The Chronicles of a Veteran Kindergarten Teacher

A New School Year Brings New Challenges

2010-10-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

I had every intention of posting comments in my blog on a daily basis and succeeded until May of last year. Then, I had every intention of posting on a daily basis for this school year until............. I was put in charge of K-12 Professional Development, am serving as the Licensure Renewal Coordinator, Mentor Coordinator and trainer for six young teachers, oh....and a full time Kindergarten teacher. This school year it feels like I have to schedule in a bathroom break. I have been very very busy!!!

I do have a terrific class of 12 precious students with a full time teacher assistant (I keep pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming) and it is a joy to see the enthusiasm of young teachers just beginning their career. Although it is a lot of work, I truly love working with each of the six teachers I am mentoring. Just envisioning the talent and potential of each of them is an awesome experience!

Then there are my kindergarten students. They are such a precious bunch. I wouldn't trade watching the enthusiasm and wonder on those little faces every morning for any other job in the world. I feel truly blessed to have a job that I enjoy so much.......even if they slip and call me "Maw Maw" or "Me Maw". Years ago they would slip and call me Mommy or Mom....sigh. I will occasionally sidle up to a mirror after one of those slips only to catch a glimpse of my wrinkles. It makes me realize just how fast time goes by.

One of my former students came up and gave me a hug the other day and told me "You were my BEST teacher even if you are old!" Hmmmmmmmm.......was that a backhanded compliment I wondered? Quite frankly, I am too old to care!

Anonymous Comment Posted by Oliver

2010-10-27T16:52:00.001-04:00

I found this message in my spam mail.

Hi there, I have a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at www.blogger.com. Can I use part of the information from your blog post right above if I give a backlink back to this website? Thanks, Oliver

By Anonymous on Blogging About The Life Of A Kindergarten Teacher... on 10/23/10

Dear Oliver,

Considering that you identify yourself as anonymous, no, you can not use part of the information from my blog post.

Best of luck!

Back To School

2010-08-12T22:29:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is get acquainted day for a new group of kindergartners! Where did the summer go? It seems like just yesterday that it was May and I was frantically trying to get everything done. I have been staying until 8:30 pm every night this week but am happy to say that we are ready!!! I can't wait to meet our new students tomorrow. I just love my job!!!!

This summer I worked on a sketch of my daughter. I still haven't finished it but thought I would let you see it. Okay, so I am no Picasso but I love to draw almost as much as I love teaching kindergarten!

Maybe I Need a Longer Break

2010-07-09T01:32:00.000-04:00

Well,all my fellow blogging buddies.......the curriculum conference in Philadelphia was fantastic. I am leaving for the mountains in the morning so I will write a blog post about it when I get back, for all you teachers out there....was simply awesome and I learned a lot. When I got back, a friend invited me to go see a movie matinee with her.

When we walked in the already dark theater, I spotted a good friend chatting and enjoying her popcorn and a drink. I would know her head of hair anywhere....soooooooooo, I went behind her and stuck my hand in her popcorn and said " You not going to share any with your old buddy gf?" thinking she would get a kick out of me teasing her.

I don't know whose mouth dropped open wider...mine or the stranger who turned around and looked at me like I had lost my mind. I would have crawled under the seat, but I am too big...sigh. I apologized and told her I thought she was someone else...and offered to replace her popcorn. ......sooooooooo, maybe I need a longer break to rejuvenate.....as a result, we are headed to Biltmore House in the morning. I miss all my blogging buds......have a wonderful week-end......muwahhhhhhhhhh

The next time I go to the movies, I am definitely wearing my glasses!

I am still alive

2010-06-23T22:29:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I just finished teaching two weeks of a summer camp and am leaving in the morning for a curriculum conference in Philedelphia. I have missed reading your blogs but needed the time to unwind and then gear up for summer school. I will definitely get back into posting next week. Hope you all are doing well.

Kindergarten teacher blogs about blogging

2010-06-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

Hi there all my blogging buddies. I just wanted to let you know that I am taking a little break from blogging. My last teacher workday was yesterday and to be honest with you.....I just need to get my energy back. I try to give my teaching 200%. I miss my blogging friends and will return soon. Blessings to you all.

End of the School Year Sniffles and Sadness

2010-05-27T10:21:00.035-04:00

I am participating in Alphabet Thursday today. This week the assignment is the letter S. On this last day of the school year with the children, S represents sniffles and sadness for me. Every year I marvel at the new group of Students put in my care. I always wonder how I could possibly get a better group of students ....but I always do. I can't get over how leaky the ceiling gets at this time of the year. We have a special moving up ceremony for each grade level and give out awards. The parents come back to the room to get their child's report card. I had a terrible case of the sniffles as I stuffed these in each report card envelope with the letter below for each student. I also included a letter for the parents. Any of you teachers out there are welcome to copy it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsay,

You're a very special person,

And we wanted you to know.

How we loved to be your teacher,

How fast the weeks did go!

Please come back to visit us

As through the grades you grow,

Try hard to learn all that you can

There is so much to know!!

Remember all the fun we had

in all the things we did,

But most of all remember...

You're a very special kid!

Thanks for the memories!

Love,

Mrs. B and Mrs. K

Kindergarten 2009-2010

---------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Parents,

I give you back your child, the same child you confidently entrusted to our care last fall. I give her back pounds heavier, inches taller, months wiser, more responsible, and more mature than she was then.

Although she would have attained her growth in spite of me, it has been my pleasure and privilege to watch her personality unfold day by day and marvel at this splendid miracle of development.

