“It Happened Like This…”

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Jennie

This is the classic line to begin a great story, and a true story.  I say this often in the classroom, as language and stories are strong building blocks.  The children are very familiar with this phrase, as I tell stories at lunchtime.  Most of my stories are true, things that happened to me as a child and an adult.  The first story I ever told to children was about Dr. Tyler, ‘the peanut man’, who grew peanuts and suddenly appeared in my classroom, to the astonishment of everyone, including the teacher.  He looked exactly like Santa Claus, and when he barged into the classroom with a big burlap bag of peanuts, he really looked like Santa Claus.  Our teacher told us to duck, and he proceeded to pelt the classroom with peanuts.  It was scary, exciting, and wonderful.  This happened when I was in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade.

When I first told that story to children many years ago, I realized that the power of language and literacy goes far beyond reading a book.  The children begged for more stories, and I told stories!  From a bat in my bedroom, to a raccoon in my kitchen, every lunchtime is filled with “It happened like this” stories.

Stories are more than language; they are pathways to learning.  When a teacher tells a story, especially a true story, children soak it up.  They can never get enough and always ask for more.  So, how do I address that?  My stories become riddled with questions, asked by me.  Once a story has become popular, I can stop and ask questions.  I do this all the time, and I know it works.  I ask, “How do peanuts grow?”, and “How did the bat get into my bedroom?”  Those questions promote long conversations.  That’s wonderful!

“It Happened Like This“… It started at 10:00 AM.  A child was fascinated with our red and sparkly dress-up shoes, prompting dialogue about “The Wizard of Oz” with classmates and teachers.  Clearly, some children wanted to do a play or performance about “The Wizard of Oz”.  Since we were close to clean up and lunchtime, we decided to revisit the idea after rest time.

After rest and snack, we talked about what we wanted to do.  We chose parts, and gathered costumes from our dress-ups.  The children then decided what we should do, and wrote their own play.  They performed it for the the Big Room children.  This is what they wrote:

  The Aqua Room Wizard of Oz

“Once upon a time there was a girl named Dorothy and a dog named Toto who lived in a house in Kansas.  Two mean witches played together.  They had magic wands and turned people into things.  There was a good witch, too.  She could turn the bad witches into magic.  There was a tin man.  He had to save Dorothy.  He had to get on a horse and get to the house to save her.  Dorothy had to get on the back of the horse and giddy-up home.  Dorothy married the tin man.  She had a baby.  They will name the baby when she turns one year old.  The tin man said, “Dorothy, stay there.  I will take care of the witches.”.  And he said to the witches, “Bibbity bobbity boo!”

When children have been exposed to stories and storytelling, and have been allowed the opportunity to take an idea and run with it, to express themselves without constraints, and to have the support of of a teacher, parent or adult, critical thinking occurs and self esteem develops.  Wow!

This is a great example of my philosophy.  Our best plans can often be overturned by eager, questioning children.  I seize those moments!

Jennie

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Roots and Wings…and Thunderstorms

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Jennie

Some years ago I was on my porch with my adult daughter watching the big thunderstorm rumble into our yard. We were both enjoying the anticipation as well as the storm itself. I asked my daughter what memories popped into her head whenever she heard a big storm. She replied, “Camp, of course! We had nothing else; no TV, no computer, just the outdoors. Thunderstorms were great!” Funny thing. This was the same experience with me as a child at camp.

We talked about exciting and adventurous experiences in our childhood, and about childhood itself. We analyzed why children feel the way they do, and what is it that ‘makes a difference’ when they grow up. One thing kept ringing loud and clear. Children who are given experiences that challenge them, who are encouraged to take a chance and ‘do it’, and who have the firm love and support of their family, seem to grow up with a good, strong sense of self. Roots and wings.

I think of the swings on the playground and ‘yelling’ commands with excitement when a child first learns to pump a swing.  “Kick them out.  Tuck them in.  Pull.  Yes, you can do it!”  As children grow older, I think of opening the front door and letting my child ride his bike, alone, to the playground.  Then, going to sleepover camp for a month, at age eight.  My children begged to go, loved every minute of it, and I am convinced it was part of their foundation.  Roots and wings.

