I lied...

Scratch the "not-as-exhausted" part of my last post.

I am truly, completely tired, and until today, had a pretty bleak outlook on how this year would turn out. I am still feeling more confident about asking questions, putting behaviour, speech and occupational therapy plans into place, and bombarding parents with calls, emails, etc. ANYTHING to keep communication going and for the kids to realize that parents/guardians and teachers are all on the same team.

Just the same, I almost cried on my fantastic vice-principal on Monday. Poor guy asks an innocent question like, "so, how was the day?" And gets a silly f'male (as Dad would say) blinking back, shaking her head and trying to keep down tears. This awesome fella asked me into his office and talked me through things (a runaway kid, high volume class, boundary testing and at-limits assistants and teachers) and brought up new perspectives that I was too selfish at that point to look at. It turns out he was right, and after a meeting this morning, I at least have a better understanding of one little guy's situation, and where it doesn't excuse certain behaviours, makes it much easier to realize that these are small outbursts compared to what this child is working through. I can't imagine being 4 or 5 years old and having some of the experiences that these children have had, and are 'thriving' in spite of.

The things that children in our world, country, provinces, communities and homes live through are incredible. Children have to be the most resilient human beings there are.

Many of these kids have no reason to understand emotions, or have any true reaction to care or love that they can understand or verbalize. Every child deserves to be cared for, respected and loved, and it makes me sick that there are SO many that aren't granted that basic necessity.

Sometimes the biggest thing we can do for these kids is offer consistency and and extra hug. This week I saw a vice-principal make a huge deal about a girl (grade 4 or 5) who showed up at school 4/5 days this week. She congratulated her, made sure she recognized that this was so tough for this little girl, gave her a hug and a promise that she would be right there at the door on Monday, expecting to see her face and hear about her weekend. The things that school employees do for kids consistently surprises me, and makes me so happy to be around people that truly care about kids and their lives. The lovely lady that works in my classroom was asked by the 2012-2013 graduating class to be their guest speaker, and couldn't get over that she was the one that they chose. I'm so glad that the students recognize how much certain people will give just to make sure of their success, as the people who work hardest often go unnoticed. This amazing person has been known to drive 1 1/2 hours just to buy an apple pie for a high school student who promised to show up at school for three weeks straight if there was a Costco apple pie waiting at the end for him. This might sound silly or that the student needs a swift kick and a talking-to in order to straighten up, but these are often the things that make the difference between that student putting in the time to graduate, and dropping out, and the stories that the public doesn't hear during labour/wage disputes (not that I am in any way willing to dispute a solid stance on either side at this point). In the end, totally worth the trip and cost, but can seem like a silly thing to endorse on the surface. There are some truly amazing people that work in the schools I am lucky enough to be in.

Now to switch the topic! Our senior girls had their first games of the season this past week, and while I am a very quiet, unconfident contributor to strategies during the game, I think I'm picky enough to make points on form, strength and motivations after the game, and so far, I feel I'm contributing a bit to the team and I'm not really getting in the way of the head coach of the team (he is much more vocal and focused on plays during games- which is a great balance). It has been very cool to see how body positions and efficiency can transfer from gymnastics to other sports, and also fun that I can keep having an active environment to look forward to. The girls have asked me if I would be interested in working out with them/running an extra workout on Monday nights after school, which will be a fun way to get more active myself (I get so unmotivated on the prairies, and miss mountains!) and get to know the girls. This, paired with the adult ballet class I'm taking, will at least guarantee a solid workout in addition to weekends. Tomorrow we have a home tournament that goes from about 8am-8pm (depending on how we do in games), so I'm hoping to get some paperwork done between games at least!

I think I'm typed-out for a Friday night, and my coyote friends are serenading me...I love living out here!

More about spaghetti squash, runaway kids and manners next time!

Thanks for reading!

2nd year, 2 classrooms, 2 classes, 2 times the fun!

