The bucket book and other thoughts

I don't usually use this space to discuss curriculum because some of the other blogs where teachers just post and describe lesson plans don't seem that interesting to me as a reader. However, I am trying to work on a specific idea with my kids and decided I could use some input. So there is this children's book : Have you filled a bucket today: A daily guide to happiness for children that is really awesome. A summary can befound here .



So I introduced this book in my classroom several days ago. When I first showed them the book, they made predictions about what would fill the bucket. We have read the story several times, during whole group and small group instruction. We have started a bucket in the classroom that we are filling with positive things. Some examples of things that fill the bucket include greeting each other respectfully, helping someone up after they have fallen during recess, and giving a friend a hug when they are sad. As a group, they are excited to work with each other to fill our class bucket. They tell me when to write something down and look eager as we review the contents of the bucket a few times a week. However, when they are asked individually what they could do to fill the bucket, they start talking about mud, sand and water again.

So for them, there is a disconnect between this very tangible bucket in 0our class with little small postive notes in it and their own individual thinking about this concept. I want them to realize the value of being a good person. I want them to have an awareness of what it means to be a good person. Perhaps the concept is over their heads so early in the year and we can revisit it later in the school year. Perhaps we will just stick with addressing it as a whole class. Perhaps I can explain it to them in another way. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject of teaching character education in a school building where so much time is devoted to reading and math and very few other teachers make the investment.

Shout out time

Ten schools days have already passed. Too much time has gone by without me giving a special shoutout to the paraprofessional, Ms S., who is working in the classroom with me this year. She is supercalafradulisticexpeealadoucios! And I mean it! She was thrown into the position from a very different and possibly much quieter position elsewhere in the building. As last school year drew to a close, she made comments about not really wanting to have the classroom position and intending to use ALL of her accumulated sick time this year. So I was a little nervous at the start of the school year.

Ms. S. has shown up each day with a willingess to work hard and a sense of humor that gets me through some tough times. She has asked questions about the things she doesnt know and has truly risen to the occassion. She should have switched over to this type of position years ago. And the best part of it all? She said that she is surprised that she actually likes what she is doing. Go Ms S.!!!!!!

Hooray for competent and enthusiastic people!

We will be....

We will be safe. We will be respectful. We will be listeners. We will be learners. Four simple ways of being in a community. A community of learners. Four simple things that 11 four year olds need to be explicitly taught. I love what I do but then a day like yesterday happens and Im left reflecting on how much they need to be taught and how I taught it to other groups of students in the past.

Yesterday the kids seemed rowd y and some of them were down right rude. It was our tenth day together as a classroom community. Prior to yesterday it felt as if everything was going smoothly. The kids seemed able to adhere to the simple we will be's described above. The kids seemed eager to be at school and even more eager to learn. Yesterday felt like the first day of school all over again. Why? What happened?

Well for starters the newest and also the youngest member of our community joined us at the beginning of the week. While I don't like the way the administration handled it, ( with no specific advanced notice, just brought him down in the middle of the morning. I mean I was told that he was coming but was never told when), I would rather have new students NOW when everyone is still sort of new then say in February. As great as this new person is, his presence still affected the group dynamic.

Additionally, there were two students in the classroom who were each absent for two days. One student was absent on Monday and Thursday. When I spoke with the parent about this she basically lied to me. Her statement was very contradictory but she was unable to realize the irony of what she was saying. Another student was absent for health reasons in the middle of the week. This second student is particularly active and loud. So when they both came back on Friday, I think they had forgotten some of the "wewillbes" in class. Also, it appeared that the other students had partially forgotten them, and treated them like a novelty.

Finally there was all the bs that doesnt pertain to children directly. On Monday, I learned that a class I had signed up for through my school district was cancelled. If I had learned this before I left the building it wouldnt be a problem. But I only found out after taking the train into downtown and wasting some time and money. On Tuesday we had open house. It was wonderful to see some parents, but of course I did not see everyone or the people I actually wanted to see. Thursday we had professional development and it was truly ridiculous and wasteful of valuable time. So by Friday, I was tired from a normal work week plus a little mentally beaten down from all of this other stuff.

The first week of school

Ten small bright faces staring up at me. One new to the position but not to the building paraprofessional working with me. one little kid who shows up on the bus on the first day of school, carrying in his arms a package of diapers and a boc of wipes in his Gerber bag. He arrives with no name tag whatsoever and is unable to say his name. 3 phone calls from a neighboring school district about a former student of mine. one angry parent complaining that the room is dirty and student work is not displayed on the second day of school. Several conversations with my principal about the needs of very young children. One student from last year who may be returning due to some complicated special education laws. Countless questions from some families, not yet a word from others. One open house to plan for already. 5 graduate credits signed up for so far. An empty ink cartridge at home. Smiles. lots of hugs. A few tears. Some anxious moments. a few sick stomachs and a couple of sleepless nights. Overall, it was a wonderful first week back at school, though extremely exhausting.

I consider myself really lucky. I love the age of the students that I teach. At this age they are still curious, still eager, still so full of magical thinking. I love that I get to help develop their oral language skills through songs and storytelling. I am always at amazed at how vast their differences are when school starts. I have kids who have come in this year writing their first and last names, and one ( who is starting is 3rd year in my classroom) who is reading simple words. In the same room, sitting at the same table are who kids who hadn't seen their name in print until they walked into the classroom on their first day. Some of them haven't yet separated their name from their picture and are not yet making letter like marks on their papers.
I am looking forward to the year, teaching the students at all of their different levels, and developing relationships with their parents.

Shennaningans

I was at the local office supply super store purchasing a few choosy items for my classroom. Ordinarily, no one bothers me when I go in and I have to say, I really appreciate that. This was not the case on my most recent visit however. Within 30 seconds of entering the store, a small child grabs my elbow. When I turn around, he is holding a tissue paper flower with a pipe cleaner stem. He asks me if I want to buy the flower from him for a dollar. So he can buy his mother a birthday present. I tell him no thank you and send him on his way.

Not more than a minute later these three kids, who look identical to the child I just spoke to approach me. They are carrying a large container of the same tissue paper and pipe cleaner flowers. They ask me to buy a flower so that they can have some money for school supplies. I point out that their brother just asked me for money to buy a birthday present. The kids deny relationship to the first child, but then add that they bought their mom a present last month. Uh-huh. Sounds suspicious to me. I ask the children what kinds of school supplies they need. They start naming off their list : Digital cameras, post it notes ( we were standing in front of a display featuring many different shapes and colors), Mp3 players... their list went on with seeming NONessential school items. I told them I wasn't able to help. I hoped they would leave me alone and I could get the things I needed and leave.

The kids approach me again after a few minutes to ask if perhaps I have changed my mind. No i have not. No, I most likely will not. I am at this fine establishment buying school supplies for my classroom. Not for me. Not for my personal use, but for the use by and education of my students. In someways, I feel like buying things for my classroom and my students is a donation of and in itself. I am not trying to sound selfish at all. Its just that so much of my daily success at work is dependent on purchasing materials I think schools ought to provide. (Basic markers, for example). I know also that there are many people less fortunate than I am. I feel that donating to charity with time or money is a civic responsibility. However, these kids seemed as if they were running a scam. Especially since they asked an older woman for money and had yet a third story for her. They asked her for money for their grandmother's surgery. Uh-huh