I was the opposite of a helicopter parent.  Friends were a little shocked to see my child roller-blading to school.  He couldn’t quite tie the laces tight enough, so his first grade teacher helped him.  They wondered if there was a ‘problem’ when my children went off to camp, and to prep school.  My daughter went to Italy, alone, after college graduation.  We’re talking speaking no Italian, as well.

After all of these different experiences, friends would then say, “Your children are so lucky to have these opportunities”.  That was quite a change.  I would smile and just say, “Roots and wings”.  They had the roots, with plenty of love and support.  Sometimes I felt brave and alone giving them the wings.  That was the hard part.  I’m so glad I did.

In my classroom, I approach each learning experience and activity, planned or unplanned, as an exciting opportunity. We are a family. We help each other, support each other, and encourage each other. We provide roots for each other with daily routine, tenderness, and a positive, fun attitude. We give each other wings when we learn how to write our name, pump a swing, stand in front of a group to talk, or try something new. Roots and wings.

Remember, it’s all the little experiences, over and over again, that we build upon. It’s not the big things that make a difference. Dancing with painted feet, coming to school at night and singing in the dark, shopping in a real Indian market, painting to classical music, setting up nap mats for other children, finding a new place on our big map with the magnifying glass, reading all the name cards without help….it is the culmination of all these activities, and many others, that make the difference.

I hope that in years to come, you and your child sit through a thunderstorm together, walk through the woods together, or sing in the dark together, and find it is an experience that is exciting. We hope that the Aqua Room has helped to give your child the experiences to feel a happy and confident sense of self. Roots and wings.

Jennie

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A Memorial Day in My Classroom

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Jennie

Our school wide Memorial Day remembrance some years ago with General Zukauskas and Cadet Crampton was stirring and moving, to say the least.  I think holding the American flag and singing patriotic songs, particularly “The Star Spangled Banner”, were quite meaningful to us.  We worked hard to learn the words to the song and to understand our flag.  Since the rain kept us indoors for the ceremony, we were unable to plant two small American flags for Greg and Travis in our school Memory Garden that day.  Greg and Travis were part of General Zukauskas’ troops, and died in the line of duty.  We planted the flags earlier in the week, on a sunny day, in a very low-key and age appropriate fashion.  Many of my Aqua Room children watched.

While we were outside on the playground, a child asked if we could look at Greg and Travis’ flags.  “Of course”, I said, as we strolled over together.  After standing in silence for a few moments I asked, “Do you want to say anything?”  “Can we sing the star banner song?”, the child asked.  “You mean “The Star Spangled Banner?”, I asked.  As we both sang together, we were joined by two other children, wanting to sing, too.  After we finished the song another child said, “Old Mr. Wyatt was in the Army.  He died a long time ago.  Can we sing for him?”  Again we sang the National Anthem and the song drew more children to participate.  Then another child said, “My Uncle Jack was in a war.  He died.  Can we sing for him?”  Yes, we sang again, and drew even more children into this tender moment.  We sang again for for all the soldiers in heaven, and yet again for our troops overseas.

Five times we sang “The Star Spangled Banner”, and each time it was a child who wanted and needed  to sing for someone they knew.  Everyone stood proud and placed their hand over their heart while looking at those two small American flags.  Children understand.

Music is both powerful and intimate.  It can make you rise up with passion, testing and confirming your values.  It can also ground you so that you see, feel and understand the simplest and most important things in life.  Both seem to happen with patriotic songs.  It certainly happened singing “The Star Spangled Banner” in the Memory Garden.

Many years ago I discovered Peter Spier’s book, The Star Spangled Banner.  He illustrates each line in the song.  This book is enormous in teaching children our National Anthem, because it puts a picture to all the words.  Understanding ‘rampart’ and ‘towering steep’ becomes clear.  And, the book covers all the verses of the song.  This is the visual to understand our National Anthem and appreciate all it represents.  It takes me thirty minutes to read the book to my class, because every page has so many things to talk about.

Teaching young children about Memorial Day isn’t easy.  Music is a gift, as it resonates all that teachers want to say, in a way that children can understand.  Sing all those patriotic songs, not just on Memorial Day.  And, read books that can illustrate those songs.

