Tag Archives: teaching

May29

Wisdom begins in wonder. – Socrates

Posted on May 29, 2014 by beth

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it was camping day.

we went outside

and hiked

and looked at lots of stuff

and touched it

and found all sorts of things.

we tried to catch a frog to see him up close.

and if we did we promised we would put him back in his home after.

and we got in the mud.

even those of us who usually don’t like to get dirty.

and we learned so much stuff.

—

Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the stars and the mountains above. Let them look at the waters and the trees and flowers on Earth. Then they will begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education. – David Polis

May25

Anyone who says you can’t see a thought simply doesn’t know art. ~ Wynetka Ann Reynolds  

Posted on May 25, 2014 by beth

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we learned about artist frida kahlo and how she created images of herself,

with things that had meaning to her placed all around.

here, h shares her collage with our class,

and it shows us

that she loves flowers, animals, sweets, and celebrations of all kinds.

no words are needed to tell her story.

—

http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org

May8

Romance is the icing, but love is the cake. – Anonymous

Posted on May 8, 2014 by beth

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out on a hike around the lake with the kinders,

and a is walking back with c, close by her side.

a tells me, ‘he says he wants to marry me.’

i ask, ‘do you want to marry him?’

a says, ‘yes.’

then a says to c,

‘and i will always sleep when you sleep.

and we could go to the park together.

and we can get ice cream.’

c says, ‘okay.’

as we all walk on, i think about how wise a is with regard to marriage.

if we always sleep when the other sleeps, go to the park together, and get ice cream,

we might have many happy marriages.

===

May7

“Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child, as it is to the caterpillar”. – Bradley Miller

Posted on May 7, 2014 by beth

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what a great day at the farm, where we met farmer chris, who taught us many things.

we learned that eggs come in all colors, and shapes, and sizes.

we learned that the littlest of baby goats will follow us, just to be part of a group.

we learned that even a strong-looking pony, needs to be gently cared for.

we learned that it was nice to have someone waiting there to greet us when we returned back to the barn.

and when the farmer on a tractor gave us a bumpy ride on a wagon,

we learned the world is even bigger than we thought,

and filled with many more wonders ahead,

yet to discover.

—

“Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment,

and communicate their discoveries to those around them.”

The Audubon Nature Preschool

May5

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” ‒Nelson Mandela

Posted on May 5, 2014 by beth

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after more than a decade spent in kindergarten, i now am proud to say i have developed and maintained a strong kinder-level mastery of the spanish language. thank you so much señora olga, for your infinite patience and humor as you try endlessly to teach me, along with my little friends, and as i do my dances, sing enthusiastically with phonetically sounded out words, pummel the piñata, cha-cha step on the colorful foot-shaped cut-outs, use a fly swatter to identify animals, and try out my spanglish on you. you have taught me well. i know there are times you would like nothing better than to say to me, the following phrase, (below), but you have not, as of yet. (at least as far as i know). and for this, i dedicate this cinco de mayo to you, and i look forward to the piñata frenzy later this morning.

‘Pocas mujeres admiten su camisa de once’

You’ve put on a shirt made of eleven sticks;

meaning:

You’ve bitten off more than you can chew

“A different language is a different vision of life.”
-Federico Fellini

“Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages.” ‒ Dave Barry

May3

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” ― T.S. Eliot

Posted on May 3, 2014 by beth

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so very proud to be attending baby daughter h’s graduation,

it has been a long and winding road,

with 2 small babies, a hubby, a career change, charity work, lots of fiestas, lots of challenges,

and pure grit.

no one in our little family takes the easy road to get places,

and i think we’ve been made all the stronger for it.

and i’m happy she’s following her own uncharted paths.

and now she will join the ranks of those who teach the little people in our world,

and they will be lucky to have her, just as we all are.

and she will encourage them to follow their own paths.

here’s to you, baby daughter, h, with much love and bursting with pride.

—–
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

Charles R. Swindoll

Apr25

animal, mineral, or vegetable?

Posted on April 25, 2014 by beth

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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.