Here we are again, except this time I'm feeling much more confident and much less exhausted than last year at this time. We have just finished our first week back to school with the kids (I've been back and setting up classrooms, meeting parents and kids and going to meetings for the past three weeks) and while I'm feeling a little tired, I'm also much more settled.

This year I am lucky enough to be renting a farmhouse outside of town, and is it ever nice to feel like I have a home again! As I mentioned in my last post, I am teaching at two different schools this year (about 10 km apart), half time at each. So far, so good. I can't say enough about having amazing people to work with in the room- at one school I have one lovely lady working in the room (so far) and am so happy to have her there again. We were together last year as well, and she is honestly the school superwoman, and regularly saves me from making huge mistakes, jumps in to clean up messes (usually made by me) and is always there to give a kiddo a hug or soothe a nervous parent. She has also become one of my closest friends here, and we look forward to the laughs that happen every day in Kindergarten.

This is a picture I colored and hung in our room for those Charlie Brown Days, remember?

In our class (at this point) we have 12 boys and 1 girl. I have replaced our carpet with wrestling mats, and it looks awesome. On our first day together we had some fun with some movement activities, a visit to the library (I wish I could put up pictures of these little guys in the cool 'reading glasses' that our awesome librarian has for the kids- hilarious!), and snack-making (fruit shish-kebabs). We also have some pretty polite little guys, as one little boy said, "excuse me Miss Kotlarz, may I get a kleenex so I don't pick it?"

I can't wait for the Miss Clark show to start on Monday...

In the other school I am sharing a classroom with another teacher, as this community is a little bigger and there are enough Kindo-gah-tens (as our VP says it) for two classes. I decided that as I have a classroom to myself at the other school, I would step back from decorating this one and let the other teacher make it her 'home base.' So far we have pretty different ways of doing things, but are working together just fine. I was really worried about the two ladies that work in the room with us, as they are there full time, and switch from my way of teaching to the other teacher's each day. That can be exhausting. We're trying really hard to get to know each other well enough that everyone feels comfortable enough to say when something isn't working out, or has a suggestion to make things run smoother. Again, I'm feeling so lucky to have these ladies to work with. They truly run the room and could do a fantastic job of it if I wasn't there. They have also worked with the lady that has done Kindergarten for the past 8 years in this school (who had everything worked out down to a science) and have been so helpful in reminding me if I'm missing something or needs attention. They're miracle workers!

This class is almost opposite my mostly-boys class, as we currently have 17 (soon to be 18+) kids, and consists of 12 girls and 5 boys. So far there are some big, lively personalities in this room, and a few that just need an extra hug once in a while. I was a little worried the first day as there were kids everywhere, asking when recess was, when home-time was, when we were having snack, gym and lunch...the entire day. I had chosen to forget that the fun part about starting Kindergarten is that often kids haven't been exposed to an environment where they are expected to listen quietly, sit still and raise their hand to speak...not that we can make it longer than 5 minutes by mid-year. It's our project for the month of September to learn these expected routines, get to know each other, and what we need to do when we are in the classroom. Our second day was much smoother and manageable already, so I think we'll get along fine.

I did discover this class' love for 'Jillian Jiggs, Maker of Wonderful, Marvelous Pigs' (Phoebe Gilman). On the inside back cover of this book there are instructions for how to make a stuffed pig out of nylons (I remember making these with my Mom and sister when we were younger), which the kids quickly picked up on and insisted we make sometime...SOON. There are some smart kiddos in this bunch. So, if anyone has a brilliant idea of how to make a Jillian Jiggs pig without sewing (I would like the kids to do as much of it themselves as possible), please pass it on to me! So far I'm thinking of knotting the end to close it up and make a tail, and using elastic bands for its' feet...

We had an eventful first week that ended with us having to cancel class for our boys on their second day to go to an 'Autism Speaks' workshop that should have been amazing. Unfortunately, it didn't include anything on Autism, and while we did get some interesting points from the regional OT on sensory children in the ten minutes she sat down with us, we felt that we had wasted the day, and would have much rather had Kindergarten. We will be back with the Miss Clark show on Monday to make up for it!

