tools of the mind September 27, 2009

An article in this morning’s New York Times magazine has set my brain on fire.  It’s about a curriculum called Tools of the Mind that seeks to teach preschoolers self-control and executive function.  I remember reading this article from NPR on it earlier this year, and am really interested in putting some of these ideas into practice.

One thing in the NYT article that really spoke to me was the importance of play, and how so many kindergartens these days are going to a pure academic focus.  That’s certainly true at my school, and I feel lucky that in pre-K, I can give my students centers time (free play) every day.  But — from what I read in the article, I could be doing a better job.  I’m going to give the article to Miss Slinger to read, and then have a talk with her to see what the two of us can do together in our classroom.  For one thing, it might be a good idea to do some modeling and scaffolding of pretend play, to help the children learn how to do it, or to have richer experiences when they are in the house corner.

Anyone else know anything about Tools of the Mind and teaching executive function to preschoolers that they can share with me?

pigs make me sneeze September 26, 2009

Mo Willems has a new Elephant and Piggie book out!  I think I might just have to buy it today.

pumpkin’s communication issues September 25, 2009

So I saw Pumpkin’s early childhood screening, and it was very interesting.  To the question, “which is bigger, a house or a ball?” he answered, “ball.”  (He does that fairly frequently — he repeats the last thing you said if he doesn’t otherwise know what to say.)  To the question, “what’s this?” (pointing to chin), he answered, “armpit.”

Today I started his portfolio assessment (I’ve got parent conferences next week), and found that he does, after all, know most of his colors.  He also knows three whole capital letters, and recognized a few shapes and one or two numbers.  But when I asked, “what is your first name?” he answered, “four.”

It occurs to me that not only does this child really not understand the concept of listening, he doesn’t understand the whole concept of questioning.  You know, someone asks a question, and you answer it, and the answer makes some sort of logical sense.  His response to “when is your birthday?” was “people give me presents,” so at least he was on topic, and he knows that when I say something, he’s supposed to say something back.  But he doesn’t know that a question requires an answer, and he doesn’t know when he doesn’t know the answer.  I tried to prompt him — “if you don’t know, that’s okay, just say ‘I don’t know’” — but that got me nowhere.

In blocks today he was very excited to check out the cardboard brick blocks for the first time.  He required several interventions from me, because he was so excited he was kicking blocks across the floor, and knocking down other people’s buildings.  I explained to him that “blocks are for building,” and that in the block corner there is no kicking, and no knocking down other people’s creations without their permission.  I told him that if he did one of those things again, he’d have to leave the block corner.

So a few minutes later he kicked some blocks and I said, “okay, that’s it, you need to leave now.”

The next minute I looked and he was nowhere in the room.

“Miss Slinger, have you seen Pumpkin?” I asked.

“No,” she said, looking around with concern.

I had an idea, and went out to the hall, where I found a very sad Pumpkin waiting by his cubby, with his backpack on.

He didn’t think he had to leave blocks, he thought he had to leave school!

Poor baby.  But this morning I grabbed our speech pathologist and asked her to hang out with my little Pumpkin and tell me what she thinks.

food September 21, 2009

So I’ve decided to name my new class (for the purposes of this blog) after foods.  Last year it was characters from children’s books, but I’m running out of ideas for those, so food it is.

First up — Pumpkin.  He is an ADORABLE little boy who in many ways seems like he is still three years old.  Or maybe even two.  He is all impulse, and interrupts me constantly.  I don’t think he has any idea what I mean when I say to him, “please don’t interrupt me.”  Sometimes, like today, he interrupts me to say, quite urgently, “I love you, teacher.  I love you!”

What can he do?  Well, he has learned quite well how to walk in a line.  Miss Slinger says he sometimes gets silly down at his end of the line, but mostly he can do it.  He knows how to line up in ABC order, mostly, and he knows where he is supposed to sit in the meeting area.  He can sit on his bottom and fold his legs, and he participates in everything we do.  It isn’t like he’s under the sand table when he is supposed to be doing a project, or sitting down for morning meeting.

