The Former Student – On Teaching

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Jennie

Noah was my student, over twenty years ago.
He loved music.
It was my autoharp and singing that helped him adjust to school.
We have stayed in touch.
When he was in high school he came to play the keyboard, drums, ukulele, and other instruments for my class.
His former class.

He connected with children, and they connected with him.
Every day a child would ask, “Is it a Noah day?’
College came next.
Noah kept in touch, and he talked with me about teaching.
He had found his two passions – music and children.
Over the summers he told me he wanted to be a speech  pathologist.
Wonderful!  He had lots of questions.
Now, he has his Masters and is on his way.

The story gets better.

Noah visited me again this week.
We swam together.

And then we talked…and talked.
He told me stories about the children,
little things, funny things, important things,
the things that ‘stuck’ with him.
He was full of life, wanting to tell me what happened.

And then I told him stories about teaching children,
little things, funny things, important things,
the things that still stick with me.
The conversation became deeper.
How is it for teachers today in the classroom?
How can you teach everything you need to teach,
and still be there for so many children,
all of whom are on different levels,
and many of whom have issues?

Noah said to me,
“It’s all about the connection, not the content.”
Yes, yes, yes!!!
Noah, you ‘get it’.  Children will learn from you
because you connect with them.

As the evening wore on, Noah told the dinner group
about his visit to Philly (Philadelphia) to see his sister,
and going to a nightclub where jazz
was played, impromptu.
As he described the jazz,
the other guests went off into other conversations.
Not me!
I was glued as he described the 92-year-old
bass player who could barely walk up to the stage.
He must have performed like James Jamerson.
We talked about the sax, how it is ‘the’ instrument.

Everyone missed the great conversation.

Noah doesn’t miss a beat,
especially when it comes to teaching children.

Jennie

Posted in Early Education, Inspiration, School, teaching | Tagged , , | 87 Comments

Penelope Rex, Classic Books, and Eric Carle

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Jennie

As always, a trip to the Eric Carle Museum is full of the unexpected, with moments that linger long after my visit.  First, I met Penelope in the hallway.

Penelope Rex is the character in Ryan Higgins’ new book.  It is an  outstanding book, and Penelope is a character every child loves.  She’s a T-Rex dinosaur, yet she’s just like the child who reads the book – with worries, adventures, and feelings.

Her new pet is Mittens, the saber-toothed cat.  Yes, Mittens is a big problem for Penelope.  I can’t wait to read this book to my preschoolers in the fall.  This is coming from yours truly, the ‘Mrs. Picky’ of picture books.  I highly recommend this book.

The author, Ryan Higgins, was the big event at the museum, reading the book to a packed house.  I decided to wear my Mother Bruce apron the museum gave to me, as Mother Bruce is one of his first books, and still an all-time favorite.  Ryan was thrilled, and we had our picture taken together.  Of course he signed the apron.

I’m holding a Mother Bruce stuffed bear.  Now, I need a Penelope and a Mittens stuffed animal.

The exhibits at the Eric Carle Museum never disappoint.  I leave feeling exhilarated, with a full heart and soul.  Really.  How can one not be ‘moved’ by Eric Carle’s magnificent art?

This exhibit is all about birds, “Birdwatching with Eric Carle”.  If you like birds, this is an exhibit not to be missed.  I couldn’t stop looking at the rooster.  Being inches away from ‘the real deal’ is humbling.  If you’re in western Massachusetts, the exhibit is there through most of August.

Do you know metafiction, in art?  Metafiction is fiction about fiction – books that contain pictures about pictures and stories about stories.

When crayons go on strike in The Day the Crayons Quit  by Oliver Jeffers, one of the best books, there it was – Duncan’s green crayon and letter.


The classics were there; Little Fur Family, Grover in The Monster at the End of This Book, and Harold and the Purple Crayon.  Mo Willems’ Pigeon books have become the new classic.

Wordless books that take the reader into a new world were part of the exhibit.  Journey, by Aaron Becker and Flotsam, by David Wiesner are two of the best.  These books take the imagination on great adventures, and they spark language and dialogue.


This exhibit ‘has it all’.

I was recently featured in a monthly magazine for our community.  What could be better than me holding a print of The Very Hungry Caterpillar?  The museum was excited to get the publication.

