Houston Aquarium

After my first extra day I went in on Tuesday (3/1/11) too. I went as a chaperone on the field trip to the aquarium with my students. It was a trip that taught me a lot more about them as individuals and I loved it just as much as they did. The first thing I learned is that many of them had never ridden in a bus and this was the first thing that got them all excited.

Some of the girls were really excited to be on the bus!

I also learned a few things from them that I didn't know. For example a punch buggy is a VW Bettle and if you see one you yell punch buggy and hit the other person. I fell victim to this before I even knew what it was and it just cracked me up. When we got to the aquarium it was a scramble to get the lunches and drinks unloaded and to get all the necessary stickers on the kids so they could enter the amusement area.

See all the lunches in the bags and the cooler full of drinks.

Getting all their stickers and waiting to go inside. 

In the aquarium there are only a few exhibits the main attractions are the amusement rides right next to the building that houses all the fish and the tigers. Yes I said tigers!

Riding on the carousel. Every child had to be lifted on and off it was a workout! 

Some of my students on the train that took us to the shark tunnel.

One of our wonderful parent volunteers and her daughter.

The "Jaws" shark that the kids pointed out before going into the shark tunnel.

Sharkies in the tunnel. 

The kids were really fascinated with the pointy nose shark that laid on the ceiling.

After the shark tunnel there is a shark that pops out and scared everyone, me included.

Alligators in the first exhibit.

The excitement over seeing Dori

and then Nemo was enough to make the experience worth it.

Some of the kids engrossed in figure out what all the different fish and sharks were. 

The last fish exhibits were ones were the students could touch different types of fish and sea creatures. 

Like a star fish.

A horseshoe crab.

Nemo in his anemone, they couldn't touch this one, but they loved seeing him even closer. 

Touching stingrays and nurse sharks. 

The biggest nurse shark in the tank. 

We all got to be divers, the plan is for these pictures to be on the Fathers day craft.

Awaiting the white tiger. 

Yes there are four white tigers at the aquarium, we got to see one.

Licking his lips after finding some more raw chicken. 

The fish tank at the exit had the most colorful fish. 

Entertaining the girls I sat with on the ride back I would take pictures and then show them. They loved it!

Peek-a-boo

This is what 3/4 of the bus looked like on the drive back. It was quite peaceful!

We spent some time watching all the elevated freeways we passed by looking for more punch buggys.

Going on the field trip really showed me just how much these kids don't get to experience and how important it is for us as teachers to expose them to as many different things as possible. I have truly enjoyed working with my kindergarteners and it has been great watching them learn and learning from them. It wasn't always easy, but the days like today and other good days make up for the days that are difficult and draining.

A Better Day

2/17/11
Morning Calendar- as per usual I am continuing to switch things around and have even been able to play around with the kids. Graphing weather threw a bit of a snag in the plan because I was supposed to use the E.L.M.O. to show the kids what they would be doing, but apparently the TV had become unplugged. This cause a bit of a delay until one of the kids in front noticed it. I had the students help me complete my bar graph using the weather we had charted over the last four weeks and explained that they would do the exact same thing with the charts they had done with their parents. The students worked on these bar graphs for about 15 minutes and then we moved on to the Math centers. Today's topic in small group was area. My first group got it easily and behaved beautifully which was a nice change from the other day.  The 2nd and 3rd groups took a little longer to grasp the concept of area, but they also were more content to just play with the manipulatives instead of using them as they were supposed which added to the time spent in those groups. Half of the manipulatives were laminated sheets with shapes that I had made myself the day before when I was brainstorming with my coop. It was really fun to teach them using manipulatives because it really got them excited about the lesson. It was also great using something that I made not something from the math curriculum. It was great seeing how my lesson worked and didn't work with the different students. After lunch and the last Math center it was letter of the week time. Time for a new letter-letter Z-I attempted drawing a Zebra, but it looks more like a cow with strips! I guess I'll have to work on my drawing. The entire time I was teaching K was crying and screaming about his hat; the tricorn hat that he made for George Washington in centers. It was really difficult for me to teach around this today because I haven't been feeling well and my head kills. I managed through it and showed the kids how to do their worksheet for letter z and dismissed them to go to the bathroom. K screamed and cried refusing to do his work, but he eventually passed out at his table; which was about ten minutes before specials. My coop did the first group of RM like always and because K was having his fit he didn't go with her group. As a result she started RM with my group after specials because K would have thrown another fit if she didn't. A lady from the cafeteria came by halfway through asking about lunches for the upcoming field trip and that gave me the chance to jump in and finish the lesson. When she was finished clarifying things for the lady she sat beside K to keep him calm. This worked out well and we think this will be the key to me taking 100% control. After school I planned with my coop and we discussed what I was thinking about doing for my Tejas unit. I think next week will be a great week!

