MCC Friday Reflections

When I was a kid we played outside from the time school was over until dinner time.  We played with the neighborhood kids...of all ages and both genders.  We played games that required nothing except maybe a ball (or a can) and our unbridled energy.  While playing we rarely fought over rules or technicalities...simply because there were so few rules.  During our play we formed memories and friendships that have lasted a lifetime.  In spite of our differences we managed to have fun...pure fun.   My students have been having a rough go of it on the playground lately.  There seemed to be a problem every single day during recess.  From afar I watched to see what I could make of the complaining that had been so prevalent.  I watched the games that were being played, the groups of kids that walked around the playground, the loners and the ones who just couldn't seem to stay in one place long enough to establish themselves.  I watched as...

When the school year started I was assigned 28 students.  I put together my class lists, arranged the desks and other furniture in the classroom to accommodate so many.  I made sure I had enough books, storage areas, and other daily items we would need to have a successful year.  I then took some time to prepare myself.  I knew that 28 children in a classroom would be a lot.  I knew, also, that as the teacher I cannot allow the number of students I have to determine how the year will proceed and progress.  Housing 28 kids in one classroom for 6.5 hours per day, 5 days a week would prove to be quite the experience.  I prepared myself to take on the challenge that this would naturally present.  I reached back to the days before I was a teacher, when I was a Daycare Supervisor/Program Coordinator for a before-and-after school program as well as the summer program for Hephzibah Children's Association of Oak Park, IL.  I had been in charge of...

I have a quote that sits behind me on the wall.  It's a small piece of paper, hardly noticeable.  It reads, "The object of teaching a child is to enable [him] to get along without [his] teacher" ---Ebert Hubbard Those very words hold much of what I strive for as a teacher.  Providing my students with the tools necessary to be independent of me in their learning is a goal I employ every year.  The more I work on my goal, the more I help kids learn how to learn, and how to be self-sufficient. This week I had the distinct pleasure of realizing a part of my goal.  It came in the form of three students who, without even knowing that my goal exists, demonstrated the very essence of  "getting along without [their] teacher" . In one instance, a student presented me with a self-made map of England; complete with a key, a compass rose, and major cities marked and labeled.  This came from a discussion we had engaged in this week while learning ...

They say "Laughter is the best medicine".  The science behind this has to do with the release of endorphins while a a true laugh is being experienced.  Endorphins generally make us feel good.  Endorphins help us to feel at ease as well, a sense of safety if you will.  Endorphins are also responsible for some feelings of "closeness" to others through shared experiences. The classroom is a curious place.  In it are many people.  Each person having their own personality.  Each having their own set of experiences.  The dynamics of a classroom can change often.  From year to year, as a teacher, I get to experience the different climates of each class as they pass through my world. Somewhere along the line of a school year, the "honeymoon" period comes to a halt.  The true personalities of students and teacher come forth.  There are two paths that this revelation can take...one of "personality clashing" or one of "...

My students created a game on the playground.  They made their own rules and figured out ways to be the best at this game.  Then came the challenge.  The girls challenged the boys to a marathon of this game.  Every day when we went outside they would situate themselves around this game.   As some time passed I noticed that the teams had changed.  It was no longer girls vs. boys.  They mixed it up.  With this change there seemed to be more comradery.  The game flowed more smoothly than it had before and rules seemed to be adhered to more diligently.   There are times in the classroom where the kids would prefer to be with their own gender.  We respect that.  There are times when the kids like to be with their friends.  We respect that too.  There are times, as well, when they let go of these notions and allow themselves to expand their horizons; including themselves among everyone...mal...

Every morning I sit outside my classroom and greet each student.  We exchange "good mornings" and they tell me what they are doing for lunch.  It's a nice time of day because I get to see each one of my students and connect with them, if only for a moment.  The day quickly gets itself into motion and the whirlwind of learning commences.  That initial connection in the morning is the spark that sets the tone of our day.  It brings to light the humanness in us all; kids are people too and so are teachers. As we get to know one another we find out more and more about each other.  I have the privilege of learning about 21 individuals...each with their own dreams and fears, talents and skills, highs and lows.  Each one of them comes to me day after day with a host of experiences from their lives; as do I to them.  Each one of them comes to me with a sense of self that has been in the works for the past 9-10 years; mine spans 45....

Five weeks of Reading lessons.    Five selections were read and discussed.         Skills and strategies were explained and practiced.              Review took place over the course of one week. Five weeks of Writing lessons.      Six papers in all were completed.          Six papers were edited and revised.               Writing techniques were taught and practiced. The time for my students to demonstrate what they have learned finally came.  The reading test had two selections to be read and questions followed; testing their ability to identify main ideas and details, draw conclusions, work with vocabulary words, as well as identifying themes.  A writing prompt was given and students were expected to create a paper using the te...