So today I got a haircut - and the only comments I can't wait to hear are not from family and my other half (who loves it by the way) but from my 21 kids who no doubt will have some sheer honesty to share. I really can't wait - so much that I told my hair dresser I couldn't wait. : )
Today was a HUGE step towards success - day 4 or 5 (I've lost track and I need to be better about this - for myself so that next year when I'm losing my mind I can look back) of Writer's Workshop, which means "everyone's writing" (so they yell back when I ask) "and it's quiet!" I asked them to draw themselves "angry, really really angry" (like Sophie in the book we've been rereading for comprehension) and to then try - actually I said PERSEVERE and they know that word (!) to write some words on the top line, you know what? ALL but 1 child wrote random letters with some spaces on the top line, they get it, letters make words - WOW what a milestone!!! Were there any real words? Well no, some wrote the alphabet, some wrote their names, my spanish speaker wrote book, shine, look, cat - oh well - but they are recognizing text = huge and I was so excited I video taped them working quietly with jazz in the background.
Reader's workshop? getting there - 10 mins is pushing their ability to be independent but they are truly trying and seem to enjoy it. Phonics....centers are hard - hard for me to manage behavior AND teach a small group effectively -need to spend some time thinking about that this weekend.
Math? We are counting by tens each morning - as we count the days in school and yesterday marked a milestone, 30 days!! (another red number) and now our 3rd tens number : ). And that's a whole month of kindergarten! My expectations are higher - I don't give much slack....oh by the way My princess friend? She threw a fit - wore someone else's coat outside because it looked like hers - the other girl discovered it and was upset, then both girls screamed bloody murder that the coat was theirs - when I saw it I was able to say whose it was and princess friend still believed it was hers and went BALISTIC and I mean DANGEROUS - blood curdling screams, body rolling on the ground - kicking, flailing and attacking me - ridiculous behavior. I marched her inside and called grandma, informed her that she could not stay in kindergarten if that continued. Yeah done with that.
'poons? Yes my friend T - the one I love so much? He doesn't say S in the beginning of words- not all words, but a lot. Yesterday he wanted cereal, but it was muffins for breakfast so the spork packets were well, sporkless - included only a straw and napkin. So I said he wouldn't be able to have a cereal without a spoon - and wouldn't you know, the Village sent him with a spoon and his proud little voice appears beside me - "I have a 'poon in my pack pack." He brings it out grinning, eats his cereal and I take it to wash it. When it is snack time, he goes to get it to eat his yogurt and there were some fruit flies - whole school has them....and he says that my poon and that naty (nasty) he was thoroughly disturbed by the presence of flies near his poon. I just love to hear him talk. Or sing....he sings SkinnaMarinky Dinky Dink and it's cute - barely decipherable but cute.
I am not coherent - it's late, it's Thursday but I miss writing down my day and I'm sad I've missed so much already - I want to remember the moments where I literally jump up and down and say "look! look!" Today was one of those days - 3 mins of quiet writing...I was ECSTATIC!! Did I still lose my patience? Yeah - a little - clapped my hands about 10 times in the face of a child who was putting her head down during small group instruction - kept clapping then the class joined in - oops. Made tantrum friend apologize to the whole class. Made one kid stand on the carpet because he couldn't sit still.....but then also danced the Hokey Pokey, danced to ABC 123 - and watched a little friend show me "his moves." Gave out treasures from the treasure box like crazy.....and got a bad report from the PE teacher.
My new favorite word is "Pack Pack" I hope they never stop saying it. And now I will stop randomly word vomiting and sleep - a thorough, thought out reflection is due this weekend.
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