Spiderman Wears a Mask, So Can You!

In the past few weeks, I have listened to parents, teachers, students, and experts about the need to open up schools.  I agree.  I want to be at school with the students.  Yet I have also heard cries from some parents about how their child is not capable of wearing a mask.  I am here to say, give your child's abilities more credit than this.  Of course, they are going to complain to you about it.  THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT CAPABLE OF DOING IT!

Wearing a mask at school does not mean wearing one continuously throughout the day.  Most schools and teachers have a plan where students would mask up when social distancing is not possible; for example, wearing a mask in the lunch line, when the teacher is helping you in a one on one or small group situation, and on the bus. Students who have been taught to wear seatbelts for safety can be taught to wear a mask FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.

School prioritize the safety of students and faculty.  That is why we have active shooter drills and fire drills.  Why we require closed-toed shoes, and why we insist that students walk and not run from place to place.  Many schools have no tolerance for bullying, bringing weapons, and aggressive contact between students.  All of these rules keep people safe.  Wearing a mask KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE.s

I do not know of a parent who does not want to raise children who are kind.  Kindness is the basis of good character.  Teachers emphasize this value during class.  We all pitch in to clean up after a project because it is kind.  We put things away so that other students can find them, because it is kind, and we use quiet voices because it is kind.  We are in an unusual time and we need to protect ourselves and others by wearing a mask BECAUSE IT IS KIND.

As a parent you can help so that the transition to going back to school can be a smooth one.

Practice wearing a mask at home.  Wear one during enjoyable activites such as baking or food preparation.  When the treat is ready, take off the mask and eat!  Wear one while playing computer games, kids will forget they have one on and become used to the feeling of it.  Find ways to make a game out of wearing a mask.  

My three rules are BE KIND, BE SAFE AND DO YOUR BEST.  Wearing a mask comes under all three.  Tell your children that by wearing one they may be saving a life.  Let them know they are heroes.  For goodness sake, Spiderman wears a mask, so they can too!

I'm Bored!!!

What parent hasn't heard this utterance from their child.  "I'm booooooorrrrred!"  It comes out as a whine, a complaint, a plea, a demand and you feel the need to entertain, amuse, or give in just to make it stop.

Well, I am here to tell you that boredom is good.  Boredom is space.  Space that can be filled by entertaining the child or by giving him or her the opportunity to create something new.  I read on Facebook that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague while he was isolated at home.  Now he did not have TVs, computers, electronics, and easy access to mindless activities.  Will S. put his boredom to good use.  He wrote a brilliant play.

Now I don't expect that your 8 year old will write King Lear, but why not give her a chance, the space, and the time to create her own brilliant masterpiece?

This is a challenging time and we all have the need to find things to occupy our time at home.  My favorite memories of childhood include building a fort by turning the furniture over, covering it with blankets, and crawling in with a flashlight and a book.  I recall my 3 year old brother pulling all the pots and pans out of my grandmother's cabinets and playing the drums with a wooden spoon.  My sisters and I would take old magazines and make collages.  I would close the door to my bedroom and belt out broadway show tunes.  I would draw, write, paint, build things out of old cardboard boxes.

As a teacher I love to create games for students to use that reinforce learning.  I think my love of doing this comes from my parent's letting me find my own pursuits when boredom set in.  We find our talents in the moments we are bored.  Art, music, game, literature, writing, designing, building, engineering, cooking, let your child try out the ones that call to her.

So next time the words "I'm bored" send chills down your spine, respond by giving them space and time, no direction, access to everyday stuff, and let them create their own masterpiece.

In the Time of Coronavirus

Many of you are being granted the opportunity of "homeschooling", whether you wanted it or not.  But it is an opportunity!  Working with your children is a privilege I experience every day.  I am here to support and be a resource to families in this "new normal."

The first thing I want to suggest is to have a schedule.

Include online academic learning time, outdoor time, practical life skills time, creative/building time, reading/writing time, puzzle time, and challenge time.  Below is a sample schedule:

Sample Weekly Schedule while School is closed. Use the time blocks daily.  Be flexible.           

Wake Up, Make Bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, clean up breakfast dishes               

 30 minutes    Academic Time -Online academic/assigned work.             

20 minutes    Practical Life - Teach the child a chore they can do independently, wash dishes, empty/lodishwasher, fold and put away laundry, wipe down surfaces, sweep       

40 minutes    Academic - i Online academic/assigned work.                       

