a team teaching situation this year, I’m finding I can give more attention to all children, regardless of academic or behavior concerns. No doubt, those ‘squeaky wheels’ always get a little more regard, but those ‘rocks’ as I like to call them (rocks as in, ‘like a rock’ sturdy and steady, I don’t have to worry about them too much) get more than usual.

Two of my sprouts who fit into that category this year are Evelyn and Jason. Both are quiet, respectful, and academically strong. It’s easy to see how each could get lost in the shuffle, but having two teachers has allowed them more one on one and ‘small moment’ time.

As long as I teach, I’ll never forget hearing Evelyn’s mother tell me at last summer’s open house, “She doesn’t really like men.” Yikes. Good thing my teaching partner is a woman. Funny thing is, turns out Evelyn just hadn’t met the right guy yet… me. Surely she was slower to warm up to my charms, but eventually, in her own time, she allowed me to show her the kindness she deserved.

Last week, Evelyn presented me with the following:

“Thank you,” I said.

“I think you’re sweet too,” I finished as she smiled at me. She offered a rare and cherished hug.

Jason too is a quiet boy who, unlike most boys in kindergarten, rarely acts silly or needs to be reigned in. If I never said, ‘Jason, thank you for sitting politely and being ready to learn,’ the poor boy would barely ever hear his name. While other boys seek me out for hugs and handholding (yes, the boys crave them), Jason would always stay back, preferring to offer a smile instead.

About two weeks ago, Jason came up to me during Quiet Time and asked if he could have a hug. Naturally, I obliged, but I was surprised by his request. After our hug, as he pulled back, I said, “Thank you for such a nice hug.”

Since then, he’s begun asking for hugs every day. I’m not sure what exactly prompted that first hug request, but as with most things hug related, I don’t question it, I just take my hugs as they come… and they are plentiful.

This year, Evelyn and Jason have taught me an important lesson. While the squeaky wheel usually gets the grease, silence is golden and deserves to be noticed, rewarded, and hugged.

Etiquette.

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:24:00 GMT

With two teachers and double the number of kids, walking in line in the hallway has become an art form. Usually one of us takes the front and the other the back. It works well because between the two of us, we can see almost the entire line.

Today, as I waited to take my place at the end of our line to head out for recess, the kids walked by waving, smiling, and hugging me.

Martin walked out of his place in line, approached me and said, “Mr. _______, can I take your hand and walk with you, please and thank you.”

What? ‘Please and thank you’? Really? This was something new… and for one of the few times in my day, I was speechless for a moment.

“Um, sure Martin,” I replied.

I mean really, how could I argue with such etiquette?

He reached up took my hand and we walked out.

I looked down at him and he said, “You said ‘yes’ because I’m so nice, right?”

“Partly… also because you asked so politely,” I answered.

With that we headed outside to play.