My view every evening is this:
As the sun goes in and out, and the breeze flows across the open grass, I can only think of “amber waves of grain.” I see “spacious skies” every evening. And some evenings I see purple, too. Beautiful! And I hum the song, with gratitude.
Jennie
I had just met the children. The classroom was overflowing with eager parents and not-so-eager children. New + big + different = scary. For fifteen minutes we looked at each other, me smiling and children with big worried eyes. The classroom may have looked wonderful, but all that children could see were too many other people – and new teachers.
I knew just what to do. I pulled out the autoharp.
It’s big. Really big, with twenty-one strings. I sat down and put it on my lap. Suddenly there wasn’t a sound in the room. Nobody said a word. I looked at the autoharp and touched a string.
Me: “The strings make sounds. Like this.”
And then I plucked a few strings, from low to high, pausing between each sound. At the last one I winced my face, readying for the tiniest string that would play a really, really high sound. This was fascinating.
Me: “Now, if I push a button and play all the strings, it makes music. Not just sounds. Music!“
My face is excited, and I… do it. I push a button, strum the strings. Then I do another button. And another. Still, no one has said a word. Children are entranced.
Me: “I know, let’s play music and sing a song. Oh, there’s a song I think you know. See if you can guess what it is.”
And, I play ‘The ABC Song’. Children were eager to sing along, of course. Oh, did they ever sing! Now they were part of what was happening. I was connecting with children.
Me: “Wait! There’s another song that has exactly the same tune. It sounds just like ‘The ABC Song’. See if you know what it is.”
I began to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’. Children immediately sang. Two children stood up to sing. Actually, they belted out the song. We all had the best time together. I looked straight at every child. I was smiling and singing. They were, too. It felt good. It was a moment, a big one. I know the school year will be just fine.
Jennie
A perfect story of the miracle of reading, beautifully written by Diana Peach. Read on!
pixabay
I had another post prepared for today… but then a miracle happened…
I showed up at Tornado Boy’s house for two days of “Grammy Time.” Kindergarten doesn’t kick off until Tuesday and preschool ended early, leaving mom and dad in a lurch. When I walked in the door, I received my usual whirlwind of hugs, but the first question out of the tornado’s mouth was, “Do you want me to read a book to you?”
Not Legos, no request to build a spaceship or visit the park, no plea to use his old grammy as a jungle-gym. Nope.
“Do you want me to read a book to you?”
“Why, sure,” I replied, fully expecting a play by play narration through a picture book or a four-pager of his own creation.
I sat on the couch, and he climbed up beside me, tucked in tight, and opened Dr. Seuss’s Hop…
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Yesterday: The classroom is a disaster. So much to do. Overwhelming. How will I ever be ready?
Today:
Lookin’ good!
Tomorrow: Children! I can’t wait. ❤️
Jennie
Terrific quotations on books from Charles French.
Sally has posted a terrific collection of songs from bloggers who were at the Smorgasbord Invitation. While I was not able to be there, (the food was to die for!) my favorite song is included. “It’s a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong speaks for itself, especially for me. Thank you, Sally! 🙂
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
What is the meaning of life? For thousands and thousands of years, there has been an untold number of scientists and people who have attempted to explain the true meaning of life. Who can truly explain the reasons why human being act the way that they do? What makes them tick?
Well, I have great news for you…I discovered the real explanation of life and would like to share it with you…
A long time ago, God created the dog and said, “Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.”
The dog replied, “That’s a long time to be barking. How about you only give me ten years and I’ll give back the other ten?”
So God agreed.
Then God made the…
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The school year is beginning, and I turn to the most important thing I do in teaching – reading aloud. This is an earlier post that explodes with many picture books I discovered, and how they became the golden key. This is the beginning of many book reviews and stories behind what happened when I read aloud. Stay tuned!
My very first day of teaching was filled with nerves. There I was, sitting in front of fifteen children, ready to read-aloud a book that was new to me- Swimmy by Leo Lionni. Thus began my love of children’s books and reading. My life was about to change. It was more than the book; it was the full experience with the words and illustrations, and the children.
Suddenly the library and local book store became my favorite stops. I vowed to start my own book collection. One of my first purchases was Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Breathtaking! What does a teacher do when the book is so good that children need more? We created a giant mural, and then we went “owling”- at school, at night. Parents brought spotlights, and we called to owls in the woods behind the playground. Years later, parents still recalled that remarkable night.