Jennie

 

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Music and Singing; The Little Things Become the Big Things, Especially With Patriotic Songs.

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Jennie

It all started with Jackson.  He’s a music lover in the classroom, and remembers what he hears.  Songs that are meaningful to him are not forgotten and often requested for us to sing.  Yesterday was the culmination of a slow build-up, with hints and requests for certain songs.  But, let me start at the beginning.  Jackson loves it when I pull out the autoharp and sing.  Typically he is all about our movement songs, like “Jump Down, Kick Around”, or “Five Little Monkeys”.  Every once in a while he asks for “God Bless America”.  We love that song in our classroom, but it has been a few years since the song was a favorite with the children.  I introduce so many songs, and always support what the children like.  That’s emergent curriculum.

As the year has progressed, we have sung “God Bless America” more often.  What a simple, yet powerful song.  I watch children sing this song, and time and time again it has the same effect.  Children stand proud, but also appear humbled, as if they somehow know there is something bigger or more important to be singing about; a meaning or purpose behind the words.  Thank you, Irving Berlin.  In past years this song has manifested itself to the point of doing much more with the children than just singing the song; for example, the magnificent quilt that hangs at the Fisher House in Boston.  Yes, the children in my classroom designed the quilt.

Although we have been singing “God Bless America”, last week we sang “This Land is Your Land”, and this is where things really changed.  Children were humming and singing to themselves in the bathroom, at the writing table, and while doing puzzles.  It was becoming infectious in a wonderful way.  When the children started to sing, I chimed right in, and so did others.  Now, the lead had shifted.  I was no longer initiating the song, I was following along.

Jackson kept asking to sing the song.  I promised we would sing it together after rest, and sure enough, the first words out of his mouth when he woke up were, “Jennie, remember what we’re going to do?”  This time I used the book This Land is Your Land so that we could see the illustrations as we sang along.  We sat together in the rocking chair and started to sing.  Children doing other activities sang, too.  Then, children started to come over and join us.  By the third verse, the entire class was scrunched around the rocking chair.  Boy, did we sing!  We belted out every chorus, with rising volume and passion.  It felt like we were singing to a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park.

Next, everyone wanted to go through the book, discovering so many different landmarks in America.  We talked about Mount Rushmore, the Wanona tunnel tree in Yosemite, the Chicago water tower, Grand Coulee dam, an oil well, the Seattle Space needle, and the Washington Monument.  It was a mini geography lesson.

Did you know that “The Star Spangled Banner” did not become our National Anthem until 1931?  In the late 1930’s, Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America”.  He thought our National Anthem was too difficult to sing (I think he really didn’t care for the song), and he wanted to write a patriotic song about America.  After “God Bless America” became popular, Woody Guthrie did not care for it at all, and decided to write “This Land is Your Land”.  I find it fascinating that both writers had a similar motivation, and both songs are successful (and wonderful).  Certainly in my classroom, the children love singing these songs.

Singing a patriotic song with young children is far different than singing any other song.  How is it that children seem to understand?  They instinctively know that a patriotic song is something special, much like how they understand the difference between a toy and something real.  I introduce children to all types of music, and in my thirty years of teaching, the children ‘take over’ the patriotic songs.  They become the leaders and somehow navigate or inspire the other children to join in and sing.  I sit back and watch this evolution, time and time again.  It’s like ‘Old Faithful’ in Yosemite; it happens all the time, I can’t explain it, and it is simply wonderful.

Jennie

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Lunch Time Conversation in the Classroom; It’s Important!

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Jennie

I thought you might enjoy a a little verbal window into my classroom at 12:00 PM.  Is it chaos or is it beneficial?  Yes, there is chaos.  The logistics of of getting fifteen children set up for lunch is no small feat.  On the other side, lunch time is almost like a casual circle time; a time that we often engage in in-depth discussions, sometimes light and fun, sometimes deep and serious!  We have debated if girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys; we have nominated our favorite cereals and our hated vegetables.  We talk about nutrition, manners, health, nightmares, and monsters.  The questions are endless.  Everyone’s opinion is valued.  Isn’t that wonderful?  A favorite is, “Tell me when you were a little girl”.  Children derive such comfort and support when they know that their teacher had all the same fears and troubles when they were young.  “It happened like this…” has become the opening sentence for the ‘Jennie stories’ that have children captivated.  They know it is a true story as soon as they hear the words, “It happened like this”, and they are on the edge of their seats.  And now, that phrase also signifies something important as well as true to children.

