They're learning!!!

Here's the really cool thing about kindergarten. When you stop "teaching," they keep learning. Let me give you some "for instances." All week this week, we've been in literacy centers. When they finish the "must-do task" in the literacy center, they have a variety of games within their center to play with. For example, in the word study center, there are all sorts of letter games right now, since that is our focus. In the small muscle center, there are legos, some lacing tools, and some building toys. You get the idea. So, like I was saying, after they finish their must-do, they can choose one of these activities, as long as it's one from their center shelf. So here's the cool part. Today, kids in the writing center were practicing their letter sounds with a small set of letter/sound cards. Two days ago, in the word study center, the kids each had their own set of letters (one had lowercase sandpaper letters, one had uppercase sandpaper letters, one had big rubber mat letters, and one had foam shapes that create letters). Then, one at a time, one of them would hold up a letter and name it, and all the others would find the same letter from their set, and hold it up. I mean, they think of this stuff all by themselves!!! It was so cool to see. At this age, they just need the tools, and they create their own learning. I mean, it's so so cool. Talk about inquiry-based teaching. They just want to learn. So fun to see.

I came to the realization today that my class last year was really, really close to one another. I almost hope I didn't do them a disservice by our closeness. The reason I realized it today was because I passed one of my babies from last year, and he gave me a hug, then said sadly that the other student that is in his class this year from my class is absent today. There are only two of them in that class. He was so heartbroken. I said, "So you're the only All Star in your class today?" And he said with his saddest face, "Yes." Then I walked into the cafeteria, and there were 3 parents from my class last year, all spread out around the 1st grade tables, with their child. I was like, "Oh man! It's an All Star Parent Reunion!" They were all in agreement. Earlier in the week, I got an email from a student in first grade, about her birthday party. The email was to all of my kids from last year. She had asked for her party to be with her All Star friends, rather than her new friends from class. What can I say, we were a tight group.

I think we're going to be similar this year. I think I really just work hard to bring a sense of belonging and ownership to the classroom, through caring for the "things" in the room, as well as the people. Whenever someone gets their feelings hurt, I always ask the other person, "Did you make her feel happy?" And when they answer, "no," I always remind them that our goal is only to make people feel good, and that is it. So if what you did didn't do that, then you need to apologize to that person, and make sure you are only making people feel good, and filling everyone's bucket each day. One parent from last year told me at the start of this year, that she had a friend whose child is at another school, and they had some bullying problems, and was so surprised that we don't have any of that in my class. She said, "I just want to tell you how impressed I have been with the way you have enstilled such a sense of love in these kids, for one another." What a kind thing to say, and what a cool thing to teach 5-year-olds. If they can go through life with just that remembrance, that we should love each other, no matter what, I guess that might even be worth as much as reading levels. :-)