Tag Archives: teaching

warmth.

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after yet another unique and powerful winter storm

with lots and lots and lots of

heavy, wet, beautiful, pure white snow

i woke up early to a power outage

spending my morning in the library

with coffee, power bars, and locals

powering up, reading, talking, and writing

watching as a lovely grandmother

kneels down to her young grandson’s level

as she very patiently and quietly

teaches him and then lets him

check out each of his very own books

one by one

gently guiding him as he goes

only when he needs it

 when he proudly finishes his work

he loads each into his own little backpack

she helps him

put on each woolen mitten and zips up his coat

he holds onto her leg as she slowly stands

 they very naturally cradle their hands together

as they make their way out of the library

 back out into the world with beautiful white snow

what a simple yet powerful act of love

that warms me

more than this comfortable and welcoming building ever will

it’s always the people within who do that.

“if a family has an old person in it, it possesses a jewel.”

-chinese proverb

guts.

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bandaids are the hot item in my classroom

after a number of kinder came up to me asking for one

pleading their case

(many with very old ‘wounds’)

we gathered together

as they each shared

their personal tale of woe:

i got scraped, the paper cut me, it’s red like blood,

you can’t see it, but it’s ouch-y, something poked me,

my sister, something in my pocket did it, nail polish came off of one nail,

bandaid from home is falling off….

we finally got to our last person, who stated:

“this happened to me on the next day after tomorrow.”

“life takes guts.” 

 -lucille ball

under the rainbow.

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my classroom is chock full of

multi-age kinder (3s-young 5s)

who stay with us for two years.

one of the very best things

is watching the older kinder

who were the younger kinder

just one year before

as they quite naturally and organically grow

to become the leaders/teachers/helpers/mentors

to the new group of younger kinder

who were at home

just one year before.

what a joy it was to watch someone older

spend a very long time

finding all the special markers she needed

to create an easy to see linear rainbow

for someone younger

who wanted to create

her very own rainbow picture

in her very own style

using all the special colors.

judging by their faces

when she finished her very own rainbow

they were both equally proud of the results.

 

“nine tenths of education is encouragement.”

-anatole france

essence of life.

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 picture from a past solstice celebration

every year

one of my favorite things to teach and share with my class

is the story and traditions of the winter solstice

i get to play the sun

the children play the tilting earth and the seasons

who spin and dance and throw snow

as the season changes

the sun stays in the middle

offering extra light

to the other side of the earth now tilting toward it

knowing it will always return to them

even as our days grow shorter

they quietly rest on the ground

waiting, waiting

only to emerge

when the time is right

  happy to dance once more

in the light of the warm spring sun.

*notes: here is my recipe for the winter solstice, and many thanks to all for your low-tech special effects support of this performance: torn paper snowflakes made by the children, many smiles, a bit of dizziness, a sun doing an interpretive dance, a person to turn off and on the classroom lights at just the right moment, a flashlight, a yellow paper sun, a dj to play the music (‘carol of the bells’ by george winston, and ‘here comes the sun’ by the beatles) at just the right time, and a class full of kinder/whirling twirling planets throwing snow, lying down, and awakening as emerging new life in the spring when the sun returns. somehow it all falls into place, each year a bit differently, as is the way of the world. 

“spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. joy is the essence of life.”

-agnivesh

beginning.

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the little ones came to school

most for the first time ever

 filling our room with emotion and energy

a few minutes into our day

one had me write

an urgent note to her mom

that read:

“bring the car!”

we’re all tired and mostly all happy

tomorrow we begin again.

“be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

-meister eckhart

a wish for my students on their last day.

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“there is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything.

negative people find their walls.

so never apologize for your enthusiasm.

never.ever.ever.

-ryan adams

 

may you all live like this forever. and ever. and ever.

love, your teacher

(who lives like this too)

into the universe.

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heading out on a rainy day

to explore, discover things, and learn

in the much larger classroom of the universe. 

 

“the universe is a great university.”

-sai baba

something special.

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not my class or horse, but a tiny bit similar if you squint your eyes.

 the quote below perfectly sums up my vocation.

 

“if you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. that’s a heck of a day.

you do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”

-jim valvano

 

 

weareteachers.com (1950s vintage)

the end in mind.

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on the first of three days

of parent-teacher conferences

at the end of just our second family meeting

one of us

(names are unimportant)

closed the conference

with a friendly goodbye –

“have a great weekend!”

only to

glance up

noticing

it was actually

tuesday at 10:02am.

almost there….

 “begin with the end in mind.”

-stephen covey