Books started to trigger more than marinating vocabulary. I bought Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. The children made caps, and we performed a play for the school. I had never done a play performance with children. I quickly realized that adding this step made reading even better, not to mention building self confidence.
Fairy tales followed, and the favorites I added to my collection were Rapunzel by Paul O Zelinsky, The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone, and Jack and the Beanstalk by John Howe. Yes, play performances were stellar. One line in Jack and the Beanstalk prompted us to write to the author. Jack’s mother said to Jack, “You stupid boy.” John Howe kindly replied to the children with a handwritten two-page letter on why he used the word “stupid.”
I couldn’t read enough. I read all kinds of books. In time I just knew the good ones, like Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, and The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer.
I cried when reading-aloud books like The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. Tears are a good thing- they teach love so that children learn to feel for others.
I laughed my head off reading-aloud books like Would You Rather by John Birningham and Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos. Belly laughing is a terrific experience with children!
Books became geography lessons. Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton was the best in learning north, south, east and west- much like her book The Little House was the best in teaching history. I began to use a big book atlas to expand on learning. At any opportunity we opened up this marvelous tool to bringing books to life. It was common to become sidetracked. Isn’t that great?
Children need to understand emotions. That’s an important part of preschool. I discovered There’s an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer, Pig Pig Grows Up by David McPhail, Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman, and Humphrey the Lost Whale by Wendy Tokuda and Richard Hall. Together, we worry and wonder.
What happened next? Children wanted to read on their own. It is a common scene in my classroom:
Today I continue to read these books (and many, many more), along with new ones that I collect along the years. There are rhyming books, poetry, books that I sing…
I teach from the heart, thanks to reading-aloud. In the words to the song, “Make new friends and keep the old. One is silver and the older gold.” A book is a friend, whether silver or gold!
Jennie
Dear Teachers,
As you start your new school year there is one word that will get you through the uncertainty and the worry. It’s the same word that is the heart of educating. That word is ‘joy’. No, it’s not the happiness that children bring. It’s the happiness that you bring because it inspires and ignites the mind and the heart of children. Yes, that’s how it works.
Children come to you with big eyes, looking at you to teach them. They don’t know what to think. They want to learn, yet what they really want is to be inspired to learn. That is where you can make a difference.
What do you like? Because whatever it is, from math to music, that ‘like’ will become your best buddy, your guiding star, and the foundation to teach all the things that you like. It will also become a portal to help you teach the things you may not enjoy. If you know that every day you have some window of time to teach what you love, then you become an educator. You go beyond teaching curriculum; you teach the child.
Do you like reading? Does Because of Winn-Dixie or Charlotte’s Web make your heart jump? Well, carry that book around and read it aloud on the playground, in the lunchroom, or at the bus stop. If this is your passion, children will know, and they will listen. They will learn.
Do you like science? Carry a tuning fork, magnet, magnifying glass or flashlight in your pocket. Pick up interesting pieces of nature and explore them with children. This is one of the fundamental constants for learning. If you are grounded in nature and science, bring your curiosity and discovery to the classroom and playground; then the world will open up for children.
Do you love music? Sing your favorite songs, sing the words to a book, sing poetry, or just sing the words that you say. If this is your passion children will know. They’ll listen and learn. Introduce children to the music you love. I bring my record player and old albums into the classroom. Some years they love Beethoven, other years the Beatles. The point is, they will love the music because you do.
Do you love art? Don’t be afraid to use real artist’s watercolors when introducing art. Children enjoy learning about famous pieces of art, too. If you treat a child like an artist and treat the work s/he creates like a masterpiece, the results are remarkable. When a child has created something and is incredibly proud, ask the child to give the art a title and record that to the work of art. This simple affirmation has done more for the confidence and character of children than most anything I have done.
You may only like one thing, but that alone will open the door to help you teach the rest.
We all know that the emotional and social pieces for children need to be ‘there’ before effective learning takes place. Well, flip-flop that fact from the child to the teacher. If you the teacher are not grounded in an emotional and social component of educating, then how in the world can you get your message across to children? You have to share your love and passions. That’s your joy. In that way, you are sharing you. And, all that children want to know is that you love them and love what you are teaching. If they know that, the floodgates will open to learning.
Maya Angelou was right when she said, “…people will never forget how you made them feel”. The children I have taught for decades often return to school to visit. They can’t put a finger on what it was in my classroom, but they come back. Joy is the magic word.
Jennie
Chapter reading together was over, long over.
I peeked in to say one last goodnight.
Reading by flashlight.
Just wonderful.
Jennie
A Teacher's Reflections 