Today was the meeting that I planned for the Latino families in my two classes. I had moms and dads from 7 different families come and they stayed just about an hour talking with me. At first, it was a little awkward. I didn't plan an agenda and I didn't want to do a presentation or just talk to them. I wanted to hear from them and get them talking and sharing with me about what is going well and what I might be able to do to make their experience better. By the end of the hour, they were conversing and sharing and I thought it went really well. I don't know exactly how I sounded trying to pull it off in Spanish, but I was able to understand what they were saying and they said that when I communicate with them in Spanish, they are able to understand me (so I must be making some kind of sense!).
I tried to express to them why I wanted to have this meeting and basically it's because I want to make sure that I am supporting their having equal access to information about our Kindergarten program and I want them to feel comfortable enough with me to volunteer in the classroom, ask me questions when things don't make sense, or offer feedback/ideas/suggestions.
We talked about a lot of different things during the hour and I really hope that they felt it was worth their time and a positive experience. Luckily two families were there that I have gotten to know a bit better through working with them on the PASS team, so I felt very supported and encouraged by them. All three of those parents are completely bilingual, so I felt better knowing that if I got stuck in trying to say something, I could ask for help.
I talked a bit about the literacy bags and had two parents ask me for permission slips which they signed and turned in. So far I have a little over half of each class signed up to participate, which is good, however I was hoping to get everyone involved. I decided to go the permission slip route because I want to make sure that families are taking responsibility since the items cost a LOT of money (which I thankfully got through donations) and in order to keep this process going all year, everybody needs to do their share of caring for the materials and returning them on time. I don't want to send bags home and never see them again. I have talked to my students each day this week about the importance of bringing a permission slip because if they don't, I won't send a bag home with them on Friday. I am guessing that some kids are going to get upset when they don't get one, but that is how it has to be.
I am exhausted after feeling a bit stressed over the parent meeting, so it's time for a little relaxation! Only one week until hubs is back in the US and 9 days until I see him!
Almost there
Right now my floor and desk are COVERED with books, papers, binders, pencils, and potato chips (A girl has to have a little somethin' somethin' to get her through all this work, doesn't she?). Tomorrow and Thursday are my last two days of class of Fall term. I am almost done and I cannot wait for the sweet satisfaction that will come when I am driving out of the parking garage after class on Thursday night.
Since August, I have been away from my husband because I returned to PDX to work on my doctorate and keep my place in my school district, while he remained in Germany where we had been living together for the past year. I started teaching Kindergarten at a new school while at the same time struggling through a full load of doctoral courses (13 credits!). I have spent most weekends doing homework, reading, and writing. I have been engrossed in research about culturally responsive teaching while at the same time attempting to be a totally awesome Kindergarten teacher who actually employs those culturally relevant teaching methods in the classroom. I have spent approximately 10 hours per week in class in addition to the 45 + hours I am working and sometimes when I had weekend class, I spent as many as 21 hours in class in a single week. In the past few weeks, I have been writing, re-writing, and editing papers for each of my courses, all the while stressed that my writing will not be good enough for the rigorous standards of this intense program I am part of. I know that I have been extremely stressed and not once in the past 14 weeks have I been able to get a hug from the person I love most in the world. :: tear ::
Whew. Sneaker Teacher==> plate= FULL
After Thursday, I will not have class or homework for an entire month! I am so excited to enjoy the simple pleasure of being able to relax and enjoy some free time. In exactly 17 days I will reunite with my cute husband for two weeks in Arizona. I will soak in the jolliest time of year with lots of hot cocoa, books read for pleasure, gossip magazines, and I will definitely catch up on hugs. I cannot even express how excited I am for December 17th! I absolutely love this time of year and the impending sense of relief of being done with classes makes it all the more sensational.
Oh how sweet it is!
Since August, I have been away from my husband because I returned to PDX to work on my doctorate and keep my place in my school district, while he remained in Germany where we had been living together for the past year. I started teaching Kindergarten at a new school while at the same time struggling through a full load of doctoral courses (13 credits!). I have spent most weekends doing homework, reading, and writing. I have been engrossed in research about culturally responsive teaching while at the same time attempting to be a totally awesome Kindergarten teacher who actually employs those culturally relevant teaching methods in the classroom. I have spent approximately 10 hours per week in class in addition to the 45 + hours I am working and sometimes when I had weekend class, I spent as many as 21 hours in class in a single week. In the past few weeks, I have been writing, re-writing, and editing papers for each of my courses, all the while stressed that my writing will not be good enough for the rigorous standards of this intense program I am part of. I know that I have been extremely stressed and not once in the past 14 weeks have I been able to get a hug from the person I love most in the world. :: tear ::
Whew. Sneaker Teacher==> plate= FULL
After Thursday, I will not have class or homework for an entire month! I am so excited to enjoy the simple pleasure of being able to relax and enjoy some free time. In exactly 17 days I will reunite with my cute husband for two weeks in Arizona. I will soak in the jolliest time of year with lots of hot cocoa, books read for pleasure, gossip magazines, and I will definitely catch up on hugs. I cannot even express how excited I am for December 17th! I absolutely love this time of year and the impending sense of relief of being done with classes makes it all the more sensational.