I give her back reluctantly, for having spent nine months together in the narrow confines of a crowded classroom, we have grown close, have become a part of each other, and we shall always retain a little of each other.

We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year. I wish it could go on indefinitely, but give her back I must. Take care of her, for she is precious.

Remember that I will always be interested in your child and her destiny, wherever she goes, whatever she does, whoever she becomes. Her joys and sorrows I will always be happy to share.

Much Love,

Mrs. B

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I also make a CD of all of the pictures I take for the school year and give it to the parents. This year a parent offered to do the CDs for me which I thought was really sweet.

What Made Me Decide To Become A Teacher!

2010-05-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

Many people decide to become a teacher due to the influence of a person. That wasn't the case with me. I remember the moment I decided what kind of a teacher I wanted to be. I watched the film Cipher In The Snow when I went to a seminar at my university sponsored by the education department. The film is based on a true story written by Jean Mizer entitled Cipher in the Snow. This is the story that inspired me to be the best teacher I could be.

The story is about an ostracized teenager named Cliff. Following his parents' divorce, Cliff becomes withdrawn and has no friends. He literally becomes a "cipher".

The film begins with a tragedy on a snowy February morning. A teacher was driving behind a school bus when the bus suddenly veered off the road at a hotel. A boy stumbles out of the bus and falls over in the snow. The teacher jumps out of his car to help but the boy is dead. The bus driver tells the teacher that the boy never complained about feeling bad. Instead, he apologized to the driver and asked to be let out of the bus at the hotel. The driver and teacher are shocked that the boy is dead.

Back at the school, the teacher informs the Principal of the boy's death. The Principal asks him to notify the boy's parents and write his obituary for the school paper. The teacher learns that he was the boy's favorite teacher which shocks him because he hardly knew him.

At the boy's home, his mother tells the teacher that the boy never said a word about feeling bad. The stepfather tells the teacher that the boy had never spoken to him since he moved in. The teacher learns that the stepfather had made the boy's life miserable.

The teacher goes back to school to try to learn more about the boy. from his records In the boy's records, the teacher reads "slow learner, won't talk, uncooperative.." written by his third grade teacher but his IQ score reads 106. The score dropped below 100 after seventh grade. He tries to find ten teachers or students to attend the funeral that knew the boy, but no one even knew him well enough to go.

The teacher sits and ponders how many times the boy had been chosen last? Even timid children are resilient. It takes time to break them. How many times had the boy been told "You are a nothing!" It dawns on the teacher that when there was finally nothing left at all for the boy, he collapsed on a snow bank and went away. The teacher resolves never to let this happen to any student of his.

I had already made the decision to become an elementary school teacher when I watched the movie. What changed for me after watching the film was what Kind of teacher I wanted to be. Seeing the boy literally die of loneliness, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher that took an interest in ALL children, especially those that few people cared about. I have never forgotten Cliff in my thirty-four years of education. Each year, I have welcomed every new class with the silent promise that I would do everything I could to make a positive difference in each child's life. These little folks spend more time with me than they do with their own parents during the week. I owe it to them to make learning fun and show them that I genuinely care about them.

On Thursday, another school year will end. My students will move on but each will still have a special place in my heart. For some reason, the ceiling leaks in my classroom on the last day of school EVERY year. Well, that's my explanation for my wet cheeks....and I am sticking to it!

Budding Authors Ceremony

2010-05-23T19:59:00.000-04:00

Every year I have a budding author ceremony in May complete with a "red carpet". The children each write their own book and then have the opportunity to read it to their parents, grandparents and friends. They were bubbling with excitement last Tuesday in anticipation of this event. Here are some examples of the front covers of their books:

Here are two of my little charges reading their books and receiving their "award".

The parents clapped for each child after they finished reading. Next, they received an award before walking over and presenting their book to their parent or friend. We concluded with a reception of punch and cookies. The children had a great time and the parents were so proud! It really demonstrated how much the children learned over the course of the school year.

Here are a few examples of the books they wrote. I have written them down the way the child actually wrote the book:

The Magic Dress

One day a little girl went to the shop to buy a dress for a party. She loved a gorgeous purple sparkly flower dress. She tried it on and it fitted. She flew to the zoo and saw the monkey. She flew to the sea and saw the dolphins. She flew to the party but she did not tell her friends as it was her secret. She had lots more magic adventures in her magic dress. The End

Lindsay's Garden

Where are we said Jelly Bean? How did we get here? said Sugar Baby? The two Robo dwarf hamsters had gotten out of their cage. I am in the city- there is a skyscraper, said Jelly Bean. No, we are at the airport, said Sugar Baby. Jelly Bean and Sugar Baby ran for miles and miles and fell in the ocean. I am hungry said Jelly Bean. Come over here, Brother. There are tons and tons of hamster treats just for us. The hamsters start to cry for home and they thought the garden fairy was saying "Let's go this way." But is was really Lindsay whispering " I found you two!"

The Cow That Learned To Fly

Mootiful is a cow that grew wings. She flipped and flopped her wings and learned to fly. Mootiful flew to the barn. Blackspot the horse, Porker the Pig, and Buck the goat grew wings too. Mootiful taught them how to fly. All the animals flew to the fair. They had fun eating ice-cream and lollipops. The End

Top 9 phrases teachers hate to hear.

2010-05-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Cheeseboy here, from The Blog O' Cheese. VTK has been gracious enough to allow me to guest post while she is busy this weekend with fun things. I hope I do her proud.

