I can’t remember when I couldn’t read. I’ve always defined myself as a reader. Books are where I go to relax, seek solace, laugh, or just escape. My reading goes through phases - mystery, chick-lit, romance, biography, religion, self-help, and sometimes specific authors. For the last year I’ve been obsessed with Jane Austen. Well I must confess, my obsession is really with Mr. Darcy. I read Pride and Prejudice over and over, never tiring of the story. Yes, I read all those other novels too - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, and the versions told from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. I enjoy them, but my first love will always be Pride and Prejudice.
I have the best job in the world. Teaching Kindergarten allows me to share what I love most - reading - with students. I act out Tacky the Penguin and have students help me read Green Eggs and Ham. We read nursery rhymes and silly poems together. We read simple texts and point to our words with alien fingers. Planning, organizing, and creating activities that guide children on the path to literacy are challenges I relish.
The last two years I have been blessed with classes where the majority of my students began Kindergarten ready to learn. The path to literacy lay at their feet. My job was simply to help them on their journey.
Yes, I’ve always had those few students who’s journey was more difficult, but we kept moving forward albeit at a slower pace. This year is very different. While intellectually I know the path of literacy begins long before students enter my classroom, this year it feels like I’m herding a whole bunch of them to the starting line. A few of them keep wandering away, not quite understanding why we are there.
Yes, I know we’ve only been in school for a month, but experience (and data) tells me this will be the most challenging class I have ever taught.
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