Thoughts From A Full Day

2/15/11
Today I introduced all the new centers for Math. I definitely feel like it could have gone better, but I think part of it was the fact that the students had been on the carpet for a long time at that point. They hadn't been sitting idle though because we do a lot of movements with calendar time, so I wonder if it was just too many new things so they lost interest or were overwhelmed. It seemed to spiral from there when we went to centers. The first small group I had couldn't/wouldn't focus. They did just about anything else but what I was asking at the time. Mid-lesson I had to adjust what we were doing and even with this adjustment the 15-20 minute small group took 35 minutes because of all the redirection. The other groups went much better and faster after lunch. They really grasped the concept of heavy and light and how you can tell using a balance scale. My teacher was quick to reassure me that with the small groups that is always how it goes the first group struggles with every aspect of the small lesson and the other two groups are quick to listen and grasp concepts. That is her reasoning for having the first group first. It allows her more time with them and she doesn't have to rush through the material with them. The one difficult thing about the class setup and centers is that monitoring the other students is a bit difficult. After  Math centers came letter of the week and K's big meltdown! I had to start the lesson trying to compete with a yelling screaming child. This made things extremely difficult so I chose to have the students get up and do all the ABC chants in hopes that it would give him some time to calm down and I wouldn't have to continue teaching with him screaming at us. That didn't happen he only got louder. My coop had to take him outside the classroom and even then we could still hear him clearly. We all struggled to get through the lesson with the distraction, but we made it through and the rest of the class was able to go back and work on their papers at their tables. Just before I dismissed them from the carpet K was taken away to another room in the school to be get a handle on himself. My coop was able to start the first Reading Mastery group before specials time. Right before specials K came back with Mrs. Powell and broke down immediately when he found out we were going to PE. He threw another fit all the way there. Something happened by the time we picked them up because he was ok. Not a stellar mood but at least he wasn't screaming! To avoid another meltdown my coop took my REading Mastery group because K would have to be in it and he has issues with me doing it. All was going well until K got called out early and thought someone had called his Dad about his fits and he was going to be getting spanked. Because he was freaking out again my coop took him to the office and I finished up with the Reading Mastery group. It was a pointless take over because I didn't know where she had stopped and they couldn't give me a straight answer so I went with what sounded best. It didn't work well though because the students in the group didn't listen or follow the cues that they know they are supposed to be following. I felt as though they were really testing me and testing my patience. I was able to finish with them, but it took much longer than it should have and I was so done with the day by then that I could have collapsed right then and  there. Some days are truly exhausting, but the better days make up for it.

Valentines Day

Little Mouse's Big Valentine by Thacher Hurd

This is the book I read to my students and then we made little mouse valentine holders. They really turned out cute I'll have to take a picture of the one that I made with them. Today was also the first day that I had complete control over although it didn't feel that way because the kiddos were all hopped up because it was a "special day". Even though there were a little bit crazy for the day they really did well with all the lessons and didn't have any problems with getting things done. Today was also the VERY FIRST day that the kids have had recess since I have been here!! It just amazes me that they don't have any sort of daily recess, like most schools in CR, they have recess for 15 minutes twice a week if they are lucky. And if the temperature is below 50 degrees they don't go outside at all. That doesn't make sense to me especially since the school is open air to begin with and in order to use the restroom they must stand in line and wait their turn in the outside because there are no walls to enclose the planter courtyards! It was really great to watch them play at recess and blow off all the extra energy that just gets built up sitting in class all day. There is playground equipment, but they are not allowed to use it because it is deemed to dangerous because of its age. It doesn't bother the kids any not to play on it, but I feel like they are missing out on experiences most kids their age get to have. I know that a lot of school districts are tight on money, but it seems to me that even with the tax redistribution that Texas has for the schools there are still schools like Carmichael that don't get the same funds or if they do they are being spent on the wrong things and the kids are the ones that suffer. It really pulls on my heartstrings and makes me want to investigate and advise on where funds should go to.