We Elementary teachers are pretty patient people for the most part. We look and play the part of the kindhearted, peacemaking caregiver. Most of us truly are these things with the possible exception of about 5%. However, I can guarantee that just about every teacher cringes in unmistakable torment at the sound of the following decrees. I present to you, in full Cheeseboy regalia, the top 9 announcements teacher hate to hear:

9. "The PTA will be putting on a fund-raising assembly today." This pronouncement means I will be spending an hour sitting on a metal folding chair and listening to obnoxious squealing over cookie dough and prizes that clearly could have come from the Dollar Tree. And that is just the PTA ladies.

8. "Today will be an inside recess day." Inside recess day means three despicable things: Pent up rugrats with energy to spare, pent up ME with energy to spare and a complete mess in my room. Inside recess is a little like putting a group of superheros in a cage, shaking it up a little bit and hoping that they won't use their superpowers to hurt you. Oh yeah... they are going to use their powers and it's NOT going to be pretty.

7. "It's Grandparents Day today!" Yes, it's grandparents day for SOME kids. Congratulations kids, your grandparents are still alive. Now all you kids with dead grandmas or grandpas that just don't care, come line up over here and eat lunch by yourself. Cheeseboy, you are good at consoling upset kids, right?

6. "The 6th (or any other grade) is using the gym today." There will be no PE in the gym. Oh great, that means I've got to take thirty 7-year-old's out into 30 degree temperatures pretend to enjoy a rousing game of freeze tag. Literal freeze tag.

5. "The choices for lunch today are trout treasures or chili." Trying to convince kids that something called a "trout treasure" or "school brewed chili" is delicious is a little like convincing the Amish that they are going to die of global warming.

4. "It won't stop bleeding." Almost always referring to a nose, but not limited to the nasal region. "It won't stop bleeding" actually means, "Better buy more tissue cause this box will soon be a giant red glob in the garbage can."

3. "I kicked my shoe over the fence at recess." I know what you are thinking: Really? How often does that happen? The surprising answer is: 2.7 times per year. 2.7 days of one child in the classroom crying for six hours while wearing a single shoe. A teacher delight.

2. "Tomorrow is crazy hair day." I hate crazy hair day. It's simply an excuse for a child to act as crazy as their hair. Generally, the rule of thumb is: the crazier the hair, the crazier the kid acts. Crazy hair day always coincides with some special week like Red Ribbon Week or Safety Week. I propose we start a week called "Wear normal hair at school and drive your parents bonkers with crazy hair at home week."

1. "I couldn't make it to the bathroom." No matter what the kid is talking about, if they say this phrase it never means something positive has taken place. Ever.

R is for React

2010-05-20T09:10:00.001-04:00

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday. This has to be a quickie because I am headed out of town for a wedding for a few days. I was shopping for a last minute wedding gift......reaction: really procrastinating there teach!....when I encountered a woman on her cell phone in Bed Bath and Beyond. She was Really loud and kept going on and on about her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman. I Really tried not to pay attention to her going on and on about this Repugnant behavior of her boyfriend when......another woman walked up and handed her a card. She Read it and threw the card and began following the woman using very Racy and Repugnant words. I couldn't help myself, I had to pick up the card she threw at the woman. I wanted to know what spawned such a Reaction. The card Read :

" Dear Cell Phone user,

We are aware that your ongoing conversation about your husband's vasectomy is very important to you, but we thought you'd like to know that it doesn't interest us in the least. In fact, your babbling disregard for others is more than just a little annoying."

This was actually printed on a card like a business card. The woman wasn't really talking about the above, but the last sentence was totally on target. I wish I had some of those cards.

My reaction: I doubled over in laughter. Have a great week-end. I will be back in a few days.

Blogging About Dealing With Email Scams and Junk Mail In The Midst of Report Cards

2010-05-18T21:09:00.000-04:00

I spent several hours this past week-end putting my report card grades into the computer at school. Imagine my shock this afternoon when I opened up the data to find that a lot of it had been lost. I spent several more hours reloading the data but this time I printed copies of the report cards in case it happens again. So when I got home at 8 pm, I was tired. Two big pet peeves I have are scammers and junk mail. I hadn't planned to write a post tonight since I worked so late until I came close to getting suckered in by an email scam.

Email Scam alert

When I got home, I had received numerous emails from blogger acquaintances that read like this:

Your contact .................. invites you to participate in an iPad review program.
Marketing research companies are looking for individuals who are interested in reviewing the new Apple iPad. Sure they are, and donkeys fly too. The testing period lasts one month, after which reviewers can keep the device as a reward.
To see more details or to register to our program, follow the link below:

.btincgroup = scam

Thanks,

The Beta Testing Inc Group

At this time we are actively searching for people who will be willing to test the new Apple iPad. The testing period will take only two months, after which you may keep it as compensation.

Considering that the iPad has already been released, that put up a red flag for me. Inconsistencies on the site like 50,000 ipads to test in one spot while the FAQ's say 5,000 was red flag # 2. The biggest red flag of all was asking for my email address and email password. No way am I giving that out! That is a sure sign to me that they are going to spam everyone in my email account.

Junk mail

I have found a very effective way to deal with the unwanted junk mail or credit card offers that I get in my mailbox.

I got tired of so much junk mail being sent to my house that I didn't want. Even if you send them a nice letter asking to be removed from their mailing list, they keep sending the stuff. I started using the business reply envelope and putting all the junk back they sent in the envelope... along with something heavy like a thin piece of metal. Those companies stopped sending me stuff because I imagine that the postage they were paying was enough of a discouragement for them to remove me from their list!