Lunch time is much more than learning about nutrition, practicing with utensils, or remembering ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.  It is a time of coming together, where we truly bond as a family, and often engage in rich conversation.  Much like our Morning Meeting, each child’s thoughts and questions are welcomed and valued.   We had quite a deep discussion which I would like to share with you.  Many children were contributors to this conversation.  It happened like this:

Child:  “Is die a bad word?”

Jennie:  “No, die is not a bad word.  Everything that is alive dies.  Flowers die.  People die after they are very, very old.”

Child:  “What does alive mean?”

Jennie:  “It means something that is living, like plants, or animals, and even people.  Let’s see; ‘What is alive and what is dead’?”

Child:  “My lunch is not alive.”

Child:  “Or a table.”

Jennie:  “Is the lettuce on my sandwich alive or dead?  This is tricky.”

Child:  “Alive!”

Child:  “Dead!”

Jennie:  “Well, it was alive when it was growing in the ground, and it died after it was picked.  All plants and food are alive when they are growing.  Just like animals and people.”

Child:  “I’m growing.  Will I die when I stop growing?”

Jennie:  “You probably won’t die until you are very old.”

Child:  “My Grampy’s old, and he’s alive.”

Jennie:  “My mother is very old, and she is alive, too.”

Child:  “Do you die if there’s a fire?”

Jennie:  “Firefighters will be there to rescue and help you.  You probably won’t die.”

Child:  “What if you’re hot in a fire?”

Jennie:  “A fire hardly ever happens, and the firefighters are right there.  You don’t need to worry about that at all.  You probably won’t die until you are very old.”

Child:  “Will God die?  He’s very old.”

Jennie:  “God doesn’t die.  For people who believe, He lives in your heart forever.”

Wow!  As you can see, our lunch times are often full of wonder and sharing.   Learning takes place in many ways, and we will always provide an environment and multiple avenues, such as today, where children can learn.  Did you know that the benefits of verbal dialogue among families at dinner is as effective for language development as reading?  A key to language and to reading readiness is in both conversation and listening.  I believe that our lunch time provides all of these opportunities plus socializing, nutrition, education, and reinforcement of table manners, in a fun, sometimes relaxed, sometimes chaotic environment.  It’s wonderful!

Jennie

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The Power of Singing. It’s Far More Than Music.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Jennie

Yesterday a child in my class had a very difficult drop-off.  All the words in the world from Mom, and all her hugs and reassurances just didn’t make a dent.  I was equally unsuccessful in helping Mom to say goodbye and leave.  Eventually she just had to leave.  And, there was her child, crying and not wanting to be consoled at all.  We headed outside to the playground, and this child simply sat down on the walkway, three steps beyond the door, full of tears.  I sat down right beside her, and then I started to sing.  The first song was, “Oh Mr. Sun”.  I sang that song so many times, yet each time I would change phrases like, “please shine down on me”  to substitute the name of that child.  Then, I changed phrases to name other children, the ones that she could see close by.  At this point she was not crying, but certainly was not ready to play. 

So, I sang again.  Actually, it was non-stop singing, making up words to any tune that came into my head.  I just kept singing about  the children, the playground, the birds; anything that popped into my head.  When I did this, I made sure the words were rhyming words.  If I started a phrase, I often stopped at the rhyming word.  Eventually, she chimed in to fill in that word.  Then we moved to the big swing.  I made the swinging match the beats of  the music.  This is where things changed.  The swing added natural rhythm to the song.  That rhythm is the core of music; it’s what brings all feelings to the surface.  It is soothing, whether it makes you cry or feel good.  It is the heart of passion in music.  We sang, swinging in the swing, over and over again.

