a scene not unlike my classroom, earlier today.
—
“when the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.”
-tom hodgkinson
—
image credit: googleimages
Sep23
Tag Archives: teaching
Sep9
my tribe.
i knew it.
i was sure that i had found my tribe
with the arrival of my pre-kinders.
as a follow up to yesterday’s story
(where i discovered that i was a nelipot),
all it took was one recess
for me to find
a fellow
barefoot member
among us.
—
“each tribe has its characteristics, it is true.”
-john hanning speke
Sep8
n is for nelipot.
today, as i was walking out to meet our parents and children (most of them for the very first time), at our pre-kindergarten orientation, i noticed that one of my sandals suddenly felt very loose. in a twist of perfect universal timing, it was irreparably broken. i experimented with walking in it, but wasn’t able to do so without dramatically dragging my foot along, so i took them both off.
while taking off my sandals i noticed what i thought was a water mark of unknown origin on the side of my shirt, and that i imagined would ‘quickly dry’ but was actually a grease stain of unknown origin, that happened somewhere between my car and my school and which in fact ‘never dried.’
when i lifted my head up from my sandal removal, i noticed that the entire underside of my hair was now dripping wet, and i was breaking out into some sort of a heat rash on the back of my neck, as the temperature had quickly risen into the humid 90ish degree range.
my daughter texted to see how the day was going and when i updated her she replied,”it seems like i’ve had a text like this from you before.” yes, she might very well be right, as we’ve known each other since the moment she was born, and have certainly survived more than one misadventure in our time.
once the families were settled into our room, i presented my part of the orientation barefoot, greasy, sweaty, and rash-y, the parents were chatty and friendly, and the children were excited and happy.
i realized that one of my hopes this year is to show and teach my kinders to see mishaps more as simple misadventures, to take them as they come, while trying to make the best of them. i’m confident they’ll learn this in no time, as children naturally tend to be open, non-judgemental, and willing to let things, go just seeing what happens. and best of all – we have a new vocabulary word:
Sep7
where i want to be.
and this is exactly where you’ll find me.
—
credits: pishposhbaby, googleimages
Jul23
learning.
glen outdoor school
ages 6 months – 6 years
ireland’s first outdoor school
80% + of day spent outdoors
outdoor math
nature provides their learning opportunities
and
what a pleasure it was
to talk to them and their teachers
and
to watch them all learning
from nature
and each other
with such a natural joy.
—
“in nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy:
a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.”
― richard louv – Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
—
letterkenny, glenswilly, county donegal, ireland
Jun22
heal.
i saw this incredibly moving canadian film the other day
‘monsieur lazhar’
released a few years back
nominated for a
foreign film academy award
it was
about a teacher
and
the
humanity
of
love
joy
loss
grief
pain
guilt
anger
connection
forgiveness
strength
acceptance
and
finally,
hope.
amazing
how one person
can come into another’s life
and
lead them
on a road
towards healing
by
beginning to
heal themselves.
after i watched the final scene
i sat in silence
for a long time after.
—
“what happens when people open their hearts?”
“they get better.”
― haruki murakami,
—
credit:
Jun17
dandelion.
each spring day
we talked about the dandelions
how the seeds
when gently blown
caused new
baby fairies
to fly away and be born
whose job was to
spread more
good and happiness
throughout the world
each day
she carefully brought in
the head or seed
of a dandelion
carrying it
ever so gently
and
delivering it
into my hands
just before class
when at last
at the end of our
kindergarten year
i went to clean out
my little drawer
one tiny blossom
was left
for me
in that safe haven
waiting
to be blown to the wind
and it was
a gift to behold.
—
“beautiful as a dandelion-blossom,
golden in the green grass,
this life can be.
common as a dandelion-blossom,
beautiful in the clean grass,
not beautiful because common,
beautiful because beautiful,
noble because common,
because free.”
– edna st. vincent millay
Jun9
last day.
the kinders enjoy their last day all together
—
“the last day is way shorter than counting to ten.”
― leena ahmad almashat – Harmony Letters
May26
bus.
as another school year
draws to a close
my time on the bus
is almost over
and
i think
i’ll miss
all the action:
who sits with who
who lost their coat
who forgot their bag
who needs a band-aid
who has the wrong bag
who sat by the window last
who didn’t bring their boots
who has trouble sitting at all
who was supposed to stay at school
who is crying, laughing, squealing, bouncing?
it might be me.
—
“i’d rather go by bus.”
– prince charles
Apr28
wings.
kinders offer their presentations
to
the other kinders
and to us
their teachers.
they are very excited
as
they tell us
all about
the animals
they have studied.
one teaches us about
the colorful parrot.
another one asks
‘why do they fly?’
kinder answers
‘so they can see the world.’
in this moment
of clarity and understanding
she has
traded places with us
and has
become the teacher
and
we learn so much from her.
—
“feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
-frida kahlo
—
image credit: boredpanda.com
I didn't have my glasses on.... 