20 minutes    snack, have student prepare, eat and clean up                       

45 minutes     Reading Time -Chapter book Reading-Choose a project to do with a book you read. Create a new book cover with artwork and author bio. Ask others who have read it to write reviews. OR create a board game to go with the book. OR Write a play to dramatize part of the book.

30 minutes    Pet Care - play with, brush, cuddle, walk, read to, observe, be present with your pet.                  

Lunch Symposium - students prepare, eat, clean up. Take turns choosing a topic to discuss. Post the topic the day before and encourage some research about it. Such as, What would you want to see if we took a trip to Paris?                        

30 minutes    Outside time -Go outside, take a walk, observe nature, help with outdoor chores                       

15 minutes    Memorizati on time - use this time to memorize a poem, math facts, states and capitals,             speeches, order of Presidents, monologues from plays etc.               

45 minutes    Writing Time - Writer's workshop - journal, write stories, poems, songs, plays, and then read, perform, or illustrate your work                       

45 minutes or more    Creative Time - Work on a new skill - use YouTube videos and on line tutorials to learn a new language, dance, instrument, recipe, craft, or do one of the STEM projects on the Homework site.                       

15 minutes or more    puzzle time - work on crossword, word search, rebus, sudoku or other types of puzzles                       

                        *Limit screen time that does not fall into the academic category.

Throughout the day: Be Kind, Be Safe and Do Your Best to help others!                           
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A wise friend told me that it is more difficult to work at home with your children then it is in school.  That is because you and your home are your child's SAFEST PLACE!  They feel free to express anger, frustration, and annoyance; and they will!  When you find yourself frustrated with your child's emotions, it is the time they need you most so be prepared to give a lot of hugs. Tell your child how lucky you feel that you have this chance to work with him or her.  Be present when you are needed to help with something.  Rely on advice from the schools and classroom teachers.  You got this.

Caretakers of the Earth

When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their inner strength. – Maria Montessori

Caretakers of the Earth

Montessori students come to the realization that they are

Caretakers of themselves and others, caretakers of all living things,, and caretakers of the earth.

Our class has been discussing ecology and the care of the world they are inheriting from their ancestors.  The students are exploring the idea of being “caretakers of the earth.” LE 8 has started a Green Team to help us clear up any refuse on the campus.

Montessori students are taught to leave an environment in better condition than when they arrived at it.  In order to achieve this, the students have been learning about the effects of plastic on our oceans, fish, and birds.

Here are a few ideas the students are hoping to establish as routines in our class.

·       

• Bring a cloth napkin, placemat, and your own silverware every day, even if you are getting hot lunch.  (This is basically a reminder, as we asked for this at the beginning of the school year.)
• Bring a refillable water bottle, not a single use bottle.
• Bring food in reusable containers, not plastic Ziploc bags.
• Buy in bulk and avoid single use plastic such as yogurt containers, lunchables, and fruit cups.

These may seem like small differences but it will have an impact on our environment.  Join your student, be a caretaker of the earth.

National Neighborhood Day

Did you know that National Neighborhood day is the third Sunday in September?  To be honest, I didn't know this day existed. My feelings throughout this election season is that so many decisions, actions, and protests are fear based.  Perhaps this fear comes from not knowing our neighbors on a first name basis. 

I wanted to start a movement to encourage people to get to know the others who live in their immediate vicinity, whether it be a neighborhood, an apartment building, or the street where you live.  Growing up, I knew all my neighbors, had been invited into their homes, had meals with them, played whiffle ball in the street with them. I felt comfortable talking and visiting with the neighbors.  We were there to help when needed, lend tools or baking ingredients, and support each other. We went to different houses of worship, came from different backgrounds, and attended different schools, but we all knew each other.

When I was 10 or 11, there was a horrible car accident on our block. My best friend's younger brother crossed the street to call on a friend.  She couldn't come out to play so this young boy rode his big wheel down the driveway and into the street being hit by a car. It was tragic to watch all the parents, friends, and siblings. All of the kids on the street went to a neighbor's backyard while the adults helped and supported the family in any way they could. That is how neighborhoods should work.

These days many of us don't even know the names of the people on our street. There was a tragedy on the street here I live a few years ago.  I wanted to help and support the parents but didn't know what to do or how to help as I had never spoken to them previously.  I have also had to call the EMTs a few times but have never called a neighbor to come wait with me.

I think that if we leave the fear behind and get to know our neighbors without judging their political ideology, their religious views, and their ethnicity it would go a long way toward a kinder world.

