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Perhaps it was the ice storm that left the playground like a skating rink nestled among trees. Or perhaps it was the freezing temperatures day after day, because we have not been outside at school. Whatever the reason, today was a day not to be remembered. By mid morning I felt cranky. So did the children. I did the best thing I could do, picked up a book that was tuned into the moment- No, David, by David Shannon.
I was feeling just like David’s mother. The children must have been feeling like David. We read the book together six times. Six! Then we laughed. Then we belly laughed.
The children have been moving and jumping and singing for days. Today they were tired of their favorite songs. They began fighting over their favorite toys. Even the best Beanie Babies were left on the floor. Yelling? Pushing? Yup! Children who don’t cry cried. When a child pushed another child at our Morning Meeting, I stopped to say that pushing is not okay. She stuck her tongue out at me.
Whoa!
I must have looked sad or shocked. I had no words. I was stunned. Before I could do anything, children stood up and came to give a big hug. Unprompted. They just did it.
Perhaps reading No, David had struck a nerve. Even a classroom full of good hearts can have a bad day.
Jennie
A story of the arts, the creativity of a child, and one of my best moments in teaching. Thank you for sharing this, Sally.
Every day of chapter reading is an adventure; a roller coaster of wonder, laughter, and even sadness. Reading the words aloud to children without any pictures means that we stop to talk and ask questions.
As children hear the words, their brains are in “flux capacitor” mode. With only words to hear, the brain has to work overtime to make a mental picture, and more importantly process the story. That means thinking, reasoning, and asking questions. All in a moment.
That’s what happens every day at chapter reading.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is our current chapter reading book, and a favorite. We’re close to the end. Mr. Popper and his penguins have been sent to jail. They caused chaos in the wrong theater with Swen Swenson and his trained seals. The penguins were disturbers of the peace. The police and firemen (firefighters was not a word back in 1938) were called. When they arrived at the scene, it was humorous with the police taking sides with the seals and the firemen taking sides with the penguins. Chaos escalated, and ended with Mr. Popper and his penguins going to jail.
That prompted quite a discussion with children. It went something like this:
Child: “Who called the fire department?”
Me: “Janie did. Remember? She’s Mr. Popper’s daughter.”
Child: “Did she call 911?”
Me: “No. There was no 911 back then. She picked up the telephone and dialed the number for the fire department.”
Child: “Was there a fire?”
Me: “No, just confusion.”
Child: “But, if you call the fire department and there’s no fire, you get in big trouble.”
Child: “When do you go to jail?”
Child: “If you told the police the wrong thing.”
Child: “If somebody gets hurt and tells the policeman the wrong truth.”
Child: “If you don’t tell the police the truth and you lie to them.”
Child: “If you would do something bad to someone, like shoot them.”
I listened as children sorted through right and wrong, good and bad, and that fine line over punishment- jail. This was tricky. I was adding gray to their black and white world. Wrong doesn’t always mean you go to jail, yet wrong is still a terrible thing.
Silence. Mental wheels were turning. Sponges were soaking up words and sorting them out.
The child who initiated the discussion, asking about calling the fire department, spoke up. She was not only listening and learning, she was remembering the day she accidently pushed the 911 button on the telephone in her house. She told us the story. And, she told us she did not go to jail.
This prompted another question.
Child: “How does fire get into your house?”
We talked about the kitchen stove, and electricity, and lightening. We remembered when firefighters came to visit and dressed in all their gear so we wouldn’t be afraid of them. We talked about what to do, and being safe.
Then, we went back to reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins. How will Mr. Popper and the birds get out of jail? Tomorrow we’ll find out when we read aloud, and I will be ready for what questions may come our way. The roller coaster of reading aloud is a thrilling ride.
Discovering the South Pole and penguins.
Jennie
Thank you, Sally, for sharing my story of reading aloud.
These quotations on teaching are among the very best. Thank you, Charles French.
Jim Trelease sent me Einstein’s quote, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Jim knew this would strike me, and it did. All that I do in teaching is centered on creativity. And of course fun is essential in order to make sure that it sticks. So, does that mean I’m stimulating intelligence? No, it means I’m striking the match- that lights the fuse- that stimulates intelligence. Wow!