Oh how sweet it is!
Taking the Plunge
Last night, as I struggled to fall asleep, I decided to plan a parent meeting for my Spanish-speaking families,"una junta" en español. I am going to start sending home the Literacy Bags on Friday the 12th (provided the new shipment of bags arrives and gets decorated by then), and I realized that this totally wonderful program I have been so excited about may not work for families if they can't read the books that are sent home since they are all in English.
The first thing I did to try and solve this problem was to use all of my Scholastic bonus points towards books in Spanish. I already have quite a few, but they are in storage in Germany, so those won't really be too useful for the imminent start of the Literacy Bag rotation. I was thinking that I wanted an opportunity to show this group of parents the bags and maybe take out some of the games/activities to show them as well since the directions are all in English. Translating everything would take so long and I am really eager to get the project underway, so I decided to invite these parents to a meeting where we can talk about how this program will work for them. I am not entirely sure if they have people in their homes who can read English, so that is all part of what I want to find out. Most importantly, I want them to know that I want their feedback and I am willing to do what it takes to help both them and their kids.
I am really, really making an effort to ensure that what I do in the classroom is culturally appropriate and I want feedback from parents because I want to ensure that their experience of having me as their child's teacher is positive, especially since this could be their first experience with school given that I teach Kindergarten.
After school today, I starting making phone calls to invite the parents to this meeting. I decided that next Wednesday was a good date, but I didn't have a specific time in mind or a plan for what will actually take place once I get the parents there. I was really nervous to make these calls, thinking to myself, what will I say if they ask what the meeting is for? I was so happy to find that the parents I called were very nice and everyone said they would come to my gathering. I didn't get in touch with all of the families on my list, however I think it's pretty cool that everyone I called said they would come. I tried to explain that I want to show them some of the things that we have been working on in the classroom and also I want them to have an opportunity to share their questions, concerns etc. so that I can make sure I am doing everything I can to make them feel like they are part of our school and classroom community. I think I will be really nervous to have this meeting without a real solid agenda, but I think it is going to be a really great thing for both the parents and myself.
I did have one pretty awkward call in which I just could not understand what the parent was saying even after I asked her to speak more slowly. I think she was getting a bit annoyed with me, but I have to give myself snaps for making parent phone calls in my second language which is very intimidating. I also think it is a good experience to be in situations where I am uncomfortable or where my understanding does not come easily because it is likely that these parents feel that way in school situations and that helps me be sensitive to what they may experience.
I have 10 families altogether that I am inviting and I think I got in touch with about half. Two of these families are completely bilingual which I think will also be helpful at the meeting in case I am not understanding something or not able to express exactly what I want to say. I really have no idea how this meeting will turn out, but I have high hopes that it will be a positive experience and the start of improved family-school communication and relationships.
The first thing I did to try and solve this problem was to use all of my Scholastic bonus points towards books in Spanish. I already have quite a few, but they are in storage in Germany, so those won't really be too useful for the imminent start of the Literacy Bag rotation. I was thinking that I wanted an opportunity to show this group of parents the bags and maybe take out some of the games/activities to show them as well since the directions are all in English. Translating everything would take so long and I am really eager to get the project underway, so I decided to invite these parents to a meeting where we can talk about how this program will work for them. I am not entirely sure if they have people in their homes who can read English, so that is all part of what I want to find out. Most importantly, I want them to know that I want their feedback and I am willing to do what it takes to help both them and their kids.
I am really, really making an effort to ensure that what I do in the classroom is culturally appropriate and I want feedback from parents because I want to ensure that their experience of having me as their child's teacher is positive, especially since this could be their first experience with school given that I teach Kindergarten.
After school today, I starting making phone calls to invite the parents to this meeting. I decided that next Wednesday was a good date, but I didn't have a specific time in mind or a plan for what will actually take place once I get the parents there. I was really nervous to make these calls, thinking to myself, what will I say if they ask what the meeting is for? I was so happy to find that the parents I called were very nice and everyone said they would come to my gathering. I didn't get in touch with all of the families on my list, however I think it's pretty cool that everyone I called said they would come. I tried to explain that I want to show them some of the things that we have been working on in the classroom and also I want them to have an opportunity to share their questions, concerns etc. so that I can make sure I am doing everything I can to make them feel like they are part of our school and classroom community. I think I will be really nervous to have this meeting without a real solid agenda, but I think it is going to be a really great thing for both the parents and myself.
