A Day at Center #4: Take 1

So this semester, I get to run my very own center - me! 20 minutes of teaching a lesson with 4-6 kindergarteners. Now...I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous thinking about it this morning. There was definitely a chance that she would give me the lesson for my group and it would totally flop. This is the most freedom I've been given at once - it's like I get to practice teaching my own lesson 5 times.

So at 8:00am I got my first set of instructions for my activity - we were going to be learning about force, defined as the push or pull that moves an object. Here's a little side note about me: science has absolutely, never ever, even been close to my favorite subject. But, I find myself in a situation I knew I was bound to encounter eventually, teaching something that really isn't my favorite but is a requirement for the grade level. Oh boy...

I had to introduce the topic to them and have a little discussion about force. Using blocks I showed them that I could be the force to move the blocks, and I could move them in many different ways. We also discussed how some objects can roll and some objects can slide and what makes them able to do so. Then, my instructions were to have them build a ramp out of other blocks, and measure the distance that the rolling and sliding blocks travelled, and if a taller ramp made them travel a shorter or longer distance. From there we discussed how heavier cylinder blocks would travel farther than light-weight cylinder blocks. Then we switched gears to a pendulum demonstration, illustrating how we could make it move, and stop, and how shorter strings would move back and forth faster than longer strings. We talked about momentum and gravity and forces...

The excitement on their faces was out of this world. I want to bottle up that kind of joy and awe and wonder and keep it forever to remind me of what it is like to truly be fascinated with the world. Getting the chance to predict which object would roll farther, and then seeing how much farther it actually went, must have been the coolest thing since sliced bread. And it didn't get old! No matter how many times we repeated the same little experiment, it was still exciting and fun and interesting.

The best part for me though was that everyone got it. And everyone was so in to it, like nothing I've ever seen during reading time, or math time, or writing time. It was something that reached even the ELD kids, and they could understand because it was visual and interactive and something that they could relate to. Our ADHD student was able to sit through the entire lesson with relatively no disturbances because he was doing something engaging that required listening and using his hands to create something that worked for a purpose. Yes, I was only working with 6-kids, tops, at a time. But the discussions we were having? Unbelievable. They way they could take the little demonstrations we were doing, and relate them to a rock falling down a cliff, or swinging on the swings at recess? Shocking. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Amazing.

I was also pretty proud of myself. My first rotation didn't go quite as smoothly as I would have liked. I mean, we still covered all of the material, but it was kind of chaotic and the kids never really left the rowdy stage to enter the academic stage. But by the second rotation, I sort of surprised myself with this level of intuition that I hadn't experienced before; I realized what I did didn't work the first time, and tried something new and more organized. And hey, what do you know? It worked. And once I figured out my system, the rest of the rotations were a breeze. I was explaining it to my best friend and she mentioned that maybe that's what the first year of teaching feels like...but once you get the first year under your belt, everything else starts to fall into place. Hmm.

So in other less meaningful news, I got my first classroom related injury. Sliced right through the side of my finger with a pair of scissors. One of the more smarty-pants kids said to me, "Well you know Miss Downing, I've never cut my fingers with scissors..." The sass...it kills me!

A Little Something to Think On....

I Miss My Munchkins!

I haven't seen them in weeks! I'm so excited to be back on Thursday morning, I don't even care that I have to wake up earlier than I have in three weeks. I have to admit, the mornings will probably be the hardest part of my future career....I just have to keep reminding myself that I'll be lucky because I'll get winter and summer vacation. :)

Smiles from Room Three! I'm so ready to be back and see all these beautiful faces.

Historical Parallels

This is relevant to this blog too. I just couldn't decide which blog was better to post it on.

A Running Theme

I got this book for Christmas and just finished reading it, along with "You Can't Say You Can't Play," (more on that one later):

Vivian Paley uses the books of Leo Lionni as a staple in her curriculum in her final year as a kindergarten teacher. They do writing assignments, art assignments, story-telling assignments, and classroom discussions all based on his books; analyzing a new one every couple of weeks. Analyzing in a kindergarten class?! I know, right? That's what I thought at first. But reading this book, I was shocked. Sure, they don't analyze the same way you or I would, but in a way, it's better that way. They are more open and honest, less biased, and increasingly curious.