I am going to go enjoy my morning coffee in my sun-filled living room and do some reading and paperwork...have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

That's All Folks! You can go home now!

Again, I've been slacking on writing!

Maybe I'll be able to do a better job next year, when I'm back to teaching Kindergarten! I guess I didn't do too badly in my first year, as I've been offered a full time continuing contract (permanent job!). I'm feeling pretty fortunate, as the past few months weren't the smoothest, and I know I've learned some diplomacy this year and that honesty is truly valued, even when you don't have much negotiating power.

I found out last week that I will be teaching Kindergarten half-time in my current school, and half-time at another school, about 10 km from here. I have found a lovely house to rent, instead of living in the teacherage where windows fall out, smoke detectors go off randomly at night, and it sounds like people are walking around in your apartment. I'm really looking forward to having some space, gardens and a beautiful kitchen to work in. This year I haven't really felt like I had a home, so I'm hoping next year I will feel more settled and enjoy coming home at night.

On to the past few months:

Mother's Day tea was fun- we baked muffins and biscuits with the kids, which they served to their Moms, then had some time to read stories together.

Our Elementary assembly went really well- the kids recited three poems with actions that we had used throughout the year, so it was minimal preparation on our part!

I was able to get IPP meetings, report cards and awards done and approved in good time, and all I have left is a 'Professional Growth Plan' meeting with the Vice Principal to talk about whether I reached my goals this year or not.

Kindergrad was awesome! I had no idea how many people to expect, so set up food and powerpoint in the classroom (it was supposed to be an outdoor picnic, but of course, poured all afternoon!). Within 20 minutes our get together had stretched out into the hallway, filled the elementary end, and had to move everyone to the gym for awards. There were about 100 people that came, and we were missing about four kids! We were able to get a small gift for each child, and had a chance to tell a story about each one. Some of the Moms bought flowers for each kid to present to me as they received their own gift- it was very sweet. Felt like my own version of the Bachelor! The bouquet was massive and absolutely beautiful. It means so much to feel appreciated and a part of a community in that way.

My little guy who doesn't talk much promised me a hug that night- unfortunately he didn't come, and by the last day of school the moment had passed, but I did hear him yelling at the other kids while playing a game in the hallway on the last day! It's been so neat to see how comfortable he has gotten throughout the year.

The 15th was the last day for my Kindergarten kids, and as we wouldn't have a chance to celebrate Father's Day together, we took our last day to bake Maple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, make cards and invite Dads in for free play and a soccer game (wouldn't you know it- pouring again!) It was a really nice way to end the year. Plus, we did get some pretty amazing hugs, and huge laughs on our last day. The kids just weren't responding to getting settled in the last days and I didn't know what else to try one day, so began to read 'Jillian Jiggs' in a really terrible Russian-Italian accent. The kids were pretty rattled and kept calling out, "speak english!" until they figured out that I was in fact, still speaking english. This ended up turning into a full day of talking like Mario and Luigi with one little guy in my class, mostly about the length of our moustaches...very productive I know...the accent did get their attention for a little bit though!

I was missing the kids by the following Monday. Yeesh.

The rest of the school has class until the 28th, so it has been a week and a bit of cleaning, setting up plans for next year, finalizing paperwork and spending some time with staff in the staffroom during breaks finally! Last week I was thankfully busy with baking for some good friends' wedding, and was able to spend a day in the school kitchen (my oven in the teacherage was awful) happily crafting cupcakes and meringues! I may have snuck in a load or two of laundry too...I think this year I've lived more like a first year University student than I ever have, down to eating itchiban at least once a week. Just gross.

While cleaning yesterday, the ladies in my room decided to tackle the science/water table, where we had created our 'Clean Mud.' I had taken out as much as possible, but there was a lot still stuck and dried to the sides, which apparently turns a little toxic. Pretty soon there were three of us scraping down the sides of this thing, sneezing out clouds of white dust and laughing so hard we were on the floor. I've been threatened with a beating if I ever decide to use that particular lesson plan again.