Jennie

Posted in art, children's books, David Wiesner, Eric Carle, Imagination, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, reading, reading aloud, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , | 67 Comments

This says it all. Something as simple as raising the flag is pretty powerful. Celebrate the 4th with pride. Thank you, Steve, for this post. -Jennie-

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Jennie
Why Do I Raise The Flag?
Posted in Uncategorized | 51 Comments

Ghosts, Angels, and Spirits

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Jennie

Yes, I am a believer.  Perhaps because I have the heart of a child, I can openly see and feel.  All it takes is an encounter with a ghost or a spirit, and one cannot deny their existence.  I have had more than one!

When fellow blogger Don Ostertag at donostertag.wordpress.com recently commented on the ghost at the Guthrie Theater, I replied that those of us who have seen ghosts are believers.

“You’ve seen a ghost, or been in the presence of a ghost?”

“Yes.  A few times.”

“Really?  Please tell the story.”

“It happened like this.”

My first encounter was as a child.  I woke up in the middle of the night, looked out my bedroom window, and watched an angel or ghost fly across the sky.  I can recall this as vividly as the day it happened.  She wore a white dress, and looked back at me, smiling.  I was mesmerized and not afraid at all.  My parents, siblings, and friends thought It must have been a dream or just a cloud.  Nope.  She was real.


My second encounter was at summer camp.  I loved summer camp!  As a child I spent a month every summer in rural Salt Rock, West Virginia at Camp Dekanawida.  Younger children lived in tents, older children lived in cabins.  My memories and experiences are fond ones.  One evening on my walk back to my cabin, there was my father standing in the middle of the road.  He had died in a terrible car crash years ago when I was five-years-old, and I had never seen him since then.  I didn’t know what to say.  I just stood there looking at him, and he just stood there looking at me.  Then he was gone.  I wasn’t afraid.  I was glad to see him once again.

My third encounter included other family members.  We were in the car headed to the Norfolk, Virginia zoo.  Our new baby granddaughter was in her carseat in the back, next to the window.  I was beside her, and Hubby was beside me.  Our son was driving and our daughter-in-law was in the passenger seat.  Granddaughter had been very quiet and happy the entire car ride.  We came to a traffic light stop, which was beside a cemetery.  As soon as the car stopped,  granddaughter whipped her head around to look out the window at the cemetery.  She became excited and very happy, chatting in baby talk and waving at the cemetery.  The minute the light changed and the car began moving, she returned to her quiet self.  Hubby and I still talk about that moment.  It’s been said that babies can see ghosts and often babble with them.  I can vouch that it is true.

My fourth encounter was with Milly the Quilter.  Many of you remember my stories and blog posts about Milly.  We had ten wonderful years together in my classroom, as she worked with children to make beautiful quilts.  They hang at museums and places of prominence.  When Milly became sick with kidney failure, she was moved to a care facility.  I visited her often, and we enjoyed reminiscing.  Her proudest moment was presenting her quilt to the Governor of Massachusetts, who dropped onto one knee and clasped her hands to have a private conversation.  Not a dry eye in the house.  One day I got a call from her granddaughter to tell me her health was rapidly deteriorating.  Shortly thereafter she called to say, “Come now!”  I jumped into the car and drove (way too fast) to get to Milly.  When I was five minutes away, I had a huge wave rush over me.  It nearly knocked me to the back of my car seat.  Suddenly, there was peace, a tidal wave of peace.  I knew Milly had died.  She was right there with me.  She was smiling and telling me it was okay.  That was her way.  When I got to her care facility, her granddaughter told me I’d missed saying goodbye, as Milly had died five minutes earlier.  “I know.  She was with me five minutes ago.  She smiled and said it was okay.”

From time to time (not often) I feel a very strong presence of my grandmother, and Hubby’s mother.  I talk.  They listen.  It’s really wonderful.