I kept on singing, and she sang along.  She laughed when I grasped for rhyming words, or when I made up a tune that was fast or slow, high or low.  Now she was part of this.  Together, we sang our hearts out.  Singing works!  In the simplest of ways, it makes you feel good, and it is pleasurable.  In a deeper way, it is very connective, bonding you to a person, a time or a place.  Music does this too, but singing brings music full circle.  Pretty powerful stuff.

I frequently do my singing in the children’s bathroom at school.  I’ll sit on the bench while they do their business and wash their hands, and just make up something; often about our current chapter reading book, or about a math game.  It’s easy and fun to sing words, any words at all.  We’ll sing adding numbers, sing about the characters in books, sing about each other.  A song seems to ‘cement’ words and concepts, make them more powerful.  It reinforces what we have learned in a fun way.  A song can be a mini lesson, much more than rhyming and syllables.

Most importantly, singing is the heart and soul of connecting with each other.  There were no words to help this child when she came to school.  Even a hug was rebuffed.  Yet, singing brought her comfort, and that comfort allowed her to participate in so many things.  I didn’t need my autoharp; the singing alone did the job.  It was a wonderful morning.

Jennie

 

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Teaching Peace Through Diversity

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Jennie

Teachable moments do not always happen when planned. Teachers work hard to implement a rich curriculum and include all styles of learning. Yet, sometimes the best opportunities occur at unexpected times. That is exactly what happened this week in the Aqua Room. We learned first-hand, in a very real way, about peace and diversity.

During chapter reading, Doctor Dolittle’s Journey, their ship landed on Spider Monkey Island. Doctor Dolittle and his animals were met by Indians. Although Doctor Dolittle communicated to them in sign language that he had come in peace, the Indians became angry and went away.

A child in the class said, “Indians are bad. They eat people.” We stopped our reading in order to talk about this, and try to figure out why the people on the island became angry. After some soulful discussions, I said, “Do you know we have an Indian in our class?” The children’s wide-eyed silence spoke volumes! I then opened up my arms wide, and with a big smiling face said, “Trisha, please stand up and come here.” Trisha jumped up and eagerly ran up to be hugged by the outstretched arms of her teacher. I explained that Trisha is an Indian, and then asked the class is she is friendly. “Yes”, everybody said. I looked at Trisha and asked her, “Do you eat people?” “No”, she laughed. “Are you a good friend?” “Yes”, she said.

As Trisha went back to her mat, and the children were thinking about what had just happened, I said, “Do you know we have a child in our class from China and Hawaii? Michele, please stand up!” Michele, like Trisha, came to her teacher for a big hug, and to be asked, “Michele, do you eat people?” “No”, she laughed. “Are you a good friend?” “Yes” she said.

By now the children were beginning to understand. I said, “We even have a child in our class from the Philippines.” At this point, the class instinctively responded with ooos and aaahs, clearly a far cry from their perplexity of Indians. “Rhein, please stand up!” As he came forward for his big hug, things would change again. When I asked, “Rhein, do you eat people?” the entire class joined him in answering, “No!” “Are you a good friend?” also brought a full chorus of “Yes.”

Everybody understood this small, yet very real step in truly learning about diversity and about peace. We have often reflected that this school year has been particularly strong in that regard. Your children have not only developed a deep bond with each other, but consistently reach out to one another. Perhaps that is why Peep, our guinea pig and ‘Gloria’, our beloved puppet, are such an important part of our class this year. Have you noticed? Home visits abound, and our day-to-day events generally include Peep and Gloria. Whether it is something little, such as making sure Gloria can see the book we are reading, or something big, such as insisting that Peep be the cow in our Jack and the Beanstalk play, they represent diversity and also peace. Perhaps our school-wide theme of Peace, and our related classroom activities, has played a part in Peep and Gloria’s role in our class. We will definitely continue on this theme!

Jennie

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Giving the Gift of Reading and Friendship

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Jennie

Never underestimate children.  The same goes for those who know what it takes to make a difference with children.  This week both statements came into clear focus when I drove from Massachusetts to West Virginia with a car full of over 500 books.  This journey was the final leg of Groton Community School’s dedicated contribution to Read Aloud West Virginia.  As we celebrated NAEYC’s “Week of the Young Child”, our school’s focus was collecting books for children in West Virginia, and delivering them to an organization that does far more than just give out books; they promote reading books to children in one of our country’s most under performing states for childhood literacy.  Big difference!