What can’t he do?  He seems genuinely puzzled by the whole concept of listening.  (I don’t think he knows what that word means, either.)  He has a hard time answering questions.  It’s like I’m speaking in a foreign language sometimes.  He has a hard time having a conversation.  He has a hard time remembering what he is supposed to be doing if I give him instructions.

Today at the start of morning meeting he came up to me and said with surprise, “There’s still soap on my hands!”

“Go back to the bathroom and dry off your hands.  Then come back and sit down.”

When he came out of the bathroom, his pants were around his ankles.  (I guess he forgot why he was in the bathroom, and decided to go potty, again.)  “Teacher, I can’t remember how to put my pants back on!”  Miss Slinger helped him, and I sure hope he washed his hands (and dried them) after he went potty…..

He can’t count, either.  He doesn’t know most colors.

I wonder if he is going to end up being assessed for special needs, or if he’s just a late bloomer.

Anyway, I think he’s going to be my favorite little troublemaker this year.

back to mentoring September 18, 2009

This year I am once again mentoring/coaching other teachers.  I know there are plenty of ways that I can improve, and one thing I’m trying to do is to be more organized about my time, and communicate more often with my teachers.  I’ve started sending out a weekly email with my schedule, and whose classrooms I will visit, and when.  The teachers have responded well to it and a few have even said thanks, which tells me I didn’t communicate this sort of thing to them well enough last year.

The first week I went to the kindergarten classrooms, and was delighted to see that the well-deserving K teachers have a more mellow group.  Last year and the year before were somewhat challenging (two years ago at this time the kindergartners were like wild wolf puppies, tumbling and wrestling on the floor, in all three classrooms, and last year was only a bit better), but the K kids I saw were listening to their teachers and participating in their storytimes.

Then this past week I went to first grade.  One teacher was putting tape on the floor in three rows, to mark where the kids should sit, which is an idea he got from me last year.  I was pleased to see that at least once, I did something useful!  His class was mellow, but the other two were more challenging.  My job is to assist teachers in improving the quality of their teaching in general, and to help them with readers’ workshop and writers’ workshop in particular.  Behavior management is not part of my brief, but sometimes that has to be done before the teachers can settle in to teach reading or writing.

Next week I’ll make my visits to second grade, and then I’ll be visiting on a regular schedule to observe and coach.

checking in September 17, 2009

This is a snuggly class.  They are constantly touching me.  I call it “checking in.”  A child comes up to me, holds my hand for a minute, and then runs back to play.  Another child comes and leans on me for a while, and then when he leaves, another child comes over for a hug.  They don’t even talk about it, they just come and get their little snuggle, and off they go.

We read “Snuggle Wuggle” today, and I told them that we were reading it because they are so snuggly.  A few of them then proudly announced that they were planning to snuggle me at recess.  And sure enough, several children came over to me at different times to lean on me.

Barack Obama, principal September 14, 2009

Last week when the president made his speech to schoolchildren, the Prince arranged for an all-school assembly beforehand.  The teachers went up on stage one by one and we introduced ourselves, and read aloud our hopes & dreams for the year.  Then we posted them on a big board on the stage, so the children could see who we are, and that we also have things we want to learn or do or get better at.  Several news stations were there, and we were on the local news that night.

My class was very excited, but couldn’t sit still for long, so we left before the speech.

A few days later, Miss Slinger was talking to the Prince outside while we were at recess.  After he left to take the 3rd graders inside, Miss Slinger came over to me, laughing.

Apparently one of our girls had asked her, “who was that man you were talking to?”

“That’s Mr. ____, our principal.”