I ask Hubby, “Do you ever feel or see your mom or dad, or brother, or sister?”  No, he never does.  I ponder why I’ve been lucky to feel and see ghosts, spirits, and angels.  Honestly, I believe my open heart and mind, much like the children I teach, holds the key.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Family, Inspiration, Peace, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 80 Comments

Roots & Wings, and Big Thunderstorms

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Jennie

The thunder is booming, and the lightning is flashing so much that I jump as I type this post.  I love every minute of the excitement.  I’m on the porch; I wouldn’t be any place else.  So much about thunderstorms remind me of adventure and excitement – and bravery – as a child.  It’s what I give to my preschoolers.  Here is one of my favorite posts.  It really hits home.

image

Last evening I was outdoors with my husband and our adult daughter watching the big thunderstorm rumble into our yard.  We were all 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.

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, children and their families 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.  I hope that my Aqua Room classroom, and all we have done together as a group, has helped to give children the experiences to feel a happy and confident sense of self.

Roots and wings.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, Mother Nature, Nature, self esteem, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , | 55 Comments

Three Wonderful Things

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Jennie

The school year has just ended.  I am exhausted and very happy.  It’s the little things that make the big difference, and here are three wonderful things that happened at the end of school:

Lissy’s self -portrait

Children draw a self portrait in September and in June.  This is included in their portfolio for parents – a collection of art, writing, photos, stories, and more, detailed over each month of school.  Just look at the huge difference in September and June, including name writing.  This made my day/month/year.

Adam and ‘the wedding’

Early in the school year I said to Adam, “When I grow up, will you marry me?”  He was thrilled and said a big “YES!”  As the year went on, we occasionally talked about getting married, but first I had to grow up.  Adam told his mom, and once in a while his mom and I would smile about ‘the wedding’.

Low and behold, the year-end thank you card from his mom ended with ‘P.S.  See you at the wedding’.  How wonderful!  This is why I teach and why I love children.

Gloria and Daisy

Gloria is home with me for a while.  Honestly, Hubby is as thrilled as I am.  We find ourselves stopping to say ‘hi’ and having a chat with Gloria when we walk by the couch.  She is taking care of Daisy, a very popular elephant in the new book, Small Things Mended, by Casey Robinson.  I highly recommend the book.  Children love it, and Daisy is as popular as the book.


Life is good.
May I always connect with children.
May I always read aloud the best books.
May I always have room in my heart for more.

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Diversity, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Gloria, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, preschool, self esteem, wonder, young children | Tagged , , , | 70 Comments

Life and Emergent Adventures

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Jennie

It is difficult to explain emergent curriculum to people.  For teachers it means paying attention to children, seizing the moment that ‘something happens’, and letting the moment be the guide for teaching.

Picture this: walking along a path in the woods with children, seeing a light ahead, and rushing over to discover the light is on a hatch doorway.  Should we open the door?  You bet!  It takes a lot of work to clear the dirt and weeds off the hatch and find the big brass ring to open the door.  What is on the other side?  We discover there’s a golden slide that goes down farther than we can see.  Should we slide down that slide?  You bet!  And what is at the bottom of the slide?

You get the picture.  This pretend story is how it goes and how it feels when teaching children and seizing the moment.  I can’t imagine following a scripted lesson that has no room for those moments when ‘something happens’.

Life is the same way.  It’s how we welcome what comes our way that makes all the difference.   Stephen Colbert says it best:

“If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn’t be worth doing.  The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playfulness, we will greet it.  We don’t have to look for what the next thing will be.  If experience is any judge, it’ll come flowing toward us like a river.”

Those words ring true.  Yes, that’s Life-101.

Here is one of life’s emergent adventures:  Last week a child came to me and said, “Jennie, there’s a footprint on the bathroom mirror.”  Of course I had to see.  There was certainly something that looked like a soapy footprint.

“Jennie, do you think it was a leprechaun?  Do you think it was Lucky the leprechaun?”

This is where I seized the moment, because ‘something happened’.

“I don’t know.  Do you think it was Lucky?  It might be.  Let’s show everyone.”

I shouted, “Aqua Roomers!  There’s a footprint on the mirror in the bathroom.  Joe thinks Lucky was here.  Come take a look.”

Yes, there was a stampede into the bathroom.  We studied the footprint, and children wanted to know if it was from Lucky.  Did he really visit the Aqua Room again?

“I think we need to write Lucky a letter and ask him if he was here and left a footprint.”  We wrote a letter and taped it to the mirror.