Visit the website  and start a movement in your neighborhood. Think about the benefits to the world and to your own life of knowing your neighbors.

nationalneighborhoodday

You Can't Please Everyone

Educators have to answer to many different groups of people. Sometimes it will make your head spin if you try to please them all. It is a feat an expert juggler would find challenging. Many of these group want outcomes that are polar opposites.  It is said that teachers have to make more decisions in a work day than any other profession, many times in a split second.  It is no wonder many leave the profession after a few years.

 

First we have the school administration.  The focus of the administration is how the whole school functions and how it looks to the public. Teachers must be mindful of keeping the school at a "high functioning" level. This includes ensuring good test scores on standardized assessments, differentiating instruction for the multitude of learning styles in the classroom, handling student discipline, meeting standards, and attending meetings and training sessions.  Each of these requirements are met with varying degrees of success by individuals according to their strengths. However, keep in mind, the school administration is counting on you to do all of these things in order to be considered "adequate" at your job.

We are also judged by the other teachers and staff members. The judgement of the faculty targets your ability. When a student moves from one grade to the next, you know they are judging you on the students you once had. Questions such as "why doesn't this student know how to do x?" or "how can these two children be put into the same learning environment?" come to mind as a teacher is trying to normalize her classroom.  The faculty also looks at your success with types of students. "She did so well with the child who was behind in that subject, let's put all the kids who are failing that into her class?"  These types of questions can disadvantage teachers by stacking the deck against them.

The parents of your students can be particularly judgemental.  Of course their child is the focus of their need to give the teacher advice and criticism. I have had parents tell me they never get any communication from our class when the truth is, we update our website every Friday, we send home a text reminding them to check it, and we often send hard copies as well.  I have had parents tell me that their"gifted" child should not have to turn in any assignments. I have met parents of second graders who are struggling with reading tell me their child was meant for other creative endeavors and should not have to learn to read. Many parents make excuses for children instead of holding high expectations of the child.  Parents expect that you see their child as the most special one, and will instantly know what this child needs to be successful.

Let's not forget the students. Their focus is their immediate needs. "I need help, a pencil, a band aid, a drink, a tissue, another math paper, the bathroom..." The list is endless.  As educators we must answer questions, take care of needs, keep students safe, and on task. Even when they feel sick, are hungry, scared of something, dealing with the death of a pet, having a disagreement with another student, or just having a bad day.  We are expected ro have all the answers, stay focused on the common core, and make everything better.  Not always an easy job.

Our most stern critic and judge is often ourselves.  We stay up late and spend time over weekends and vacations, planning, evaluations, strategizing, buying supplies, reading the latest journals, meeting with parents, and thinking about our kids.   And they are "our kids." We care about the well being of each and every one of them.  We often replay our days wondering if we had the right words to help and inspire the future leaders of the world. We often think that we must find new ways to reach these precious lives.

The truth is, this is a balancing act.  If we look at all these different factions as part of our team we begin to work together to benefit the students.  All of these groups come as part of the package in education. Don't try to go it alone. Use all of the judges on this court, learn who you can count on to be in your corner. Finally, take care of yourself. You have to come to the classroom as a functioning adult. Do what you love, nourish your soul, open your mind to new things, and above all remember, the most teachable moments may not be on the lesson plan.

Work or Play?

 If you ask a child if they would rather work or play, most of the time they will chose play.

"Play is the work of childhood."

In the Montessori learning environment we use the term "game" to describe many lessons.  We have the stamp game, spelling games, grammar games, geography games, and science games. 

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap, the job's a game." - Mary Poppins

The term "work" has a negative connotation and therefore children resist doing things that fall into that category.  For example, take Legos, I know children who will spend hours, days even, building incredible Lego relations. The child sees this as "play" but it truly is work.  Children are using trial and error, imagination, planning, building and many other thinking skills. Why do we look at "play" as frivolous and "work" as industrious and virtuous? Let's shift our mindset and consider all of it as play.

It is easy to make any learning experience seem like a game or like play, especially in this day and age.  Using manipulatives, hands on activities, and technology are tools that help our children enjoy practicing skills.  Including arts activities and music appeals to the child's imagination and aids in memory.  Arts education should not be removed from the curriculum because without creative experiences, imagination stagnates. And without imagination, new discoveries, technologies, and ideas cannot de elop.  where will that leave the human race?

So I have decided to change the students work plan into a game plan.  Why not?  It will appeal to the students and encourage their educational journey.  The educators will post a variety of lessons (games) and the students can choose the ones that speak to them.  There will be lessons, which we will call "coaching sessions", and daily activities such as reading, warm ups, and math practice which we will call " the triple threat". 

I have high hopes for this shift. anyone want to try it with me? Let me know how it goes.