One of the ladies was driving to school the other day, and stopped to let one of the kids cross the road. It was our little german boy who has an incredible talent for asking questions, and not stopping until he's satisfied. He recognized who it was, and came to the window to talk to her. He greeted her with,

"What happens to the Miss Clark show if there's no kids?"

(The Miss Clark show is a Monday-morning tradition started with the purpose of getting the kids to know all of the adults in the room, and has evolved into a full talk-show with special guests and events. We had family members show up at our doors on Monday morning just to see the show- it was fantastic!)

Well this little guy didn't give a chance for Shannon to answer and said, "I know! She'll drive in on the Kindergarten car, say 'th-th-that's ALL folks! You can go home now!' "

He's got it all figured out, and we got a good laugh out of it too.

Two last (favorite) memories before I sign off!

- One day my little Luigi friend (who hates cutting and coloring) was having a hard time settling in to his activity and was waving his scissors around. I asked him if he would like to come help me with a job in the photocopy room. As we walked down the hallway he looked up at me and said,

"Miss Kotlarz, can I ask you a question?"

Of course I said yes, and he replied with, "Can I hold your hand?"

"Sure!" So down the hall we went, holding hands.

Then he looked up one more time and said, "WHAT? It's not like we're DATING!"


- On the last day of school he held onto Kathy giving her a hug and said, "I'm never going to let you go, not EVER!"

We're sure going to miss these kiddos! We had a chance to meet the new little guys for next year, and boy do they look tiny in comparison! At this point there's only one girl, who has already proven that she will keep the boys in line...it's going to be a great year.

Thanks for reading!

Time Flies!

Time just passes faster and faster doesn’t it?

            I can’t believe it’s the end of April, and my kiddos only have about 20 days left. In that time we still have to pack in an assembly (each Elementary grade gets to lead an assembly, and May is all ours!), a final round of report cards and transition meetings for PUF students (this is where parents, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Behavior Consultants and teachers get together to plan how to best prepare the little guys for the next year). I’m also trying to plan a field trip to the dinosaur park, and a ‘Kindergrad’ evening for the kids and their parents/grandparents. I don’t think that Kindergarten kids need a big celebration, but a potluck and picnic and a special award for each child will be manageable and fun! I also have the regular day-to-day planning (especially with Mother’s and Father’s Day(s) coming up!), assessments and maintaining our sanity!

Some highlights from this week:

One of the kids’ aunts brought in a bucketful of these little peepers:

And this little guy made an appearance last month!

 So cute! This time, there were accidents on hands and floors…

            On Tuesday I got to substitute for the Grade 1 teacher at our school and boy was that a different class dynamic. There are only 13 kids, but they really make up for it in their boy:girl ratio! I think there are only about four girls.

            On Wednesday we had a good discussion about tattling and how telling someone a piece of information can be distorted very quickly (especially on the playground!) We read a ‘Rainbow Fish’ story, then played a game of ‘Telephone,’ where you sit in a circle and the first person whispers a message to the second, they pass on what they heard, etc. until it gets back to the beginning. The message has always changed, and it’s usually humorous. During our first game, my message of, “I like red cats,” changed to, “Happy Birthday.” Our little guy who is very quiet and rarely speaks to other students unless he’s playing ball with them willingly joined in and played, without any encouraging on my part at all! This was the first time he approached another child in the classroom in such a direct way- it’s really exciting to see how comfortable he is starting to get.

            Our second game of ‘Telephone’ ended up being even funnier when I began by whispering, “I love you, Stinky Face,” (the title of a book we had read, about a little boy who asks his mother if she would love him if he was a monster, a skunk, etc.) This message changed to something so obscure that the little girl who was last was embarrassed to say what it was, as if she thought it was inappropriate. After about five minutes of looking at me nervously, she whispered, “It was, ‘I like to woman it.’”