I really enjoyed the day and the kids really enjoyed giving me their valentines. They were so excited that some of them couldn't wait until the end of the day to give them to me with everyone else.

Another Day That Just Got Away

1/26/11
I'm really getting into a good routine with morning calendar and I'm not as nervous about not doing things in the exact way that Ms. Fraser does. Although varying from the strict structure and routine did cause K to cry and start throwing a fit because I didn't do things exactly the way he wanted me to do them. In order to calm him so he wasn't interrupting the rest of the class, which happens frequently, Ms. Fraser had to pull him aside and explain to him again that I'm learning to be a teacher and I need to practice that's why she isn't doing calendar anymore. The explanation and a hug stopped the crying, but he wouldn't participate in anything after that. To top it off today was a poetry notebook day, it's really just an alphabet book, and K really does not like doing this so he was not cooperative at all today. Before I sent them off to complete their poetry notebooks I went over with them some of the common errors that they make when completing their work.
There are a lot of repetition of directions and expectations on work even though they are things that the students have done repeatedly since school started. It seems to me that no matter how many times and ways they are told to do things some still have difficulty following or knowing what they should be doing. I think some of it is that there are students that no matter what is done will not listen or pay attention, but others are still struggling with the language because Spanish is spoken at home and this is the first time they have really had to understand any English. It can become frustrating to repeat directions or repeat modeling steps especially when it comes to the few that I know just don't pay attention the first time. I try to remind myself that it is Kindergarten and it won't always be this way, but some days it just builds up. I also make sure that I never show my students that I'm frustrated because that won't help either of us. So I just talk with my cooperating teacher and she has been good about reassuring me that I am doing what I should be and that some of them take a bit longer to crack open and get them into a school state of mind.

Quick Notes From A Day That Got Away

2/10/11
I'm starting to notice more and more just how much one absence affects each student. Especially because we cram so much learning and so many activities in one day that they are very far behind when they return. It is hard to get them fully caught up when the work has to be done in the classroom on top of the work that they have to complete for that day. Some days it can be challenging for them as they are still adjusting to being in school and having to follow a routine. A majority of them are also ESL students so sometimes the language acquisition and understanding instructions slows them down.

I'm taking even more control of the classroom and it just seems to be flowing naturally. I don't have to constantly look at lesson plans to know what I'm doing I just know it and it makes the day go faster. I'm also doing one group of reading mastery each day and although it's taking me more time than it does my cooperating teacher it is good practice and eventually I'll be able to complete it in the alloted time. I have noticed though that doing the group after specials always takes more time because the focus isn't there and the kids are just ready to go home. I also don't know if I'll ever take over both groups because K throws fits every time I try to do his group.

Off The Grid

I now have no antivirus protection for my computer thanks to computer services so I will be unable to upload until further notice. I am just using word on my computer to type them up with the internet disconnected in hopes that I won't get hacked. When I get it fixed and figured out there will be a TON of posts all at once. Until then Happy Break :)

Split Classes Cause Big Drama

2/11/11
Twice now I've had the opportunity to teach while we have had extra kids in the classroom for the day. Both times the same teacher was missing, so mostly the same students were in my class.The second experience didn't go as well as we had a few different students and K had a couple small fits and then one enormous fit at the end of the day. The two fits he had in the morning were because my cooperating teacher was going in and out of the room trying to figure out how to split the class among the remaining Kindergarten teachers. Since the fits happened to occur when I was trying to teach and not my cooperating I had to find ways to work around the noise and the distraction that it was causing. The first two times I was able to get him to calm down simply by telling him to get up, get a tissue to wipe his face, and come back when he was ready. The last fit happened when I was trying to get the last group of Reading Mastery to the carpet and teach the lesson. He had an issue over another little girl sitting in the chair behind him because he said she would kick his chair so I simply moved their chairs apart so she wouldn't even be able to touch his and I showed this to him. I sat down to get started and he began crying and screaming. It was obvious it wasn't going to end quickly because he was louder and more intense. My teacher ended up taking him out in the hallway, but this did little to quiet the noise as he only escalated and began to bang his head against the wall. Trying to complete the RM lesson was difficult for me because I kept losing focus and having to get the students' attention back because they were distracted by K and the extra noise from the other students in the class. Even with all the noise I had one child that was falling asleep sitting in her chair. I kept having to call her name and tell her that she need to stay awake until she got home. I eventually scraped the lesson and had them go back to their seats and finish their day and night patterning that we had started before RM time. Even dismissal was hectic and I left school that day absolutely exhausted. Having 4 extra students to keep track of throughout the day mat not seem like a lot, but it completely changed the dynamic of the classroom. It kept me on my toes all day and had me in bed asleep by 8:30 because I was so tired.