So, since I have to get up at 6, I am headed to bed. I hope all my blogging buddies forgive me for not visiting until tomorrow. I am one tired teacher even if I didn't have much of an appetite today. That fiber stuff worked its magic long into the night last night....sigh!

Dealing with extreme hunger pangs in a Kindergarten Classroom

2010-05-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

To post or not to post, that is the question! Okay, why not!

Today turned out to be one of THOSE MONDAYS. I woke up five minutes before I was supposed to leave for school and no, I am not posting a picture of what I looked like today. Suffice it to say that I have looked betta.........! Since I barely had time to get my clothes on, I ran out the door without breakfast...or lunch. I try to pack a lunch every day since you have to pre-order at my school.

I make it into the parking lot with a smug look on my face only to realize that I couldn't find my keys when I got to my classroom door. I searched my pockets and looked in my big teacher satchel but they were nowhere to be found. It had started raining as I made my way back out to the parking lot. I searched all through my car but couldn't find them. I trudged back inside where I had left my tennis shoes and purse parked beside my locked door.

I picked them up and headed through the door to my teammate's room that adjoins with mine. I plopped my tennis shoes down on my chair when I heard a ping. You guessed it! My keys had slipped inside the sole of one shoe where it caught at the toe.

School started and things were looking up..... with one exception. I was hungry. I mean, I was really hungry. Finally, it was snack time. I asked around on my hall to see if anybody had any snacks to spare....nada! I even resorted to checking the trashcan to see if one of my charges threw away a perfectly good snack today.....but they didn't. I went to the workroom to see if there was any food in there but, there was none to be found. I was dejectedly headed back toward my room when I found an open box of Cinnamon flavored Metamucil fiber wafers. I wolfed two down...and those things were delicious. They were really crisp and crunchy and I am was a sucker for Cinnamon flavored anything. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have two more......I was sooooooooo hungry. I had a couple of glasses of water because I figured that might fill me up too.

I went back to my classroom and all was well. I kept counting the minutes until lunch. Sometimes in the middle and high school, they have a few extra lunches to sell. I thought surely today I would get lucky and be able to get something but there were none to be had. I trudged back toward my room when I remembered that there had been one pack of those wafers left in the Metamucil box, so I snagged them.

After lunch, I was in the middle of teaching when I told my assistant I would be right back and literally flew to the bathroom we share with the other class. After some time, kindergartners from both classes started pounding on the door. "Who is in there?" "Why are you taking so long?" "When are you coming out?" "Can you hurry up?"

When I finally sheepishly emerged, I got some rather stern looks from my students. I heard the teacher across the hall telling her students to be sure and read the directions. It would have been nice if I had done that before wolfing down three packs of those darn wafers today.

I don't care how hungry I am next time.....I am turning up my nose at fiber wafers.....sigh!

Helping Our Fellow Man Through Selflessness

2010-05-16T16:38:00.061-04:00

If you read my blog, you will know that I was recently given a Versatile blogging award. Today, since I am posting about something that is not directly related to teaching, you will see why Robin at Your Daily Dose thinks that at times my blog may be a bit versatile.

I am certain that you all have heard the phrase random acts of kindness. I am referring to small acts that any of us can do that can have a great effect on others. Let me give you a prime example. I have three blogging friends who recently exemplified practicing this "pay it forward" or "random acts of kindness" attitude. ~J at Boobies, Babies and a Blog, Shell at Things I Can't Say, Tree at Mother Of Pearl and many other blogging buddies have been blogging about a precious baby girl whose parents recently learned that she has cancer. Can you even imagine the horror and fear those parents must have experienced when they learned that their little Monkey was going to be fighting a battle against this awful disease.

How does this relate to my blogging buddies ~J and Shell you ask? Let me explain it to you. They have joined up with other bloggers to try to raise money for little Monkey. Her story can be found on her sweet mother Michelle's blog at Momma's Pixie Dreams. ~J and Shell asked the women who sponsored Friday Follow to assist by participating in a raffle to help raise money. Go to ~J's blog Boobies, Babies and a Blog or to Shell's Things I Can't Say to read about this. They asked other bloggers to consider giving an amount without specifying how much. Their purpose was strictly to help this small baby.

Their actions bring to mind for me a quote by Albert Schweitzer who said "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." What I feel these women are trying to do is to put a "reverence for life" into practice in their lives in order to alleviate the suffering of a small child. In their quiet, unassuming way, they are working for a better world.

I recently overheard a woman in line at the grocery store tell the cashier that she didn't want to donate $1.00 to The March Of Dimes because nobody ever does anything for her but her. How sad this world would be if we all had that attitude. Random acts of kindness are just one way for us to serve others. We don't do them to accrue a "payback" but for the inner peace and joy that we ourselves gain by grounding ourselves in spirituality. In each of us lies the opportunity to work in some quiet, yet unassuming way to make our world a better place for all of us. As a Christian, I feel that God wants me to see Christ in all of us whether it be a child with cancer or an adult like my precious blogging buddy Teresa at Too Many Heartbeats who is dealing with a very rare and debilitating illness called Dysautonomia/POTS. Just think about how much it would mean to Teresa to get a comment on her blog telling her you are thinking of her or praying for her.

If you hold a pencil between your hands, it will snap in two with very little pressure. But, if you take a large number of pencils between your hands, it is impossible for most of us to break them. Can you see the analogy to helping fight against a dreaded disease, helping to feed the poor, or assisting those who have lost everything in a flood.