The point was, the kids really got into it; at least, they did when this book was written 15 years ago. They achieved things that never would have been accepted of them because they were challenged and as a class they rose up to that challenge. It didn't matter what challenges or advantages each child may have had, they all worked together to make these books come to life and really delve into their deeper meanings. In kindergarten! Wow.

I want to do this. But I want to start it at the beginning of the school year instead of at the semester. Have it be the theme of a school year and see how each child's growth is reflected in their thinking on these books and have something that unites the class from the beginning to the end. To describe it in a way a former elementary school teacher of mine would have hated - "It's so cool!"

Scholarship Essay Submission

Bridging Gaps

Ryan doesn’t care if I think he’s funny or not; it won’t stop him from giggling to himself as he dog paddles back and forth across the pool. He’ll swim to the wall and look at me with wide eyes and a big smile as if he’s listening attentively to every word, but when he pushes off the wall, all instructions are lost as he swims the way he enjoys. The lack of focus and the difficulties in communicating create obstacles for Ryan that cause his progress to take months longer than the other swimmers in his age group.  Ryan has Autism. Our coach and athlete relationship has a lot of give-and-take, and although the challenges are many, it makes the progress that much more satisfying.

Ryan exhibits just one of the differences any given child can bring into a classroom at the start of a school year. Volunteering in a kindergarten classroom has shown me many more obstacles a child can bring into a class - physical or mental disabilities, broken families, and language barriers among them. The first couple years seem to be the most telling, as kids become more aware of themselves and their peers in the public education system.  The children with significant differences need to learn that traits are what make them an individual, and children without obvious differences need to learn how to fully accept others.

My biggest goal is not only to become an elementary school teacher, but to be able to successfully incorporate the values of diversity into the curriculum and emphasize the importance of individual differences. I do not believe that children are naturally judgmental, but I do believe that without intervention to sway them the other way, it is one of the most easily acquired traits.  I want to provide an environment in my classroom that some children may lack otherwise; I want it to be beneficial not only to the kids who struggle, but to the kids who make it through school easily and naively, like my own experience in early education. I took it for granted that school came easily for me, and I didn’t learn until I was much older that it doesn’t come so easy for everyone.  I don’t only want to help the children with big differences to overcome, but I want to help widen the worlds of the kids who can easily take what they have for granted.

I was raised in a relatively easy home life, and it took me far too long to realize that not everyone had the same experience as me. I am now dedicated to changing my perspective and widening my knowledge of the world that I am a participating citizen in.  Most recently, I’ve added a Spanish minor to my degree and am anticipating spending a month this summer in Costa Rica, learning a culture and a language that I’ve had no exposure to until my required high school language courses.  Working with Ryan has been another challenge, as I have had to let go of conventional ways of instruction to better meet his needs. I feel changed as a person by these experiences, and I hope that not shying away from opportunities like these will improve my teaching abilities and broaden the horizons of what I can bring to a classroom setting.

My college education is preparing me to achieve my biggest dream of obtaining the career full of potential that I’ve wanted since before I understood what college was.  Helping others is a passion of mine, and finishing school and getting my degree and my credential from California Lutheran University will be the first step in allowing me to live that passion for the rest of my life. I firmly believe that I will step up to the challenge of not only being an innovative teacher academically, but also inspiring my students to be themselves and strive to reach their full potential.

"When you get, give. When you learn, teach."

I don't expect to really have people follow this blog, other than my most dedicated friends who love to hear about my adventures in the classroom. But it is absolutely necessary that I start recording my experiences in the classroom and any other experiences I have that may directly relate to my future in the classroom.

So where am I at on my career path to the teaching field right now? I am in my junior year as a Liberal Studies major with an emphasis in Physical Education and a minor in Spanish. I know, what a mouthful. Ideally, I want to teach in a kindergarten classroom, but realistically I know I won't get to choose - lower elementary is the goal.

Currently I have an internship at a Southern California school in a kindergarten classroom with 28 beautiful, bright-eyed, curious kindergarteners and a wonderful and experienced master teacher. This upcoming semester I will be spending 4 hours every Tuesday and Thursday morning with them. Excitement does not begin to describe what I'm feeling about this.

I want to remember things I would like to use in my class in the future, or even things I don't like. I want to remember the silly and cute things I hear daily. I want to have record of how certain situations are handled or could be handled better. I want a place to record ideas and revelations I have in regard to my future career. I want to start working now to make myself a better teacher when I start out in my first job.

So this is going to be that place. I'm ready to document this adventure.