what better way
to
spend my day
than with
a dragon
a mermaid
a sparkly green spider
a black cat chanteuse
and
a fairy
on piano?
Oct14
Tag Archives: teacher
Sep26
the teacher is the one who gets the most out of the lessons, and the true teacher is the learner. – e. hubbard
the first year that i became a teacher
i challenged
my multi-age third-fifth grade class
to find
the longest word in the english language
antidisestablishmentarianism
to learn
how to spell it
to discover
its meaning
to be
excited
about the power of words
then
i received
the above note
from one of those students
challenging me back
at a higher level
and
i was
excited
about the power
of his words
and
understood
their meaning
and
discovered
that
i loved
being a teacher
and
learning
every single day
Sep5
one child’s teddy bear is another’s stuffed virus.
by far the most unique cuddly toy brought in by one of our kindergarteners today
Pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumonia) Educational Plush Toy
‘Those big cute eyes betray a deadly virus – pneumonia kills a lot of people each year.
Ask your doc about it.’
yikes
—
and the company’s sales’s pitch:
‘Giant Microbes And Viruses Plush Toys Make Great Stuffed Animals Gifts
Just in time for flu season… Or in time to educate people about other nasty viruses and microbes…
Do you ever think about what those viruses and bacteria look like? They may make us sick every now and then – and hopefully not too sick (or too often). Whether you have a case of the sniffles or a bout of the “stomach flu” – there’s usually a bug behind it.’
‘And as it turns out, some of them are awfully cute, at least in their stuffed animal plush toy versions! The folks from Giant Microbes have created a whole line-up of the tiny guys – blew them up to about 1 Million times their “normal” size, and turned them into some of the cutest plush animals around.
Whether you want giant plush viruses or bacteria, or whether you want any one of a whole bunch of other micro-organisms, they’ve got you covered.’
—-
“remember when you used to sleep with all of your stuffed animals as a child
so none of them would be jealous?”
– unknown author
—
credits: squidoo.com, giant microbes and viruses plush toys
Sep4
“the world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing.” – n. kocsis
if you need to reach me,
you can find me here with my people later today
May30
I do not seek. I find. – Pablo Picasso
and so we went to find art.
and after we ran so far,
and climbed so many stairs,
we could see the sky.
and there we found
a beautiful stone lion waiting for us.
we must have climbed to the top of the world.
and we were in the clouds.
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ~Twyla Tharp
Apr25
animal, mineral, or vegetable?
part of my life as a full-day kindergarten teacher is having lunch with the kids 3 days a week. it’s especially fun because the pre-kindergartneners also share our table, and while we might not get much time to eat, it never fails to be exciting and i am endlessly fascinated by their take on the food.
here are some chickeny stripnuggetstick things
here are some fishy stripnuggetstick things
they are never quite sure what to ask for, or what we’re having, when wanting more.
every year, someone declares themselves to suddenly be a ‘bege-tarian’,
because they like animals.
and they stop eating any meat,
but somehow they don’t identify our nuggetstickstrip items as meat,
and i understand completely.
and i loved the day when one of them asked for syrup to go on their foodstripnuggety item.
why do you want syrup, i asked?
aren’t these french toast strips?, they answered.
i’m not really sure, but let’s go with that.
—
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
Mark Twain
Apr7
You’re supposed to be using your gifts and fulfilling your dreams, at every age. – Victoria Moran
great evening at the tap room, a classic no-frills, neighborhood bar in nearby ypsilanti
i went there with a family whose sons i’ve taught and stayed close to as they’ve grown.
the night was organized by alex and his wife who own the ann arbor music center
and the rock band school for children and musicians of all ages
alex is a powerful musician in his own right, who plays, teaches, and builds guitars.
he works with local businesses and festivals to give his young bands a chance to play real gigs around town.
on this night, the place was standing room only, kids sat in front of the stage, and musician, theo katzman
stopped by to support the kids in the bands, and sat with the young fans on the floor.
a’s band was amazing. everyone in it is 9-10 years old and played their hearts out.
a is on keyboards and his beloved teacher played with them and is the vocalist.
tonight we heard them play green day, cheap trick, and beatles.
and it was a musical wonder.
there were photogs, and fans, and musicians, and families, and joy all around.
and the kids were so proud.
but none was so proud as alex.
–
Feb5
* ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.’
s, age 4, has taught himself to read. here, he has a teaching moment, when he reads a challenging non-fiction book, about the amazing story of two unlikely animals who became the best of friends. the animals were drawn together, through circumstance and fate, and each found what they needed in the other, becoming somehow better, and changed forever, by being together. as s reads aloud to his classmates, they begin to understand this, and learn that all things are possible.
“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.”- Scott Hayden
—–
* title quote credit: a saying, alternately attributed to Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and the Theosophists.
Jan7
Only the pure in heart can make a good soup. – Ludwig van Beethoven
during my first year of teaching, i discussed the concept of respect with my class of 3rd-5th graders. after, we each wrote something about what respect meant to us. this was written by an 8-year-old, and was my favorite:
i suppose i should have known it would read something like this, coming from my little guy who was a pragmatic vegan buddhist.
An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.
today, with no school and home once again, i’ll make a simmering pot of tomato basil soup in honor of my young writer. this one’s for you, r. i think you would respect it, i know i will.
Writing and cookery are just two different means of communication. – Maya Angelou
Dec19
indoor recess – carnival of the animals
between the dinos, the lions, and the kinders, i didn’t stand a chance. and i had a ball.
—
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. – Plato
I didn't have my glasses on.... 