The Little Kiddos!

What a handful these kiddos are! The past 6 weeks (which flew by) have introduced me to a new world that includes constantly being surrounded by little people with wild imaginations and sharp personalities, and where recess is no longer considered just play time, but also a break for the teachers. These crazy little things have personalities that are amazing, and they surprised me everyday with something new. Overall these kids are incredible and I love them all!

The first week of class we gave each kid the assessment screener they received in March that determined their need for the K-Ready program. After doing this, we compared the results from the March test and the test we gave to look for any changes. The improvement in some was drastic. Apparently it took a piece of paper for some parents to realize just how far behind their children were. Our goal is to make sure we make up for lost time and close the gap. It's amazing how much more intellegent these kids are when you take them away from the distractions of their peers. For instance, one of the trouble makers acts out in class frequently, and refuses to listen to directions. However, he was able to identify all of his letters, count to the required 30, drew a picture way ahead of his developmental stage, and grouped and identified shapes his peers wouldn't have dreamed of. Speaking of developmental stages, this kiddo is a prime example of Nature vs. Nurture. He clearly is naturally smart, yet lacks the structure and support at home to help nurture this. It is our hope that we can bring him up to pace emotionally and behaviorally so that he does not slip through the cracks once in middle school and high school. He is completely the type of student that you hear of all too frequently, the minority boy who is completely capable of a 4.0 GPA yet is expelled early on in high school to never return to an educational setting. Someone is going to need to go the extra mile later on in his education to help this boy go places. Unfortunately we can only do so much at such a young age, which is pretty frustrating to think about. We make all of this progress at school, but all too frequently it's lost the minute they go home.

My favorite perk to teaching 4 and 5 year olds, the constant hugs. It's gotten so I don't even mind the little girls that won't sleep unless I let them sleep on my lap (which makes for a long time to fall asleep during nap time when I have to get to all five of them!) or the little girl who tries to run away in hysterics every day after recess and will only be calmed when I hold her in my arms. Conveniently she instantly falls asleep once in my arms. I love it. The other teachers have been asking what my secret is! One of the girls (well more like all of them, but one in particular!) will cling to anything that walks and talks. My mom brought me lunch one day, and this little girl went up to her and held her hand and would not let her move an inch away from her- after just meeting her. It's amazing. Love these little ones.