            Probably funnier at the time, but it was a strange turn of events! I also had a phone call from the Deputy Superintendent who offered me a full time position for next year, teaching Kindergarten in two places, or Grade 1. I have a week to decide, and a lot of things to consider! It’s nice to know that they would like me back next year.

            Today I got to join in the Grade 6 girls’ Health class as they were painting flowerpots for Mother’s Day. It’s nice to be in other teacher’s classrooms and to get to know other students a little better.

            One more thing: our newspaper article was printed! The local newspaper website is currently out of service, but if I can get it, I will post it!

            Tomorrow is ‘Nerd Day,’ not sure I’ll participate in that one, but we’ll see! It is also an assembly day, and ‘Stone Soup’ day! I’m excited to see how that turns out- each student in the school is invited to bring something to put in the soup, and the cooking class and teacher put together soups for the whole school. The Grade 1’s are coming to our class to read, “Stone Soup” with us in the morning too!

            Thanks for reading!  

Charlie Brown Days

            This week has been a mix of rain and snow so far, but at least it’s been warm enough that kids are outside for recesses and the snow isn’t sticking on the ground. I’ve been really appreciating that my classroom has an entire side full of windows (that open without falling out! My parents and friends have heard about my windows being blown out by prairie winds in the teacherage where I’m currently living). It has been so nice to have fresh air and some sunshine in the room, and to shut off the lights in the classroom, especially as our days get progressively louder when the little guys join us for the afternoons. Classrooms without fluorescent lighting seem so much calmer to me. It’s been nice to finally try out what I think will work set-up wise in a classroom this year. Many of the rooms I had been in before just had too much stuff for me! Some rooms during my practicum had artwork still stuck on the walls from years past, and posters put up just for the heck of it. I hate that. Less is more in a Kindergarten room in my mind, as the kids are so full of energy and easily distracted. Plus, who looks up near the ceiling (where most of my bulletin boards are placed)? So this year I’ve kept things as minimal as possible while designating space for the students’ work and some seasonal decorations. Luckily, we also have a boot-room attached to the classroom with three large bulletin boards on it, so I’ve kept one for extra student work, Curious George’s travel stories, pictures and adventures, and a parent board for information coming in, volunteer hours and important notes. We also have a bulletin board in the elementary end hallway that is updated with our latest projects.

            As I’ve mentioned before, my Dad found a beautiful book for me at Christmas called, “Old Billy’s Enchanted Valley.” The story and illustrations are done by a mouth painter, and while the story is a little complex for my kids so far, they really appreciate the artwork within, especially as five year olds usually aren’t all that practiced in controlling their own hand movements while drawing or painting. We did some mouth painting using shaving cream and dowels first to draw lines, shapes and our names (the kids really noticed how strong our mouths need to be to do this, and how tricky it is to manipulate something without having the help of our hands!) One of our centers this time around is set aside for kids to do mouth painting with actual paint- there haven’t been any wrong-end-of-paintbrush-in-mouth incidents yet! It’s neat to see what the kids can do, and there have been some really interesting connections made because of this project. This is what has been taking up our hallway bulletin board space for the past month or so, along with a quote I found by another mouth painter saying,

“Art is in the heart, art is in the mind, not in the hands.”

            In addition to thinking about and appreciating the challenges that others’ go through, we have been practicing some sign language (one of the Moms came in to teach us a few songs and greetings!) It was really interesting to see what the kids thought of this different ‘language.’ Many didn’t grasp what it meant to be deaf, and kept reverting to speaking, or trying to use a different verbal language to communicate.

            Today was a busy day for us, and I think I’m all played out! It’s the feeling the assistants and I have started to call a “Charlie Brown” day. You know how Charlie Brown sometimes ends up face down on the floor saying, “good grief!” THAT’s the kind of tired I am.  It was a good day though, full of laughs and a little loud for my liking, but we got a little done! We had a parent volunteer in for the whole day (I love parent volunteers!) It’s always nice to see the dynamic between parents and their kids, and for them to see what their kids are talking about when they come home at night! I do need to get better at designating tasks to people, but I’ll get there eventually. So far I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by people that put the kids first, and make their decisions based on them. It does feel like the adults in the room are a team now, as we’ve worked hard to get to know and trust each other, and there’s always someone to step in if you need a time-out! (I’ve had to take a few time-outs this year, though it’s usually from laughing too hard and needing to leave the room!)