God can use each of us to help others who are suffering. My prayer for each of you is that you will find your own small way to become a healing difference in our hurting world.

So let us not become tired of doing good.
Galatians 6:9-10

Blogging About What New ElementaryTeachers Need In A Mentor

2010-05-13T20:10:00.001-04:00

There was a big article in our local paper last month about how new teachers entering the profession are not getting the help and support that they need. It went on to talk about how new teachers coming right out of college often lack the practical knowledge that comes from working in the classroom versus what a college professor theorizes. They need a mentor in their school on their grade level to help them get acclimated to the job, someone who will be their advocate and support system regardless of their age. If they are new to a school system from another state, fresh out of college, or perhaps re-entering the profession after staying home for awhile, all could benefit from some form of a mentor. I remember one year when a new fourth grade teacher was assigned to be mentored by the art teacher. Now there's a good match!

Some systems take mentoring to the extreme and make new teachers sit through endless boring sessions or tapes on what to do or not to do. While some of that information is useful, overloading them while they are in a state of disequilibrium and trying to get used to the profession can be overwhelming. In addition, mentor teachers are often required to sit through these meetings as well, year after year. For their efforts, they are paid a stipend that might cover a meal at a fast food restaurant once everything has been taken out of the check. This is to compensate them for the hours spent going to mentor/mentee meetings every week for a semester.

I prefer to serve as a mentor to someone on my grade level or perhaps one grade level above. That way I can share lesson plans, newsletters, classroom management strategies, units, and materials with them. I have been told that this practical hands on advice is a lot more helpful. Rather than have the new teacher sit through a series of videotapes each week, I feel that he or she would benefit more from practical knowledge and assistance. An example of why follows.

One year I had a first year teacher I was mentoring come to me in tears. A parent was giving her a really hard time and had demanded a conference. Just like a dog smelling fear, I hate to say it but some parents can sense a newbie's fear and exploit it. I offered to sit in with her during the conference and I am glad I did.

The parent came in absolutely furious. She started out with language that would make a sailor blush. After about ten minutes of this, I asked her "What exactly is it you want?" This made her pause for a minute and then she went on with her tirade. I again asked " But what is it you want? If you want to talk about how often your son is getting in trouble, is cursing at us going to get what you want? If you want us to hear you, it would help if you would calm down and discuss this rationally. I understand that you are upset and we want to hear you. But if you continue to use this kind of language, we are going to conclude and wait for you to come back when we can talk like adults."

I didn't know if she was going to curse some more or throw something at me, but believe it or not, she calmed down. She talked about her frustrations at her son always getting in trouble. It was obvious that she needed time to get some things off her chest and that her frustrations were a result of her anger with her son as well as some long simmering complaints with the school system in general. She was a single parent struggling to support her family by working two jobs. Together, the teacher and I came up with an action plan to help her at school and at home. We also put her in touch with some needed outside resources that would help her. By the end of the conference, she hugged the young teacher and thanked her for listening. The rest of the year went much better and ended on a good note for all concerned. New teachers need someone to intervene if necessary with parents, administrators, or other teachers.

Whenever I have mentored a new teacher, here are a few things that I try to impart to them as we work together:

1) Ignore labels such as limited or slow. Look at each child that enters your classroom with a clean slate; one who is capable of unlimited potential.

2) Believe in your students. Rather than assuming that a child can't, give him or her the benefit of the doubt and assume that they can.

3) Create a loving, accepting environment where each child can flourish.

4) Make learning fun.

5) Greet each child when they come in every morning with a hug or a smile. Tell them you are excited to see them.

6) Leave a bad mood outside your classroom door. (Believe it or not, I actually try to visualize a box right outside my classroom door. I imagine dropping my bad mood in there until school is out.) Young children pick up on it if you don't.

7) To reach a young child's mind, you have to capture his heart. No matter how well you know your subject matter or how carefully you have planned your lessons....the real key to unlocking a child's potential is letting him know you believe in him and will always be there for him. My students call me their "School Mama". I tell them that there is no way I could ever take their Mom's place, but while they are at school, I want to take care of them and make them feel safe.

8) School systems often jump on a new "bandwagon", discarding a recently introduced program that teachers have just finally managed to figure out how to use. Don't be too quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. Hang on to strategies and techniques that you know were good for children.

9) Keep a journal of your school year. Write down questions and concerns to discuss with the teacher who is mentoring you. Weekly meetings are a must.

10) Have an open door policy. Parents who are allowed to come in and volunteer get to see first hand what happens in your classroom. That automatically cuts down on a lot of questions and concerns.

If you are new to the profession, what do you need to help you be more successful in the classroom!

Writing About Mothers In Kindergarten And Moms Who Blog

2010-05-09T01:19:00.030-04:00

When I was in my twenties and thirties, I used to sit in church with tears rolling down my cheeks every Mother's Day when the minister would recognize all of the Moms in the congregation and instruct the ushers to pass out pink carnations. For seventeen years, I had hoped and prayed for a baby. My husband and I had given up hope after three miscarriages when we learned that I was pregnant with our precious daughter. For the past twenty-one years, I have watched her blossom into a beautiful young woman who I love with all my heart.

Since tomorrow is Mother's Day, I wanted to write a post honoring all of the Moms and Grand-moms out there in blogland I have come to know in the three short months I have been blogging:

Moms who spend time with their children like ~J, Tree, Terra, Dana, Brenda Susan, Kelly, Jen, Traychelle, Rosie P, Karin Katherine, Robyn, Oka, Soup Baby, and Purseblogger .......