I witnessed firsthand that difference, which also cemented my statement, ‘never understatement children’.  I went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. school in South Charleston to read aloud to the Pre-K class.  I planned to read an engaging book, The Story of Little Babaji, but the Director of Read Aloud wasn’t sure that the children could ‘stay with the book’, as it is a bit long.  She suggested a Mo Willems book that was fairly simple, and after some discussion we compromised on a Mo Willems book that was not as simple, Knuffle Bunny.  If the children could stick with and enjoy that book, I could then try and read mine.  Yes, they loved Knuffle Bunny, especially Trixie’s sounds, and they adored The Story of Little Babaji, helping to say and repeat the key sentences in the book.  After reading, they asked for more.  Actually, they begged for more.  Children can absorb far more of what they hear than what they see.  Therefore, they can listen to a story that is beyond their years and comprehend more than we realize.  That’s why reading aloud works.  Chapter books are read everyday in my classroom.  I rest my case.

When I arrived at Read Aloud West Virginia, the first thing I heard as I opened the car door to greet and meet Director Mary Kay Bond and her staff, was the sound of a train, and my childhood swept over me like a warm blanket.  Funny how a sound or a smell can instantly bring memories to the surface.  We shook hands, chatted, and oogled over the nineteen beautiful school bags filled with 500 really good books with labels.  I felt like I was in Cynthia Rylant’s book, The Relatives Came.  The looking and touching carried on for quite a while until the newspaper arrived to take pictures and interview me.  We talked about my school and making this big donation our annual Week of the Young Child giving, and how the children responded and participated.  We talked about how I found Read Aloud West Virginia, through the obituary of my childhood friend.  We also talked about reading to children and why it’s important.  To my surprise, the Charleston Gazette published the article the next day, front page news (www.wvgazette.com).

The afternoon was twofold; reading at the local school and addressing the Board of Directors at their monthly meeting.  This group of at least a dozen professionals were deeply appreciative.  When the cart full of the bags of books was rolled into the meeting, it was a pleasure to just sit back and watch their faces light up.  Like eager children, the members wanted to touch and feel, as if their hands could always keep that moment alive.  They so enjoyed how the children at my school counted all the books by tens and tied each bundle.  Each person wanted to tell me “thank you”, and wanted to make sure I passed their thanks along to Groton Community School.  “With pleasure”, I told them all.

Life is full of twists and turns.  Who knew that the death of a friend (and unbeknownst to me shared my passion), and her wish to be remembered through Read Aloud West Virginia, would become the catalyst for such an important giving event?  The children and schools who will be the recipient of the books are really the ones who benefit.  Given the tools of books, they won’t be underestimated.  Neither will the organization that makes it all happen.

Jennie

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Sharing Literacy and Changing Learning

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Jennie

After thirty years of teaching, if someone pinned me down and asked, “Okay, Jennie, what is the most important thing you teach, and what makes the biggest difference?”, I would know the answer, hands-down.  Really.  It is literacy and reading to children.  It’s the tool that truly ‘does it all’.

When I read to children I am opening the world to them.  First, it is always exciting to hear a story!  Whatever I’m reading to them, I find something in the book to stop and talk about.  If it is a rhyming book, we make up our own rhymes.  If there is a different or new vocabulary word, we look it up in our classroom dictionary.  If something has happened in the story, I ask ‘why’ questions.  Literature naturally transitions from picture books to chapter books when children understand that they make the pictures in their head.  That shift is a springboard to reading readiness.  A book is more than a story; it is an open opportunity to learn.  The book itself is just a cover and printed words.  How those words are read to a child is the magic ingredient to make children think.  And, thinking means learning.  That’s all on top of the basic, hardfast statistic: the more words a child knows, the better s/he will do in school, in all subject areas.