            Today there was a constant flow of people in and out of the room. Kindergarten in Alberta sometimes includes ‘PUF’ students, or pre-kindergarten-aged kids who have been identified with a speech or developmental delay or need. As we are in a rural school that does not have a pre-school program, these little guys are in my class. The PUF program is funded differently than ‘school-aged’ public programs, and often the kids will qualify for a part or full-time aide, depending on their needs. As a result, there are four adults in my room or more at any given time. In addition to this, Speech and Language Pathologists and their assistants (three or four different people, as some of the kids are funded under PUF, and some under the K-12 public system), Occupational Therapists, Behavior Consultants and PUF Coordinators are constantly in and out of the room. This is apart from the normal Kindergarten visitors who check hearing, dental and immunizations. Today we not only had a parent in all day, but a SLP and an assistant, dental assistants in and out, and for a very short time, the principal who came in to observe. He only lasted about 4 minutes, and couldn’t understand how we could take so many people in and out all the time. So, it’s a Charlie Brown kind of day.

            Two funny stories to note before I sign off:

-       Today during snack time our parent volunteer started laughing really hard. One little girl turned around to show her ‘hula dancer’ chest made by two butter tarts…I don’t think I’ll look at those the same again! (Another time-out for me, though all of us should have left the room, even the SLP)

-       There’s one little boy who wears glasses, is very sweet, and very disorganized. He often needs some quiet space to finish his printing or crafts as he gets distracted so easily. Today I asked him to come finish his puppet that we did on Monday, and he chose to do it in the hallway. He cut out his puppet, glued on the stick, and started to skip back to the room. I asked him to put away the scissors, glue and recycling that he took out. He did this (or so I thought) and went out to recess. During the break I went to take something out of my bag and what did I see in the extra pair of shoes underneath my desk? A pair of scissors, a glue stick and wouldn’t you know it, the paper he had cut his puppet from…with his name printed on it. I had a good laugh, then when the kids came in from recess I began to tell the story of how I went to get my snack, but then saw that something had been left in my shoes! This little guy was completely enthralled in my story, and wasn’t connecting that my story was all his doing, until I said, “if you’re going to try to trick me, never leave a paper with your name written on it, J----!” Once he understood that I was talking about him he though he was pretty funny. Little nerd!

            On a final note, I was so excited that our quiet little guy actually communicated with the SLP today (who he had just met), and then played and joked with three other kids during free play. This is a huge step for him, and each time I see how comfortable he’s getting in the classroom environment, it makes me so glad that we didn’t push him to make progress faster.

            Charlie Brown out!

(Except this time I’ll pass out on my beauteous new quilt covered in daisies- thanks Mom! Xoxo)

Sports Day, Easter and Spring Break!

            Since my last post, Sports Day has come and gone! The day couldn’t have been better. All of the athletes arrived early, and deemed our falling-apart mats good enough to work with (though they smelled terrible!) Maintenance staff had also checked our ceiling hook-ups and told us they were safe enough for Pat to do his Cirque du Soleil straps routine on them.

            It was truly an incredible day. From Kindergarten to Grade 12, sports fanatics, to those who aren’t intrigued in the least, EVERYONE found something to be excited about, and EVERYONE tried something new. The athletes I asked to come are all ranked near the top in Canada, and some are the first to bring their sport to Western Canada (much less to a tiny town)! What I thought would be most interesting to the kids and staff is that all of the athletes are also University graduates, or close to it. Included in their accomplishments in sport, they brought new perspectives in Engineering, Business, Kinesiology, English, Math, Sciences and Nursing. I thought it would also be really important for students to realize that many people don’t have the opportunity to begin their sport until after high school, and that it’s never too late to try something new!