PTA Program

2/8/11
Although you may think that this would be easy and wonderful because parents would be involved, but that was not the case. This PTA program was put together entirely by us teachers. We paired our classes and decided what to do. My class and Mrs. Do's class did a dance for the Vietnamese New Year, as many of her students are Vietnamese. The other pairs of classes performed a piece of Martin Luther King Jr's I Have A Dream Speech, danced to Stars On The Water, and danced to a children's song in Spanish about the hot Texas sun. Everyday for two weeks the classes would practice on their own time, then in the week before the program we started to practice on the stage as a grade level so the students would have experience with the way the program would run on the night of the program. It started as once a day the first time then we bumped it to twice a day. It made for a very long day because we put the second practice during the kids specials time and our conference time, which is when I eat lunch, so I had to eat in 15 minutes or less at 10:30am. It really affected how the day went because no one was used to the schedule.
It may have been difficult to prepare for, but it turned out great in the end. I enjoyed that night despite the craziness in trying to get back in time after my weekly seminar. I made it in time to help the kids get into the vests and traditional Vietnamese outfits that we had for some of them. Everything went great and everyone enjoyed it.
I did have one experience with a student in my class that really got to me and I wrote about it in my journal that night. It is something that I think a lot of students in my school run into from time to time and the bleeding heart I did my best to lift her up and to continue to let her know that I loved and cared about her.
What follows is straight from my journal my thoughts that night before I went to bed.

A child in tears never makes me feel good and tonight was no different. Tonight before the PTA Program Karla, one of my students, was ushered into the room by another Kindergarten teacher sobbing. I asked her what was wrong, but a sobbing child never speaks coherently so I just assured her that it was going to be ok and had her pick out the color vest she wanted to wear. The tears weren't stopping, the other children tried helping, but the attention didn't help. Hugs, Hugs, Hugs, when all else fails Hugs. Some of these babies just need genuine love and a hug is the best way to show them that you really do care about them. Karla calmed down enough that I was able to put her vest on and curl the ribbon to hold it together. As I curled her ribbon she really opened up to me. Not only did she confide in me that "Mommy" made her wear shoes that hurt her feet and that she didn't think they were pretty enough to wear to the program, but she told me that "Mommy" is actually her Grandma(I already knew this because of my teacher, but I never said anything to Karla about it.) and that she didn't think her Mom would ever come back from Mexico to see her because she didn't love her at all. :( It crushed me knowing that at 5 years old she has these thoughts and feelings. Because of the area that my school is in I know that many of my children and the other students in the school have "non-traditional" living and care situations. The realization of this fact really hits home when you are faced with a situation like I faced tonight. I know I can't reach them all and I can't save them all despite my wish to be superwoman. So for now until I magically become superwoman I will settle for reaching out further everyday to my students with an extra hug, an extra smile, a little more patience, and a lot more understanding that we all have difficult things to deal with even at 5 and 6 years old. We may not all have good days, but that extra smile, hug, patience, understanding, and encouragement can change our day. So I'm resolving to try every day to know and understand my students even better than I already do so that I can be a better teacher and maybe some day I will be superwoman to my students.
*One thing that Karla mentioned keeps nagging at me and keeps me wondering. She told me that "Mommy" called her shoes homeless. I have no idea what context her Grandma said this in and I didn't get a chance to talk to "Mom", but it really makes me wonder what her home life is really like. And where she would be if Grandma hadn't taken her and become sole provider.

Watch for Multiple Posts

I am officially on my break between placements. I worked two extra days (Monday and Tuesday) so I could finish my unit with my kindergarteners. Yesterday(Wednesday) was my birthday so I took the day to do things for myself. I am working today on getting things ready for my next placement and cleaning in general, but I will be working on updating and typing up posts that I have written in my journal. Over the next several days there will be multiple posts on a wide variety of topics.