Moms like The Empress, Phyllis at All Things Beautiful, Midwest Mama, Michelle, Melissa, Kathy, and Over Yonder who take the time teach their children at home.........

Moms like Adrienne, Lauri, Velvet Over Steel and Debbie from single/complicated who make sacrifices as single Moms to do their best for their children.....

Moms like T.J., Crystal, Messy Mommy, Heather, Debbie who is becoming her Mother...lol, Teresa, Marla, Dolly, Michelle, Z and C's Mom, Bossy Betty, Arizona Mamma and Magee Mommy who laugh with their children.....

Teacher Moms like Bits N Pieces, Theresa M, Mrs. C, and Lipstick Life who are teachers in public or private schools.

Moms who put in "face time" like Turning Back the Clock, Anne, He Me + Three, Leslie, Elizabeth, and Frugal Vickie .........

Moms like me with one daughter like Aging Mommy, Stacy, Tammy, Tracie, and Jocelyn ........

Moms who blog about their children like Shell with her little Monkey, Bear and Cub, Karen Blados with her punk and punkette, Sarah Lynn, Amy with her two girls, JDaniel's Mom, Helga, Angie, and DebbieDoos and her boys.

Moms who never age like Java...sigh

Last but not least, the GrandMoms out there like some of my favorite bloggers: Jenny Matlock, Ms. Anthropy, Andrea, Bernie and Teresa at Too Many Heartbeats.

When I read your blogs, I delight in them so much because they bring back memories for me of time spent with my own precious daughter. Happy Mother's Day to all you card carrying Moms! You've earned it.

Enjoy......................

Marlene,

I don't know if you are a Mom or not, but Happy Mother's Day anyway!

How Did God Make Mothers?

He got blud, bones, a hart and made a Mom.






Why Did God Make Mothers?

be cuz if we did not have muthers we wud not have kids.

What Kind of Little Girl Was Your Mom?

What Ingredients are Moms Made Of?

Why Did Your Dad Marry Your Mom?

When Mother Teresa received her Nobel Prize, she was asked, "What can we do to promote world peace?" She replied, "Go home and love your family."

I hope you all enjoy time with your family today! Blessings

Participating In Alphabet Thursday....P is for Precious at School, at Home, and Everywhere!

2010-05-06T17:59:00.002-04:00

P is for precious.......

Pumpkins

Playing with a Puppy

Or just simply Playing

Presents for Mother's Day

Pots for Mommy to put plants in

Pretty Princess

and

Prayer

May today be all you need it to be. May the Peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight, and conquer all your fears. May God manifest himself today in ways you have never experienced before. May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer, and your prayers be answered. I pray for peace, healing, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, true and undying love for God.

This is my Prayer for each and every one of you who reads this on Alphabet Thursday and P day!!!

Blogging About A Kindergarten Teacher's Embarrassing Incidents In A Kindergarten Classroom

2010-05-04T21:46:00.003-04:00

My class shares a bathroom with the kindergarten class next door which means the doors on both sides need to be locked....and then unlocked. In the event that someone forgets to unlock one side, the next nearest bathroom is down the hall. For a kindergartner or ahem.. teacher, who suddenly realizes that they waited just a tad too long to go to the bathroom, the distance can be excruciating!!!

Today, while I was talking to my assistant, I opened the bathroom door on our side only to find that it was already occupied. I don't know who was more surprised...me or the little boy from next door! "Hey" he yelled as he desperately attempted to hide himself "somebody is in here!!!" I quickly closed the door and told him that I hadn't realized he was in there since the door on our side was unlocked. Bless his heart, I remember once when I had the same thing happen to me........

In one elementary school I worked in about twelve years ago, we had a single restroom in each kindergarten classroom. I don't have to explain to anyone who has been a kindergarten teacher why this arrangement works better. Kindergartners get so wrapped up in what they are doing that they have been known to take flight in the middle of an activity when they realize that nature calls. There were no locks on the doors so that a child wouldn't accidentally lock themselves in.

One afternoon, right after my assistant had taken our students out for recess, I decided to slip into the restroom since I had a few minutes to myself. I had been in there all of ten seconds when someone began pushing the door open. They pushed hard!!!! I yelled "Hey! Wait a minute! Someone is in here!" and pushed back with all my might. A child in my classroom, who I will refer to as D, yelled back "Well, move over! I gotta go bad!" Evidently he had waited until he couldn't wait any longer before running back into the classroom. We continued to have a shoving match with the door. Can you picture a teacher desperately trying to put herself back together while trying to keep a five year old out who just as desperately wants to get in? It wasn't a pretty picture. After that, I always managed to wait until I got to the faculty lounge before I used the facilities.

When I accidentally walked in on the poor little guy today, I know just how he felt!

On a side note, my blogging buddy Shell at Things I Can't Say has a precious little boy named Mason who is in a baby contest. If you are so inclined, she would love it if you would go and vote for him. It is really easy...you just click where she shows you to or click on his name .....and voila! He is Mason Samuel and he is on the fifth row.

Blogging About Visitors Of Distinction In A Kindergarten Classroom

2010-05-02T21:17:00.000-04:00

Back in the seventies, our local paper developed a program that encouraged the use of newspapers in the schools. Like many of my colleagues, I was anxious to give it a try when I heard about it and began incorporating it into my instruction. I really liked all of the different reading strategies it gave me and I could really tell that my students benefited from the program. One day our Principal proudly announced in a faculty meeting that the Editor in Chief of the paper would be coming to observe the program in our school. He would be bringing along a photographer and a reporter. I was honored to learn that I was one of the teachers my Principal selected for our visitors to see.