            All of the athletes are also very used to working with kids through coaching, something that everyone greatly appreciated! Our staff has also written an article that will be submitted to the regional newspaper and the ATA magazine!

            Easter came quickly, and it was fun to make bunny ears with the kids and plant mini eggs that miraculously grew lollipops by the next day! The Easter bunny also visited and left eggs filled with candy and play-dough for each child. It was especially nice that the Easter weekend led right into our spring break, so we had a few extra days to breathe and catch up!

            So here we are on the other side of spring break, one day down, and only 20 or so days left! The year has passed so quickly, and boy have I ever learned a lot!

            Thanks for reading!

On the Bonny, Bonny, Banks of Loch Lomond

On the Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond...

I have this song stuck in my head as the senior choir sang it today in a practice before their concert tomorrow. The Kindergarten kids willingly gave up some of their free play time to go listen to them sing. It always gets me how music affects people, even children. I’ve mentioned before how my most active, unsettled student is calmed and productive when listening to music. Many of the Mennonite kids are completely blown away by music too, and it’s always fun to watch them take it in. It’s amazing to see how many students in a small school are involved in something like choir (in just the senior group, about 30 students). Either way, it was absolutely beautiful music, and their pieces were all completely different- one more modern piece, the Scottish piece, and even an Italian song which the kids in my class loved.

On other topics, I have made it through the second round of report cards, and am about to get into parent teacher interviews on Wednesday. The kids are doing well (I think!) and it’s interesting to see how much they have matured in a short period of time. I think that’s what I love about working with little guys- they grow and develop so quickly- and they are always curious about the world. I tend to be drawn to physical development and movement based learning more than straight curriculum and concept based learning, so Kindergarten seems to be the place for me right now!  I’ve done a little more subbing lately, and quite honestly, I get bored in classrooms where the kids can focus for more than five minutes on their own.

For the next few weeks, we will be working on our math problem solving, printing (some of the kids in my class have beautiful printing already!) and enjoying the warm temperatures outside. Next week I am planning a Sports Day for the whole school, and am excited to see how that turns out. Our school picks one day per year to combine the kids so they work together for a day, and the teachers decided that my idea was good enough to use as our community-building day. Hopefully the athletes get here on time and we can set up enough equipment to have a busy, active day.

Some highlights of the past few weeks:

Finishing report cards! (And having very few mistakes to fix). Something others might not realize about report cards is that they take about half an hour per student- not including assessments, anecdotal notations done previously, etc. They have to be finished a week or two before they go to parents so that administration can read them, then back to the teacher to make changes again. Half an hour isn’t much, but it does add up with 23 kids.

The little guy in my class who didn’t speak much actually had a conversation with me last week- that was pretty huge. It must be so exciting when this happens with your own kids, though I can only imagine if I get this excited for a student in my class. Today he actually played with another student, and named about half the class.

The Kindergarten kids have manners! We have tried from the beginning of the year to make sure the kids know how to ask for help, and how to use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ on a regular basis. Today one of the kids was holding the door open for the others, and most of them thanked them by name as they walked through- without prompting! Another little guy asked me the other day if I could “please help” him zip up his jacket. Then he promptly told me that he was using, “wonderful manners, but I don’t have to use them at home.” I told him that his Mom might be very happy to hear his ‘wonderful manners’ too!

Today one of the assistants was getting the kids undressed after recess, and was trying to hurry as we were supposed to go listen to the choir. The three year old she was helping wasn’t able to get his snowpants off by himself (she had snugged them up tight before he went out!) so she had lifted him up a little and pulled on his snowpants. I turned around just to see his bare bum hanging out- his snowpants had also pulled off his pants and underpants on the way. He thought it was absolutely hilarious, and we thought it was a little funny too.

Oh the fun! This week we will be making some new dinosaur themed snacks (my way of planning a healthy snack for a picky kid- involve them in the planning and making the entire way!) and get to enjoy some time in the library, finger painting and 'clean mud.' More on that next time!

Thanks for reading!