I am committed to children and learning, and I know that reading is the number one key.  I will travel to West Virginia next week to share literacy and reading.  West Virginia has one of the lowest reading proficiencies in the country, with 73% of fourth graders reading below grade level.  My school, Groton Community School in Groton, Massachusetts, has spearheaded a major book drive for Read Aloud West Virginia, an organization that champions reading aloud to children.  We have collected over 500 top notch books to bring to schools and children, from best sellers to classics to picture books and chapter reading books.  I’m spreading the benefits of reading!

I’ll be away from posting on my blog for a week, so stay tuned.  So much to share!

Jennie

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My Classroom; It Keeps Getting Better

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Jennie

I’ll never forget the day that it hit me like a ton of bricks: my classroom, the physical space, was dysfunctional.  For decades I had prided myself in understanding children and relating to them in every way.  My fifteen children every day at school were all very different, yet I had a way with children.  I could be ‘that teacher’ with any one of them.  And, I loved being able to do that because all the tiny, subtle ways that I made a connection with a child mattered the most.  Just the way I smiled could be the open door to a child.

That day, when the reality of my classroom hit me head on, our staff had a workshop on classroom environments with an Early Childhood consultant, Marcia Hebert.  She spent time in every classroom and with every teacher.  When we met as a group to discuss her ideas, she first described a classroom with orange here and there… that was me!  My children’s jack-o-lanterns were all over the walls.  I could feel my cheeks burning.  How could this be?  I was such a good teacher.  This was pretty shocking.

I went back to my classroom and looked at all the jack-o-lantern art all over the walls.  I liked the art (it was good).  Then I looked at the walls.  They were filled with good things, but a lot of good things.  I kept looking at the walls, because I had never seen them quite the way that I was now seeing them.  I wasn’t so sure that ‘lots of good things’ was a good idea.  It was busy.  Then I looked at my curtains and covers for toys and blocks.  It was the cutest jungle print.  Now I’m feeling beyond ‘not sure’; I’m feeling “I don’t like this”.  It gets worse when I see my vegetable print curtain that covers the nap mats, and the clear bins that store all the toys (see-through is not a good thing).  Suddenly, I hate my classroom.  It’s all wrong.  

This was a few years ago, and the changes I have made have been remarkable.  First, let’s talk about the changes with the children.  Morning Meetings were better than ever, because children didn’t have added distractions.  They weren’t looking at ‘stuff’ all over the room.  Activities for the day were more appealing and exciting, because children could really ‘see’ what was there, and better understand what they could do.  They naturally focused on the activity, not the classroom.  It became clear that changing the environment changed the way children learned and behaved.

The changes to my classroom started with the walls, because that was something I could do immediately.  I designated one wall for art and labeled it, “Art Gallery”.  Every picture from every child does not have to hang on the wall.  I was surprised at how easy it was to select a sampling of work from children.  Actually, the children liked it much better, too, as one spot gave the art more prestige.  I made sure art was rotated so all children had a piece on display.

Next, I changed curtains and coverings to a neutral shade.  No more jungle and vegetable prints.  That summer, I replaced two old rugs with neutral ones.  The following year I worked on the clear bins that stored toys.  The stacks of multiple bins were filled with so much color.  Toys are colorful!  I found inexpensive baskets to hold the bins.  What a big change that made.  This year I added plants, both hanging and on our big shelf.  And, I simplified.  That meant removing things I really didn’t use all the time.  Was this easy?  Yes and no.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely!  Am I finished?  Certainly not. 

I have always been an advocate for young children.  Witnessing first hand how a classroom’s physical presence makes a big impact on children, I have now become a ‘classroom environment’ advocate as well.  Recently I visited a school with two preschool classrooms, and they couldn’t have been more different.  One seemed cluttered and colorful, too busy.  The other seemed calm and inviting, and immediately focused on what the children had done.  I now have these new eyes that see so much more, and that’s a good thing.  When I talk with another professional about environments, I invite them into mine.  Today, the Eastern Regional Manager  from Kaplan paid me a visit, as they are ‘on board’ with what really works for young children.

Children will always be my top priority.  I reach them and connect with them through reading, music, art and much more.  Now, my classroom can be an extension of all that I do, and support children as they engage in learning and playing.

Jennie

 

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