The day was set for the visitors to come along with our school superintendent and a school board member. We were all really excited to have all of these visitors of distinction coming to our school. On the day they were scheduled to come, I was beginning to think that perhaps they had changed their minds. Then, about an hour before the last bell for dismissal rang, in came the visitors escorted by my proud Principal.

As he was talking to the editor, the secretary made an announcement over the intercom. She announced to the Principal "Mr. L...., your strippers are here!" I had to chew on the insides of my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. I watched the poor man squirm red-faced as he faced the shocked expressions of our guests. He hurriedly excused himself and made his way to the office. I continued teaching the lesson while the photographer snapped away. The superintendent introduced me to the editor and we talked for a few minutes before they left. I looked around for my assistant and found her literally crying from laughter in the back of the room.

Later, we found out that the men who had come from the Central Office to strip the wax off the lobby floor had arrived and the Principal had told the secretary to be sure to page him as soon as they got there. Well, you have to give her credit for following directions! She had been a school secretary for forty years so I am certain it never dawned on her how her announcement might have sounded.

I have attached a picture from a newspaper clipping taken that very day by the photographer! I bet you never dreamed life in an elementary school could be so exciting! Can you remember a time when you experienced an innocent innuendo?

Blogging About Listening In The Classroom

2010-05-01T23:36:00.000-04:00

I have a bad habit of getting easily distracted when my little charges enter the classroom each morning. They will be handing me folders, asking questions, sharing some important tidbit of news that I HAVE to know right that moment, or making sure that I see their show and tell for the day; all at the same time.

I remember one morning about fifteen years ago when this morning routine took a very unusual turn. I was so intent on making sure that I was counting each child as I took attendance, that I wasn't really paying attention to what one student was asking me. He stood beside me asking if he could show me his show and tell for the day. Without looking up from my attendance book, I said sure and kept focusing on checking the roll. The next thing I knew, kids were screaming and bugs were hopping all over me. I looked up in shock, slack jawed, only to have a cricket fly in my mouth. It startled me so much that I fell off my low rolling stool trying to swat them off of me while I spit out what I could of the lone critter who was trying to make its way down my throat. Lets just say that I hope I never have the pleasure of tasting one of those crunchy little critters again.

If I had paid attention, I would have seen that the child was tugging at the lid as he asked me if he could show me his bucket of crickets. I am talking about a bucket the size that fried chicken comes in. His dad was an avid fisherman and had bought a bucket for him at a local fishing shack the day before so that he could bring them in for show and tell.

By that time, other teachers and parents were making their way to my door to see what all of the commotion was about.Within minutes, they were joined by my assistant who had been on bus duty and the Assistant Principal! They all rushed in to the sight of kids running around screaming and me sitting on the floor swatting bugs. What a way to start the day!

I am happy to say that not only did we get to hear them chirp that morning as the fisherman dad hoped, but they continued chirping for months. Crickets are very good at hiding in nooks and crannies!

Wouldn't you think that I would have learned my lesson about too much early morning multi-tasking after that particular day? Not I responded the kindergarten teacher!

Blogging About Parents Who Don't Want To Put In "Facetime" At School

2010-04-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

I got this comment from a parent on Tuesday when I blogged about Grandparents Day.

You would probably hate me in real life.
I'm the mom who never shows up for anything. I hate "facetime" at school. I have tons of facetime with my kids after school.
The grandparents, though, can still be seduced. I'll send them your way.

I had to look twice to make sure I read it right. I hope that any parents that put in "facetime" in my classroom do it for their child, not for me. Parent involvement and attention is a form of acknowledgment for your child!

Research shows that children do much better in school when parents communicate regularly with teachers and make efforts to become involved in the school. Even if it's only once a year, and you have to take a half-day off from work to do so, I would recommend that you do it. Come and spend time in your child's classroom, or just have lunch. I see my students get so excited when they see their parent in our classroom. It sends a very powerful message to the child that you care about her as well as her education.

In most schools, you don't need an excuse to visit the classroom. Just ask the teacher if you can come in to volunteer, join the class on a field trip, tutor, or just come for a special event.

In the short time I have been a part of the blogging world, I have been so impressed by Moms like Adrienne, Debbiedoos, ~J, Shell, Debbie- Single Complicated, Velvet Over Steel, and Kelly who blog about helping in the classroom, going on a field trip, or just having lunch with their child. I wonder how they would respond if you asked one of their children if the "facetime" made a difference. Adrienne and Velvet have blogged about how hurt their child was at the lack of involvement in school activities from an absentee Dad.

Tomorrow night I will have my annual party for my class in my home. We will have pizza, juice boxes, and special activities. The boys get to play in the tree-house we built for our daughter when she was little and play ball. The girls are going to get a manicure. Then we are all going to watch a movie. I wonder how my little charges would react if I told them " Sorry.....no party! I have plenty of facetime with you during school! I don't need anymore."

Let me throw that question out to all the Moms and Dads out there. What do you think about "facetime" in the schools?

Blogging About The Lunchroom Cuisine In A Public School System

2010-04-28T20:03:00.001-04:00

As hard as they try, cafeteria managers often have a hard time getting hot lunches to appeal to the masses. I remember one year that the Central Office administration in my public school system decided to serve breakfast for lunch hoping to increase the number of students buying lunch. They created what looked like a corn dog by putting sausage on a stick and wrapping pancake batter around it. before cooking it The bread was supposed to taste like a pancake anyway. The very first time it was served in our cafeteria sticks in my mind.

