From time to time, I’ve written about Ms. C. – the amazing Ray of Sunshine (Ed Tech) who peppers herself into my room from time to time, but I’ve never really given her the starring role in a post she deserves. When I first met Ms. C. last summer on the first day of school, [...]

This is our last week before Spring Break… it’s never easy when vacation looms, but this week is extra hard for me… two of my favorite ladies are going to be heading out for maternity leave. I know, I know, bringing babies into the world is serious business, but I don’t mind saying I’m being [...]

Today, as we walked outside for recess, Lorenzo, our line leader, whispered, “Mrs. ______ can I tell you something?”  Yes, he still calls me ‘Mrs.’ and it hasn’t gotten to me yet. Now, we’re supposed to be silent in the hallways.  It’s not an easy feat for kindergartners.  Dare I say, it can be impossible, [...]

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 ...

Yesterday was our kindergarten graduation. Always a bittersweet day, here some highlights. There's not much cuter than new dresses and new dress shirts on kindergartners. Practicing our songs in the morning, a certain kindergarten teacher had a mini panic attack when the entire class forgot the second verse of 'Rags' - a song we've sung all ...

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 ...

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 ...

This morning, as I was driving into work after eleven days away (our winter break plus a few tacked on days for snow), I had a revelation. As I was driving up a steep hill, something hit me… the sun. It was rising over a mountain and splashed across my face. I wasn’t driving to work in the dark anymore and somehow I knew this was a fantastic ...

Today I received the following email from a fellow kindergarten teacher: This past week, I've become more and more frustrated with myself and the students over the dreaded, ''talking.'' My lessons are teacher guided but always student driven. Therefore, I take great pride in knowing each of my students interest and I tailor our lessons ...

Often, during our Quite Time, kids come up to have a shoe tied, offer a hug, or whisper something. Our rules are simple and clear – no talking. We use lots of sign language in our room, and kids are allowed to sign to each other or even us. Today, during our rest time, David walked up to me and began waving his arms. We always play some ...