Hedging the loaded question (not really)

I teach at a charter school so parents drop off and pick up their children at school - there are no big yellow buses going through our driveway.  Most of my Kindergarten parents opt to park and wait for us on the sidewalk, rather than drive through the carline.  As I dismiss students to their parents, I try to have something positive to say at least once a week:

 "J___ drew an amazing picture today."
 "M___ read a book all by himself!"
"A____ had a much better day today!"
"What a funny story about your trip L_____ shared today."

These simple little comments make a big difference for two reasons.  One, I have learned that parents crave information about how their children are doing in school.  Honestly, I learned that because I'm a mom, too.  I love to hear my children's teachers say wonderful things about my boys.  It tells me - this teacher sees my child in class.  I want parents to know -  yes, I see your child in my classroom.  My second reason is that these little interactions establish a rapport between myself and the parents.  When conferences come around, I'm not sitting across the table from unfamiliar faces.  I have established an initial relationships with these parents and we can work together.  Research shows that success in school is a joint venture between teacher, parents, and students.  I can't do it alone.

My problem is when I hear the loaded, "How is K_____ really doing in class?" from a parent whose child is seriously struggling.  It's one thing if they've contacted me to set up a meeting and we're sitting in the privacy of my classroom when they ask.  It's a whole other can of worms when they ask as I'm walking my students outside for dismissal (or during a classroom celebration).  It's interesting, but the parents of the kids who are doing fine never put me on the spot like this.  I can't lie and say, "Oh, K_____ is doing great in class," when K______ still doesn't know any letter names after a month of school.  The diplomatic thing to say is, "Let's set up a time to discuss how K___ is doing in class," but parents always seem to know I'm just hedging and that it means their child is not doing well.

I'm always open to meeting with parents and discussing their children's progress.  I'm just not open to having these discussions when I'm trying to get nineteen other students to their parents or during a fun celebration.

A sad day...

Today I took a student to the office for discipline problems.  I've never had to take a Kindergartner to the office before.  He was trying to kiss other students.  He was trying to make other students kiss each other.  It sounds cute, but he's really terrorizing these children.  He also punched another boy in the you-know-whats.  By this evening I had received two emails from parents complaining about how their children are not enjoying school because of this boy.

His life is difficult and I have compassion for the little guy, but it's hard when his behavior effects so many.  No child should feel terrorized at school, period.  The fact that it is happening in Kindergarten where kids should be learning to love school, is devastating to me.

Always look on the bri-ight side of life

Since I spent the afternoon venting about my current challenges, I've decided to look for the positives!

1.  Everyone in my class gets along.
My biggest discipline problem is the play-fighting that occurs outside (and occasionally in class).  This is of course to be expected since I have almost twice as many boys as girls in my class this year.  Boys love to play fight (my own two boys are experts at it).  These few boys who play-fight are being social and enjoying their friends.  We're learning how play-fighting is not appropriate at school.

2.  There is no girl drama!

3.  Everyone in my class can color nicely.
This surprised me since I have so many boys in my class, but they really try hard to color in the lines when I ask.

4.  Classroom behavior improves every day (despite the full moon today!).

5.  My students are very cute and very sweet.

6.  There are no OT issues!  We are all making progress learning how to write our numbers and letters.

7.  There are no serious behavior issues - no runners, no kids who hide under the table, no defiant children (this is by far the biggest positive).

8.  We're having fun learning about new things.

9.  Everyone who went to our school's preschool program is doing great!

10.  It's only September!!!!!

Trying hard not to laugh

Teaching Kindergarten brings so much joy to my life.  My students and I laugh together because learning is fun!  Some times I make them laugh - when I’m acting out a silly story or when I drop something (for some reason the dropping of markers never gets old).   But there are occasions when it is not appropriate for me to laugh.  For example, when a student's answer is so far out in left field I want to giggle, but I can’t.  Here are a few interactions I had last week during DIBELS testing:

Me:  Here is mouse, flowers, pillow, letters.  Mouse begins with the sound mmmm, mmmm mouse.  Which picture starts with the sounds /fl/?

Student:  Mouse

Me:  Pillow begins with the sound/p/, /p/ pillow.  What sound does letters begin with?

Student:  Pillow?

Me:  Letters begins with the sound /l/.  Listen, /l/ letters.  Let’s try it again - what sound does letters begin with?

Student:  Mouse?

Me:  Letters begins with the sound /l/.  Listen, /l/ letters.  Let’s try it again - what sound does letters begin with?

Student:  Flowers?

Me:  What sound does ______ begin with?

Student:  Chicken?

Me:  What sound does ______ begin with?

Student:  Grasshopper?

Me:  What sound does ______ begin with?

Student:  Heart?

I try very hard not to laugh.  After a few more interactions like these, however, it becomes very hard not to cry.

I hate writing!

I love to read (I know, I know - major understatement), but I struggle with writing. Always have.  I loved reading the assigned books in my high school English classes, but completely froze when asked to write about what I read.  I had constant writer’s block.  I went off to Holy Cross College and perused the course catalogs with longing.  I yearned to be an English or a history major, but the writing intimidated me.  So, I became a math major.

Math majors can do one of three things - become a high school math teacher (no thank you - high school kids scare me), pursue higher mathematics and teach at the college level (they seriously lost me at basic linear algebra - and never found me again), or become an actuary (the path I chose and cardboard is more exciting).  After a few years in the insurance industry, it was time to pursue other options.  When I told people I was entering the teaching field, the response was, “Of course you’ll teach high school math.”  

When I was at Holy Cross, I founded a read aloud program in two elementary schools near campus.  I loved my time in the classroom back then and opted for elementary school rather than becoming a math teacher.  I completed my student teaching in a first grade classroom, and subsequently fell in love with watching kids learn how to read and write.  

My first year of teaching was in inner-city Denver with fourth graders who read at a first grade level and could not write a sentence.  Even teaching math was a struggle because they could not read the word problems.  I pursued my Masters in literacy because I needed to understand how children learn to read and write and in the process found my calling, my gift.  Seriously.  All my life I was disappointed because I couldn’t find my gift.  I couldn’t sing with perfect pitch or draw something beyond a basic stick figure or write like some of my brilliant friends do.  Teaching children and helping them become readers and writers - that’s what I can do!

My Kindergartners write every day in class.  Through writing they learn about letters, sounds, and more importantly how words on a page have meaning.  My students write about themselves, what we’ve learned in class, a response to a story, and more.  Most days I provide a general idea for their writing (see Teaching Writing in Kindergarten by Randee Bergen).  Once a week I will allow students to choose between a free-write or a given topic.  I provide topics for two reasons.  One, most Kindergartners will rely on “I like my mom and dad.” when left to choose their own topic.  I get wonderful, varied responses from students when they have a more guided topic.  Two, the idea of free-writing always terrified me (still does) and I see how it terrifies some of my students.  Students will say, “But I don’t have anything to write about.”  So on those days when most students are writing about their own topic, a small handful will write about my given topic.  I want them to feel confident when writing and not terrified of a blank paper.  I want them to have something to write about.  I never want to hear my students say, “I hate writing.”

It is a truth universally acknowledged...

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.