As one little boy moved down the serving line he started jumping up and down. He kept repeating how much he loveddddddddd corn dogs. I had to slow the child down long enough for him to give the cashier his lunch number. He made a beeline to a table and plopped down beside two friends. "I love corn dogs!" he told his friends. "I mean I LOVE corn dogs!" he repeated with emphasis. He took a huge bite and then a look of utter shock crossed his face. The way he grimaced, I was afraid he wasn't going to be able to swallow it. The children seated on either side of him must have had the same thought because they leaned away from him. When the poor kid could finally speak again, he said "What is this? Ewwww.!! This ain't no corn dog. This is just plain NASTY! Even my dawg wouldn't eat this thang and he eats everythang!" I couldn't have agreed more.

Blogging About Grandparents Day in Kindergarten

2010-04-26T18:16:00.001-04:00

In two weeks, we will be having Grandparents day in our school. It is a really special day where we honor our Grandparents (or a special Friend for children who do not have grandparents. We make books for them, gift them a gift of a silhouette cut by yours truly, and then have a ceremony complete with a red carpet and podium. We use a microphone and each child gets to come up and read "I love my grandparents because....."! One year a little girl got up to the microphone, looked out at the audience and said "I don't want to do it with people here! Can they leave? She was the exception though as most can't wait to get up and introduce the audience to their beloved grandparents or special friend! We always have a big crowd and parents video the presentation.

This is the book we make for each grandmother. As you can see below, grandmothers range in age from 32 to 90 as far as the children are concerned!

Here is our grandfather book that we make! There is a wide range in age for grandfathers as well!

Here are two samples of silhouettes that I made. I trace each child's face on an overhead, shrink the copy down and then cut the silhouette out of canson paper before I back it on cardstock. We also give one to the parents at the end of the year. Parents really like it and come back and ask us to do older siblings. Each silhouette is matted individually. I cut these last night.

Blogging About Making Mistakes and Admitting Shortcomings

2010-04-25T16:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I got up and felt on top of the world...until I read something someone wrote to me. It was filled with anger. Have you ever unknowingly done something so thoughtless that you unwittingly upset others? It is hard to examine choices one makes and realize that you made a mistake but that is what I did yesterday. My first reaction was to strike back in anger at the unkind words but then I realized that I wasn't blameless. My thoughtless actions had consequences. I suppose you are wondering what I did.

I have been blogging for all of two months. I got as excited about it as a kid riding a bike without training wheels for the first time as I started to chronicle my days as a teacher. You could compare my enthusiasm to that of a kid in a candy store when it came to sharing my funny or sad stories about my teaching years with others. I started to get followers which was even more exciting! People actually wanted to read what I wrote. But then, I got greedy. I wanted more people to read my blog so I wrote a message last week on other blogs saying that if a person would be interested in following my blog, I would gladly follow their blog back. I got a lot of followers that way so I did it again this week.

Now comes the part of this post that is hard to own up to. I got another message later in the day yesterday from a sister in Christ. She kindly but purposefully pointed out to me how thoughtless I had been by posting that message. I hadn't bothered to read anything about her but instead had just left that message. I felt like God was telling me to go back and read her blog so I did. Here was a lovely woman who is suffering from a rare neurovascular disease that has left her disabled yet she praises God and is thankful for her blessings. She blogs about her lovely daughter, her sweet and supportive close-knit family, and her daily struggles with unrelenting pain. Despite this pain, she has a beautiful spirit to match her physical beauty. Not wanting the good work God can do through me to be hindered by my thoughtlessness, I bowed my head and asked God to forgive me for using such poor judgment and for being selfish. Then I wrote to both people and apologized. I am thankful for the lesson I learned yesterday despite the pain that it caused me.

Its hard to admit that we make mistakes but I am so thankful that God is so forgiving. I wish each and every one of you that reads this a very blessed day.

Thou, O Lord, Art A God Full of Compassion, and Gracious....Psalm 86:15

Blogging About Show and Tell In A Kindergarten Classroom

2010-04-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

Show and tell is a favorite among Kindergartners. They can't wait to bring in something from home to share with their peers. These days we have strict criteria for what qualifies as show and tell, but when I first started teaching, I pretty much gave the children free reign to bring in toys, objects, etc.

One year really sticks out in my memory. A little boy had raided his Dad's briefcase before he left for school. He was proud of his Dad and wanted to show off something that belonged to him. He got up in front of the class and said he wanted to show a card his Daddy had in his briefcase. It was a very explicit greeting card complete with a picture of the X rated nature and I quickly snatched it up and asked him if his Mom knew he had taken the card. I asked him if his Mother or Dad knew that he had brought the card and he confessed that they did not. The first sentence that the child's father had written inside the card made me blush and I quickly closed it. I got on the phone and called the child's Mom and told her about the card.

To my amazement, she was at my classroom door asking for it in a very short time. When I handed it to her and she opened it, she looked furious. Thinking she was upset with me, I told her that I was sorry but that I thought she hadn't known that her son brought it to school and was sure she would want to know about it. She looked up and said "This card isn't addressed to me!!! and stormed off. Dumbfounded, I went back into the classroom. Sure enough, when my assistant and I checked the child's information sheet, his mother's name was different than the one the card was addressed to. I felt so bad about that and have no idea what the outcome was.

Note to parents.....be sure to screen items your child brings in for show and tell.