Smiles

I have the sweetest class. They are so eager and thankful to learn, that it makes teaching them easy, fun and exciting! I LOVE my job.

*We have a 3 day weekend this weekend, which is more precious than gold to a teacher....but I got home a little discouraged and heavy-hearted on Thursday. I am overwhelmed by how SO many of my kids are in crisis. One of my kids moved into a "homeless" status this week. She is the oldest of 4 kids with a single mom. After several phone calls from her crying, discouraged mom, several emails with the district and a lot of prayer, we finally got it set up that my student would be picked up from her new location and brought to my school. I was so excited to get my sweet student back, but also knew the journey was not completed for her family. I called the mom to again ask if they were SAFE where they were staying, if there was anything I could do, etc. She said they were ok. I asked if they had food to eat. Sadly, she told me they did not have much and wouldn't be able to get more until the beginning of the month. To make a long story short, 45 minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of the home they were staying in. A house much smaller than mine-that me and my husband share. I knocked on the door, and the mother opened. My sweet student came running to me and jumped in my arms. "MRS!! I've missed you SO much!!" The little siblings followed, yelling "MRS!!!!!" I hugged them all and then went out to the car to get the food with the mom. We brought in the groceries, but as we walked, I tried to encourage her. Asked her why they had been evicted, promised her I'd search for more resources our district has to help with housing, etc. and told her many times how much I care about her family. I didn't stay long. Gave them all a hug and told them I couldn't wait to see them on Monday. Then I got in my car and drove back to "my mansion".

*I've had kids with parents deported back to Mexico, families have been threatened to be evicted if they don't pay bills, kids so dirty and skinny that you can't imagine how they are eating and living at home, and many other needs. I won't go into details, but this week has been very hard on my heart.

Because of the above issues and needs, my goal every single minute of every single day is to make my classroom be the most enjoyable, welcoming, encouraging, FUN, safe place possible. I make sure it is clean, smells good, colorful, etc. I never ever yell at my kids-I challenge them and ride them hard to ensure that I get their best work, but I make sure to never embarass or belittle them. They get enough of that outside of school. This way, at least 8 hours of their day will be enjoyable. And you know what?! It's working-my kids don't want to leave on Friday. They love working on schoolwork so much that they go home and don't watch tv anymore. My kids are TAKING off in reading/writing because they are practicing all day at school and then go home to practice more. It is SO fun! I also see kids who came into my class a few months ago, looking like zombies--seemingly dead to the word--smiling, laughing, interacting with other kids, and cracking me up!!!

My newest child breaks my heart everyday. He is probably the neediest child I've ever met. At the risk of stereotyping, he looks like a thug shrunk down into a little boy. It's not hard to see what he will become if something/someone does not intervene! I met his mom for hte first time on Thursday, and she looks younger than my little sister. His attendance is horrible, but I've been hounding the mom (calling her every single day that he's gone) and finally things are getting a little better. He really is a sweet boy, and makes me laugh all the time, but doesn't really have a clue on social skills, academic skills, etc. We had a Science Assembly on Tuesday and ALL of the kids were laughing, smiling, and watching intently. They LOVED it. I looked over at this boy, and there was no emotion or expression on his face. He seemed dead to the world. After the assembly, my class was in line waiting to leave the cafeteria. I hugged my student tightly. When I let go, he looked up at me with the sweetest face and just smiled.

On Thursday afternoon, my class was in the Computer lab. I had worked my kids SO hard that day, with not much of a break, that I was letting them play on a reading website on any game they wanted to play. (I rarely let them choose their game, so they were SO excited!!) I was walking around the room, watching the kids learning, and I stopped on this little boy. He was listening to the book "The Gingerbread Man". He turned to me, smiled so big and in his gruff voice said "Mrs! This computer is READING a book to me! That fox is about to SNATCH up that little cookie!" I had to walk away laughing. I am starting to see that smile more everyday. He has started to sing with us at calendar time, knows many letters now and is figuring out how to write his name. It is hard to keep his attention...he sits RIGHT by my feet, but I know he is trying and I guarentee that in a few weeks it will be SO encouraging to see where he is!

