I teach Second grade Hebrew School on Sundays. Sometimes this strikes me as funny, since I never went to Hebrew school as a kid! But then again I never went to preschool, and so far I've done pretty well with that!
Why would an uber busy woman add one more thing to her list? In this case, I wanted to get into a classroom again and experience first hand the situations that my teachers can get into. I had this idea that if I could video tape the classes, you would see how to deal with specific discipline situations, or how to diffuse a potentially emotional moment. I assumed that you would see me role playing how to "keep the emotion out of it", or how to use "SPICE" to create a learning environment.
I was dead wrong.
Teaching these kids has taught me more than I could ever, EVER, teach you guys. Just a few examples...
The first day of school, I announced to the kids that THEY were going to have a large part of the responsibility for running this class. I would come up with the ideas, but they were going to have to execute them. So the kids decided to create a job chart. One of the kids wanted to create the role of line leader. "OK, I said, what is the job of the line leader?" He tells me. "Is that all he can do?" I asked. "Well...." started a great conversation, and the ultimate change to the title. We now have a weekly job called President, who, other than leading lines, can help break ties when a decision needs to be made.
These kids are 7. They came into the class expecting to be treated like 7 year olds. What that looks like I don't know. I don't have a 7 year old at home. While I really really "get" 4 year olds, I don't remember 7's. So, I treated them like partners in this class. When behaviors were challenging, I asked their advice. Shared some feelings, and voila, community! This system works. About 90% of the time, we are in total harmony. But the other 10% is the best stuff....
Today we were practicing the Shema. It's a very important Jewish prayer that reminds us that God is the only God. Can be a very reflective prayer, and is said both in the morning and the evening. Ok, so, how do you teach that to 7 year olds? I know... Let's try meditation.
16 kids, laying on their backs, trying their best not to touch each other's feet, giggle, slap a friend, snore. I couldn't get past the initial "Let's breathe in with our noses...." before they started with the oinking and snorting and hacking and laughing. Couldn't help myself. Started laughing out loud with them. Snorted a bit, too, I think. After a few minutes, we were done. After the awkwardness of it all was over, they were able to relax and breath, until I told them to say nothing, which caused a beautiful choir-like sound as several of them slowly said, "Nothing...."
One more. Beautiful 7 year old girl has a teeny, teeny mosquito bite on her face. It's under her eye and near her right ear. Teeny little thing. She is weeping, sobbing , how she doesn't want people to look at her. What to do? I've never had a daughter and never saw such intense emotion in my life. We stepped out of the class (I thought it would make her feel less "stared at") and as I rubbed her hair and tried to get her to relax, she kept crying. I honestly was at a loss for words. (Would you like to take a moment to think about that last sentence?)
I leaned over, tried to get her to look in my eyes, and told her that if she didn't stop crying, I too might start to cry, since this was so sad, and that she just needed to be ready in case I did.
That's all it took. She started to giggle, (why don't people take me seriously?), we skooched her long hair to the other side of her face to kinda cover the bite and went back into the class.
Guys, there is no way I could have thought this stuff up on my own. These classroom experiences have to happen. Need a piece of advice? When in doubt, punt. Relax, enjoy them, and stop worrying about the class lesson. Focus on the Life Lesson.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Change is on the horizon!
Hey friends!
Over the past 18 years or so, we have worked together to create change. We've talked about what a classroom would look like if the children's interest drove the curriculum, if circle time could be tweaked and seen as an opportunity to meet, rather than teach. We considered a change from whole group to small group learning, and even wondered if it would be possible to make snack a center rather than a forced activity.
Some of us pulled out the easles for the first time in years, knowing the importance of this experience on brain development. We changed our thinking regarding classroom clean up in order to allow the children the chance to build higher towers and longer roads. Many of us eliminated time out from our vocabularies, and even created a position in the class for 4 year old mediators. All of this happened because you believed.
You believed in a vision that you couldn't yet see. You believed the children to be competant and capable, and wanted to learn how to best care for their growing brains. You trusted enough to try new things, and you made the changes and saw the results. Then you used that momentum to make more change. Your emails and notes prove how surprised and proud you are of the changes.
Today I sat in on one of my school's experience with the inauguration. The children, decked out in red white and blue, were eating lunch and listening to speeches, music and poems on the tv. (BTW, this is the first time in 5 years I have seen teachers watch TV in a preschool with children. There's another change!)
The children's behaviors were perfect. They are four years old and very good at it. They were curious, interested in the entertainment, and even talked amongst each other. The teachers let them chat, only asking for a bit of extra silence when the actual swearing in took place. For over 45 minutes these kids were interacting, discussing, laughing and enjoying the idea that "something special" was about to happen.
I walked over to Ben, my bestest 4 year old friend. I asked him what was happening and he told me "The president is not an elect. He is a president today." The little girl next me said, "And that's a change!"
Well, President-no-longer-elect-Obama, you have a new group of followers who are looking to you to create a vision. Although they can't quite read or write, they have faith in you and believe you are something special. I wish you much luck and want you to know we look forward to your success.
Over the past 18 years or so, we have worked together to create change. We've talked about what a classroom would look like if the children's interest drove the curriculum, if circle time could be tweaked and seen as an opportunity to meet, rather than teach. We considered a change from whole group to small group learning, and even wondered if it would be possible to make snack a center rather than a forced activity.
Some of us pulled out the easles for the first time in years, knowing the importance of this experience on brain development. We changed our thinking regarding classroom clean up in order to allow the children the chance to build higher towers and longer roads. Many of us eliminated time out from our vocabularies, and even created a position in the class for 4 year old mediators. All of this happened because you believed.
You believed in a vision that you couldn't yet see. You believed the children to be competant and capable, and wanted to learn how to best care for their growing brains. You trusted enough to try new things, and you made the changes and saw the results. Then you used that momentum to make more change. Your emails and notes prove how surprised and proud you are of the changes.
Today I sat in on one of my school's experience with the inauguration. The children, decked out in red white and blue, were eating lunch and listening to speeches, music and poems on the tv. (BTW, this is the first time in 5 years I have seen teachers watch TV in a preschool with children. There's another change!)
The children's behaviors were perfect. They are four years old and very good at it. They were curious, interested in the entertainment, and even talked amongst each other. The teachers let them chat, only asking for a bit of extra silence when the actual swearing in took place. For over 45 minutes these kids were interacting, discussing, laughing and enjoying the idea that "something special" was about to happen.
I walked over to Ben, my bestest 4 year old friend. I asked him what was happening and he told me "The president is not an elect. He is a president today." The little girl next me said, "And that's a change!"
Well, President-no-longer-elect-Obama, you have a new group of followers who are looking to you to create a vision. Although they can't quite read or write, they have faith in you and believe you are something special. I wish you much luck and want you to know we look forward to your success.
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