The girl sighed, obviously disappointed.  “Oh, I thought that was Barack Obama.”

our class pet September 3, 2009

It was our first morning meeting, and the children were flagging, a little.  It’s hard to be four and sit on your bottom AND fold your legs AND put your hands in your lap AND remember not to interrupt the teacher.  I was trying to get them through our new daily routine of calendar and counting the days and morning message, when someone noticed the wasp.

(It is warm today, and I was sweating within thirty minutes of the start of the school day, so our window was open.  No screen means that sometimes bugs do fly in.)

Panicked expressions were everywhere.

I said, “Oh, yeah, that’s our wasp.  He’s fine, he won’t hurt you.  I know, let’s make him our class pet!”

Blank faces.

“What should we name him?”

Then one little girl piped up, “Max?”

“Max!”  I cried.  “What a wonderful name!  Okay, everyone say hi to Max!”

“HI, MAX,” they chorused.

“Now where did he go?” I asked.  “Maybe he’s playing hide and seek with us.  I think he’s hiding behind that light.”

The whole class was smiling and waving up at the light fixture.

“Let’s look for him tomorrow,” I suggested.  “I bet he’ll still be here.  He likes us.”

And then — “Let’s read our morning message!”  And all was well.

the first day of school September 3, 2009

They are as cute as can be.  I’m exhausted, and my voice is hoarse, but I love them already.

getting ready for the first day of school September 3, 2009

The past two weeks have whizzed by and I have been simply too exhausted to post.  I will try to be better from here on in, especially since I am starting to get into the groove.  (Waking up at 6 am again is quite painful, but I’ve responded by hurling myself out of bed to work out on the treadmill each morning, before I’m awake enough to talk myself out of it, and also by going to bed at 9:30 (!) each night.)

I am not fond of the first day of school.  You might even say I hate it.  I’m accustomed to a class that hums along like a well-oiled machine, and on the first day, things definitely do NOT hum along smoothly.  It occurs to me, each first day when I look at the children’s little faces, that they don’t know anything about my classroom, and it is now my job to teach them EVERYTHING.  Sort of a daunting task, but then I just dig in and get started.

Actually, I get started before the first day of school.  Here are some of the things I do to prepare:

• I write out a class list of first names in alphabetical order.  I will use this constantly in the first week.  My class always lines up in alphabetical order.
• I make nametags for the cubbies, and put them in alphabetical order, so that when we are lined up in the hall, the child whose name starts with A is in front of her cubby, and the child whose name starts with Z is in front of his cubby.
• I make a different set of laminated nametags, and put velcro on the backs (okay, actually, I ask Miss Slinger to do this), to mark the spots on the carpet where I want each child to sit.  (We’ve got limited space for morning meeting, so I assign spots.  It works wonderfully — no one pushes or shoves to sit up front, and they all have their own space.)  I make a map of where each child should go, based on what little I know about them, and post it near my chair in the meeting area.)
• I label hanging files in a basket so that each child has a “take-home file.”  This is where they put their finished work; I do this to avoid children going out to the hall to their backpacks, and problems arising because they are unsupervised.  Of course, the files are in ABC order, and this year, I used my new labeler to make them, so they look even neater than usual.
• I make a class list on a chart I’ve copied from a “first days of school” teacher book, write the names on (in ABC order, of course!), and then make copies.  One copy goes on a clipboard that hangs from a hook near the door.  This is where all dismissal and bus info goes.  On the chart’s top axis I write out options for dismissal that include the after-school program, the preK bus, the special ed buses, or being picked up by a parent.  I use this as we head out each day so that every child goes to the right place.
• I make colored nametags, four of each color.  Then I decide (based on the little info I have) which color group each child goes in, so that the groups will work well together.  On the first day of school the red group gets to go to the art center.  On the second day of school, I open a second center, and green gets to go there, and blue gets to go to art.  On the third day I open a third center, and so on and so forth until all the centers are opened and every group has been to every center.

I hope this is helpful to those of you who are getting ready for YOUR first days of school!