*The rest of my class is ON it. Right now in writing, the kids are drawing stories--something that has happened to them. Then they label as many things in their picture as they can-they have to be sure to have a who, what, and where for their story and it has to be an exciting story. (Can't just be...I went to the park.) Even though these kids don't have very many opportunities, you should see the creative things they write about!! After they've labeled their story, they need to write a sentence that goes along with their story. Ex. "I made cookies with my mom". They are doing SO well. It is really hard to hop around and try to help all of the kids, last year I remember going crazy. But this class is so eager to do it right and to do it themselves, that I can plant myself at one table for quite awhile without worrying about the other kids. I always play classical music while they are working on writing. It has become one of their favorite parts of the day! On Tuesday, I was working with one of my students who was struggling with letters and sounds. I was getting annoyed that the other kids were making so much noise talking to each other, without looking up, I said "Friends. I need to see you working. No talking. Get to work." AFTER I said that, I looked up to see that I had been VERY wrong--the noise was not coming from talking. Each child was quietly sounding out words (saying them aloud, like I've taught them, in order to hear each sound) or re-reading their sentences to themselves to make sure it makes sense. They were so focused, I don't even think they heard my reminder to be quiet. A little embarassed, I got back to work with my student. :)

*I have started teaching the coins and their values in Calendar time. Last year I made up this DUMB song to remember their values, and I taught it again this year--the kids LOVE it. They sing it all the time. During art class, I hear them singing all of the little math songs I've taught them. It really is the cutest thing EVER.

*We have a little class mascot, a stuffed turtle named Frankie, who goes home with one of the kids every Friday. He has a journal and a little bag. The stuffed animal stays at the kids' house all weekend and on Sunday night, the parent writes in the journal to tell what they did that weekend with Frankie that weekend. On Monday morning, the student shares with the class. The kids ask questions, etc. It is HILARIOUS. I actually stole the idea from MY kinder teacher! I announce the new class jobs on Monday morning (and one of the jobs is who gets to take home Frankie). The kids remind me ALL week that it is THEIR turn to take Frankie home on Friday. Every night they ask me if it is Friday yet. :) Usually the parent writes in the journal and the kid draws a picture to share with the class about their weekend. On Monday morning, one of my girls walked in VERY proudly holding Frankie's bag very tightly. After I greeted her, she said, "Good Morning, Mrs. I'm ready to share about my weekend whenever you are". I told her that she could share after calendar time. When it came time to share, I asked her if she wanted to share anything about the weekend before I read from the journal. She looked at me very seriously and said, "Mrs. I can read it!" I passed her the journal and she opened up to her page--where SHE had written sentences about her weekend. Granted they were simple sentences, but still-it was obvious she had done it on her own. "I went to the park with F. I had fun. etc. At the end..."I love my teeter." (I love my teacher!) :) Can I just say--this little girl did not know ANY letters/numbers/colors at the beginning of the year?! She has been working SO hard that she now knows most of her sight words/letters/sounds and is able to write sentences very confidently. SOOOOO exciting!!!!

*When I first started teaching, several people warned me that it probably wasn't the best idea to send a stuffed animal home with the kids-that because I work in a high-need school, it wouldn't come back. I have to say, I am happily suprised EVERY week, when that little turtle comes back clean and cherished. He has NEVER come back late. That turtle is VERY highly regarded in my class! :)

*As I looked around my room on Thursday during centers, I saw kids SO sweetly "reading" to stuffed animals in the library center, kids quizzing each other on letters and sounds, kids playing beginning sound games, working on writing words, stamping out sight words, playing rhyming puzzles with each other--mostly I see kids smiling, interacting appropriately with each other and SO focused on their games. And I realize that my life is so blessed. I realize that I have the greatest job. And that I have the GREATEST kids.

*A lot of other people love my class as well-the lady at the Science Assembly told my class they were the best behaved, best listeners in the WHOLE school. The lunch lady told me that my kids are the greatest class in there. She said "Your class last year was so sweet, but if possible, I think this class is even BETTER!" I responded: They are BOTH sweet--I love the equally. Love seeing my 1st graders in the hallway. We are always equally excited to see each other. :)

My eyes are continuing to be opened. My heart is continually breaking. Some days it is really hard to have hope--these kids are so eager and so sweet, but they still have to get through 11 more years of school-they have SO much stacked up against them already and they are only 5. I can't imagine what will come in the next 12 years, BUT I know that there is hope--and maybe if they love school now, that will continue on. For now, my greatest goal is to provide the most encouraging environment possible in my classroom.