At pick-up time, I told Joe’s mother what had happened, and how cool it was that he brought up Lucky.  She was thrilled.  That night before I left school I wrote a big green YES below the letter.

The next morning every child rushed into the bathroom to show Mom and Dad the footprint and letter, and of course to see if Lucky answered the letter.  What excitement!  Better yet, there was a letter for the Aqua Roomers on the table.  It was from Lucky!

Lucky me!  You found my footprints.  They can be tricky to spot, so you must be super smart!  The school year’s nearly over, and I couldn’t leave without wishing you a fantastic summer filled with sunshine, laughter, and maybe even adventures as grand as the ones we have in the Aqua Room!  Look what I left for you!  Red, white, and blue treats, just like the colors in in a rainbow.  Yum!  Leprechauns love rainbows, so I know you’ll love these too.  Enjoy!

Your friend, Lucky.

Thank you to Joe’s mom for understanding, and bringing Lucky full circle.

Thank you to Stephen Colbert for explaining your approach to life’s experiences.

Thank you to all the teachers who embrace every moment and run with it.

Jennie

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Imagination, Inspiration, Quotes, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , | 68 Comments

Amanda in Scotland

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Jennie

Look what arrived today!
The newest Amanda book
by Darlene Foster.

I love every Amanda book.
Adventure, history, geography,
and all the complexities of sleuthing
with many different characters and personalities.

Let the summer reading begin!

Jennie

Posted in Book Review, books, geography, history, Learning About the World, literacy, reading | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Teaching Patriotism – Where it Began

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Jennie

Planting flags in our Memory Garden at school.

It all started with our field trip to the Shriners Circus years ago.  This circus is a perfect event for preschoolers as it’s grand but not overwhelming.  My class was seated and ready.  The circus began with lowering a big American flag and singing our National Anthem.  I had no idea this would happen.  So, of course I stood, put my hand over my heart, and began to sing.

I looked at the children and they were playing.  I looked at the parents and they were chatting away.  I was horrified.  Immediately I began rushing to each child and showing them how to stand and placing their little hands over their hearts.  I must have looked like someone who was frantically putting out fires, because that’s exactly what I was doing.  I was desperately trying to stop the ambivalence.

I knew I had plenty of teaching to do ahead.  My first step was to teach the children about our flag, since that was what they remembered from the circus.  I had a parent who was retired from the Navy bring a flag to school and tell the children all about it.  It was wonderful!  Why had I not thought about doing this before?  Seeing, touching, and learning about the flag shouldn’t wait until elementary school.  I learned along with the children.  Do you know the nickname of our flag?  I do.

My next step was our National Anthem, and there is no better book than Peter Spier’s The Star-Spangled Banner to teach this to young children.  Each line in the song is a full color illustration, which ignites plenty of questions and conversation.

We poured through this book, and ended up getting a piece of American history.  We talked about how the rockets were the only source of light to see the flag.  Then we talked about battles, and flying the flag showed we were still in the fight.  One child looked at an illustration and said, “That must be a towering steep.”  She was right!  The book includes the second and third versus, all with full illustrations.  I was surprised that I could still sing those by heart, and the children were surprised, too.

Singing; that was the next part of teaching.  We needed to sing patriotic songs.  Singing is universal when it comes to expressing the heart and soul of how you feel.  The children loved singing “God Bless America”.  After we learned the song, they decided to sing it amongst themselves and then for other classes on the playground.  They couldn’t get enough, so I arranged for soldiers to visit on Veteran’s Day so we could sing for them.  It was a wonderful event, yet the children wanted more.  I could tell.  We made a “God Bless America” book where we wrote all the words and drew the pictures.  What a treasure!  The quilt that followed hangs at the Fisher House in Boston.

Patriotism continues to grow in the classroom, year after year.  I lead the way in a school-wide Memorial Day Remembrance.  A retired Air Force Master Sergeant tells children about Memorial Day, in a way they can understand.  The Aqua Room holds the American flag and leads the school in singing “God Bless America.”

Thank a member of our military every chance you get.  Never forget the sacrifice they make to preserve our freedom.

Jennie

Posted in America, American flag, Death and dying, military, patriotism, preschool, Singing, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 67 Comments