Thus began my love affair with Albert Einstein.
As a young child Einstein was a late talker, after the age of two. And then, he had unnatural pauses in his speech. The family maid said he was “a dope.” School wasn’t much better. Einstein said:
It’s almost a miracle that modern teaching methods have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry, for what this delicate little plant needs more than anything, besides stimulation, is freedom.
Yes. YES! Why do some teachers unknowingly strangle the curiosity of inquiry? Are they afraid to open the door and encourage children ask questions? Are they worried that they won’t be able to fit in all the required material in the curriculum? When things get too off track in my classroom, I tell the child, “Hold that thought. Don’t forget it!” And, I return to that thought later on. Oh, if I forget, you bet the child will remind me!
All of this is stimulation. Stimulation of the brain, and also the heart. Einstein was right when he compared a child to a little plant, needing stimulation and freedom. Freedom to think and to question. Freedom to run and use their body. Movement triggers neurons in the brain. Add music to the mix, and learning sticks. Really.
Einstein had a lifelong passion for music. He played the violin at age six (music and math go hand in hand). Classical music was his favorite, especially Mozart.
Mozart’s music is so pure and beautiful that I see it as a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe.
I have music in my classroom every day. We listen to classical music, dance and move to a variety of songs, learn patriotic songs, and even have fun with rock & roll. We get to listen to, feel and touch different instruments. In Einstein’s words, it’s all stimulation and freedom, and curiosity of inquiry.
My favorite Einstein quotes:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
“The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
“It’s not that I’m smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Jennie
Thank you, Sally. This post is the heart of my teaching young children. Reading aloud chapter books, especially Charlotte’s Web, makes a world of difference.
Norah tells of the magic of storytelling. It is the spark that fires the heart and the mind. I am honored to be included.
Telling stories to and with young children has many benefits. Including other things, it helps to develop:
There is something very special about telling, as opposed to reading, stories. The telling can be more fluid, more interactive, and change with the mood and with input from teller and listener. The distinction between teller and listener can blur and roles can change as the story flows.
Sometimes it is the routine and the relationships that are more important and more memorable than any one story. For example, a parent telling stories as part of the bedtime ritual, stories told by a visiting grandparent, aunt or uncle, or…
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Yet. It’s a word I use often at school with children. When they try hard and struggle, and say, “I can’t”, I add the word “yet”. A child might not be able to do it just now, but with practice they will. Yet.
Today the tables were turned. ‘Yet’ became the children’s words to me. Here is what happened:
It was a rainy day. There was extra time for music and the autoharp. Children picked their favorite songs, and we sang and danced. “Five Little Monkeys” was a top request, multiple times. Then, children wanted to sing “Red White and Blue.” With the autoharp.
“I don’t know how to play that song, but I have the book. Maybe the book has the music.”
The book had the music on the last page. Life was good. Well, it wasn’t good. I showed children how there were letters above the score of music, and how I could match that to the letters on the buttons of the autoharp. Easy, right? Not!
As I started to play and sing, I struggled to find the right button with the matching letter. I missed. I stopped. I tried many times, but it was hard. The children grabbed pretend phones, turned them into video cameras, and decided to videotape me playing. Maybe that would help. Besides, imaginary play is fun and creative. This was a great idea. Einstein said it best: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Finally, I let out a big sigh and an “ugh”, and stopped in frustration. I had made so many mistakes. This is where the tables turned. I told the children that I didn’t know if I could do this.
They said, “Yet. You can’t do this yet, but keep practicing.”
Jayden said, “Jennie, take a deep breath.” I did. “Now, blow out your candle.” I did. He said, “Take another deep breath.” I did. Now, blow out dragon breath.” I did.
Whoa! This is what we teachers do with children. Mindfulness. It calms their body, energizes their brain, and focuses on the task at hand. And now the children were the teachers, telling me what to do.
Did it work? You bet it did! I played much better than I had done before. The children sang, loud and proud. They continued to videotape me with pretend phones, which was very cool.
It was important for me to be in the shoes of the child, and for children to be in the shoes of a teacher. Thank goodness for rainy days. You never know what might happen, yet.
Jennie
A Teacher's Reflections 