Hi all, I have neglected to post anything on this blog for a very
long time. You may have even moved on and forged ahead. My long absence has
been due to craziness of life and so many other things, including my feelings
of inadequacy in doing this thing called "blogging". I really want to
try it again and I hope you will give me another look.
Ok, so the reason I am writing
today, is to tell you that the teachers that inhabit a Kindergarten classroom
are my heroes! They spend so much time teaching these "littles" the
things that are important for kiddos to simply function in school! How to hold
a pencil. How to walk in lines. How to raise their hand and hold their thought
until another student is finished talking. It's these small things we teachers
in the upper grades take for granted - so thank a Kinder teacher!
So the other day, I was given
charge of this sweet class of Kinder's for just an hour and a half. In that
time, the teacher had given me explicit instructions on what to do. She said to
first read a book about penguins that hatch from an egg. Then have students
create a sentence with these chosen words. Students should then copy the
sentence in their ELA journals and I was to draw a picture of a penguin coming out of a
cracked egg. I objected saying, "I can't draw." She replied,
"Its ok, they can't either." Quickly she moved to the next item on
the list. Students go to centers for 30 minutes. She gave directions about how
students move through centers knowing where to go because their pictures are
posted next to the stations in a pocket chart. So far, I am thinking, "OK,
this is OK. I can do this." Finally, the teacher says "When center
time is over, have them come to the carpet and read them another book."
The book she handed me was The Egg Book.
Then she hands me a mini-poster with
pictures of animals along one side. She states that after I read the book, to
go through the pictures and ask the students questions about the animal and if
it is born from an egg. I thought - I got this! Science I love!
Needless to say...I was in for
a run for my money!
First book went OK. Students
seemed to enjoy it. They were able to come up with the designated sentence the
teacher had prepared. I actually did draw a pretty good picture of the penguin
coming out of the egg.
I was feeling pretty proud of myself at this
point.
The students upon finishing
their journal entry - went on to centers. This is where the fun began. Some
students quietly worked, while others demanded their peers complete attention.
Still other students decided they knew who was not doing as expected and began
to instruct them on what they should be doing - since the teacher (me) was
incompetent to know who was whom and what was really going on. Once a few
squabbles began, I said, "Time to clean your station and come to the
carpet. We have another book your teacher wants us to read!" Obedient
little babes they were. Within a few minutes all were settled onto the carpet
like sweet chicks at grandmas house sitting at my feet. We read The Egg Book.
Right from the start I began to panic as the words off the page stated how the
rooster had to mate with the hen to have a chick. "Oh no!" I thought,
"please don't ask what 'mate' means!" I quickly moved on and
throughout the book, the introduction of different egg laying animals were
discovered and a little information about them. Whew! made it through the
book!
On to the mini-poster, we went
down the line of pictures and I asked students questions about what the book
had explained for each one. I had the students talk with a partner and create a
sentence about what they had learned. They eagerly shared their sentence
creations and we chose a few to write next to the picture. Then it happened. We
came to a picture of an octopus. That animal was not mentioned in the book....I
thought, "Oh geeze, how can we find information?" I grabbed my phone
and talked into it saying, "Lets ask google!" The children were
excited to hear what the omniscient voice from my phone might say. Here is how
the conversation went:
Me: "OK google, does an
octopus lay eggs?"
Google: "yes, an octopus
lays eggs."
Students: "Wow! What is an
octopus baby called?"
Me: "OK google, what is a
baby octopus called?"
Google: "A baby octopus is
called a larve."
All the students, like wide eyed
minions, said in unison, "Ooooh, larvae!"
Me: "Oh you know about
larvae?" They proceeded to tell me their connections to caterpillar
larvae. I thought, "Alright! We have connections!" They are all
talking at once sharing eagerly the information they knew about larvae. Until
one student asks, "Where do octopus lay eggs if they are in the
ocean?" I was stumped...I didn't know. Again I turn to my trusted google
friend.
Me: "OK google, where do
octopus lay eggs?"
Google: "The female
octopus lay eggs in the sand. For many a female octopus, laying eggs marks the
beginning of the end." (I think, what the world?) Google continues,
"She needs to cover them and defend them against would-be predators. She
gently wafts currents over them so they get a constant supply of fresh,
oxygenated water. When the eggs hatch, she dies, starving and
exhausted."
Students again like wide eyed
minions in unison say with hesitated horror, "Exhausted!"
I quickly focus on that word
instead of the octopuses imminent death! I ask, "Do you know what that
word exhausted means?" A student answers, "yes, my mom says it all
the time. It is reeeaaally tired." - Yes, yes, really tired is correct!
I thank my lucky stars that the
REAL Kinder teacher opens the door to return in time to save me!
This is why I don't teach
Kinder, and why Kinder teachers are my heroes!!
To every Kinder teacher out
there....YOU ARE INCREDIBLE and THANK YOU!
