Signing Papers

I have a great story to tell today.  I missed school Friday and then Monday morning we had release time so we could grade common assessments collaboratively as a grade level. The guest teacher (substitute) was a lady who I am familiar with and she must have told her my class I wasn't in class because I was grading papers.  I met my students on the playground at lunch recess and several of them came running up to me and hugged me, (I love teaching early childhood!) After hugging me one of my students said, "It took you a long time to sign those papers".

Think Time

Today as we were developing our fine motor skills through coloring. As I was walking through the room I looked at a students desk and he had drawn on his desk.  On his paper he had colored one car of the train green and another car yellow.  His desk had a 2"x4" section of green and yellow scribbled on his desk. I asked him what happened and he said, "I don't know." I tried to reason with him and show him how the colors on his desk and the colors on his paper were the same colors.  Of course it was not him who created the mess on his desk.  I asked him to sit in the safe seat until he could be honest with me. About 10-15 minutes later I stopped by his safe seat to see if he knew what happened to his desk and he said, "I colored on it."  I was amazed that just a few minutes to think about what happened allowed him to be honest. 

During center time one of my boys was writing at the writing center.  He asked me how to spell I love you.  As I was helping him we got to the letter y. He asked me how to make a y. I showed him the alphabet on his name tag.  He began pointing to the letters of the alphabet and instead of singing the ABC's he started singing the letters in his name. That is when I realized how new all the information I am teaching is to my students. Being a Kindergarten teacher I have to teach everything like it's brand new information and sometimes I forget that.

Tears

Tears are common in Kindergarten: mommy's cry when their babies come to Kindergarten, Kindergartners cry when they bump their stomach on their desk, etc. Tonight I unintentionally made a mommy cry. During parent teacher conferences I shared with a mom that her child can't zip his own pants, put on his jacket, zip and unzip his backpack, or write his name. I explained to her these are all things we want Kindergartners to be able to do on their own before they go to first grade and if things don't improve he may need to do Kindergarten again.  I assured her that doing Kindergarten over is not a big deal, or uncommon, we have a student in our class this year who is doing Kindergarten over and nobody knows who that is except me.  Mom began to cry and I felt horrible.  I assured this mommy that the things I teach in Kindergarten will never be retaught and if he doesn't learn these things now he will never have the chance.  This mom wants her son to be successful and my job will be to help him to be successful and if he's not my job will be to show mom his best chance of being successful is by doing Kindergarten over.

Kind Words

Since I spent yesterday talking about what an awful teacher I am I think I can brag on myself today.  We have parent teacher conferences today and tomorrow and on the table outside my room I left a note for the parents and asked them to write some encouraging words to their child.  At the end of my night I was looking through the notes so I could put them on the desk of the students they belong to and was surprised when I found a note for me. It says, “Mrs. Wilkerson you’re a great teacher and I love being in your class!  -Maiya”  Then the next note said, “Mrs. Wilkerson you’re a great teacher and Natalia loves you and always talks about you at home. –Natalia”  These notes melted my heart a little.  These notes are always very meaningful, but they are especially helpful after yesterday.

An Awful Teacher

I am reminded weekly of what an awful teacher I am.  Today I had a parent march into my classroom a few minutes after the bell rang and told me she wanted to observe her student in our morning routine, she was asked to leave because it is district policy. As the day progressed she told my boss that I am rude and told me the same thing when I spent half an hour on the phone with her. While on the phone we also discussed how the class sizes are too large and the classrooms are too small, (all things that I have complete control over). Some days I cannot do anything right!  The good news is tomorrow is a new day.

A Nice Compliment

Our October sharing theme is Fall so my students are to bring something that has to do with Fall on their sharing day. Yesterday the girl who shared pulled a pumpkin out of her backpack and showed us the pictures she drew on her pumpkin.  When she got to the two people standing in the middle of her pumpkin she said that is me and you! I have never been drawn on a pumpkin before; I was very flattered.

96...97...99...100

As parent teacher conferences approach I have been assessing my students.  One of my assessments was to listen to my students count.  I had one boy who counted 96...97...99...100!  He started at 1 and when he got to 97 he skipped 98 and counted 99, 100!  I don't mind when they can't count to 100, but if I have to listen to you count all the way to 97 please get all the way to 100.

The other fun thing about counting is when they count 38, 39, 100!  My students think if they say 100, they have earned their spot in the 100 Club!

Pink

I looked at several different blog layouts before I picked this one.  I know it is very bright, but I remember the advice I was given when I walked in for my first day of Kindergarten. "You can't be a Kindergarten teacher unless you like pink."  I looked at the outfits of the twelve girls in my class and they were all wearing pink.  So, I have a pink Kindergarten blog.

All in a Days Work

I am very lucky this year that I only have 18 students in my class (right now).  However, I am having trouble with teaching my students not to talk when I am teaching.  All day, every day I feel like I am saying, "Friends please be quiet, friends you aren't using your manners, friends we aren't going to learn if we keep talking".  Well, today I forgot to check out their Caldecott books and I forgot to put their behavior reports in their Friday folders.  At the end of the day I asked which student wanted to be the teacher while I finished these tasks.  I was going to let the "teacher" sit in my chair and choose students to sort pictures into categories on my SMARTBoard. I was checking out Caldecott books and I heard the "teacher" say "Now I know how Mrs. Wilkerson feels."  Her class was talking while she was trying to help them with the activity and she was feeling my frustration.