I did have one pretty awkward call in which I just could not understand what the parent was saying even after I asked her to speak more slowly. I think she was getting a bit annoyed with me, but I have to give myself snaps for making parent phone calls in my second language which is very intimidating. I also think it is a good experience to be in situations where I am uncomfortable or where my understanding does not come easily because it is likely that these parents feel that way in school situations and that helps me be sensitive to what they may experience.
I have 10 families altogether that I am inviting and I think I got in touch with about half. Two of these families are completely bilingual which I think will also be helpful at the meeting in case I am not understanding something or not able to express exactly what I want to say. I really have no idea how this meeting will turn out, but I have high hopes that it will be a positive experience and the start of improved family-school communication and relationships.
more than just friends
As I was reading a story today at the end of my AM Kindergarten session, I looked up and saw two of my students-- a boy and a girl-- looking very cozy. The boy was sitting with his arm around the girl looking a little bit more like a teenage couple than 5 year olds! Geesh, they start young these days....
In other news, I found out that the school PSO approved my request for funding to finish my literacy bags project. I am now able to create enough bags so that each child will get to take one home each Friday. I went shopping at Lakeshore for some activities to go along with the themed books. They have so many cool games and activities and it was so fun to shop with funds that won't ultimately come out of my own bank account. I ordered some more bags online that I will have parents help me decorate and I just have a few more bags that I need to make activities for since I used all of the funds I have. Here are some of the games/activities I got...
In other news, I found out that the school PSO approved my request for funding to finish my literacy bags project. I am now able to create enough bags so that each child will get to take one home each Friday. I went shopping at Lakeshore for some activities to go along with the themed books. They have so many cool games and activities and it was so fun to shop with funds that won't ultimately come out of my own bank account. I ordered some more bags online that I will have parents help me decorate and I just have a few more bags that I need to make activities for since I used all of the funds I have. Here are some of the games/activities I got...
There are certain games that go along with particular books, so I got this letter matching game that goes with the A My Name is Alice book. These will be part of a "Names" bag with The Name Jar and Chrysathemum.
This recycling sorting game will be part of the Earth & Environment theme bag
This shell word building game will go with the Hawaii theme bag which includes the books A is for Aloha, Hula Lullaby, and a story about a lost sea turtle.
I got the dinosaur number puzzles to go with the dinosaur theme bag
These cute bean bag fruits and vegetables will go with the Food & Nutrition theme bag. The cards on the key ring describe different activities that can be done with the bean bags.
Fun bug sorting to go with the insects bag
I still need to create activities for the camping bag, the families bag, the all about me bag, the colors bag, the rhyming songs bag, The Jan Brett bag (which contains The Mitten & The Hat), and the Laura Numeroff bag (which contain If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other books like that). I am trying to make sure that each bag has some kind of activity relating to either math, letters, or word building. I am so excited to start sending these bags home, but I just need to finalize some things before I can. I am hoping to start sending them the week after Thanksgiving. I told one little boy about the camping bag since he really likes to camp and he was so excited. I told him that I would make sure he could take it home first and he was like...."Thanks Mrs. Sneaker." So cute! I am a little curious how these bags will work out for my Spanish speaking families since all of the books are in English. I am thinking of inviting them to come in so I can show them the games and how to play and maybe make some suggestions of what to do with the books if they don't read in English...I am not sure the best way to go about it.
If anyone has any suggestions/ideas for activities related to the themes I still need to make activities for, I would love to hear them!
shoe love
I have been out of the classroom for the past two days with Courageous Conversations training. I really enjoy the work we are doing with this committee, but it's hard to be out of the classroom and it's even harder to be out two days in a row. I am really excited to be back with my kiddos tomorrow!
I got an email today from a parent expressing how much her daughter misses me since I have been out. We only had 2 days of school last week, then this little girl was out sick on Monday and then I was out Tuesday and Wednesday, so it's been awhile since I have seen her. This mom just wanted to tell me how much her daughter loves me and that she has been missing me a lot. What a sweet email to receive and so appreciated because I don't think teachers can ever hear enough about the positive influence we have on the kids we teach and the families we work with! She also said that her daughter talks about me all the time and how cool my shoes and scarves are. I have never had a class before that got so excited about my shoes.... love it!
Sometimes I get so caught up in teaching and getting done what I need to get done, that I forget how powerful my impact is on the lives of lots of little people. I think about them all of the time when I am outside the classroom, but it's really nice to know that they are thinking about me, too and talking about me and what we do in the classroom with their parents.
Also, I just got this new book, which I am really excited about. I feel like I have a huge stack of "teacher books" that I have been meaning to get to, but I haven't been doing a lot of reading outside of what I need to read for my courses. I can't wait for winter break because my classes will be on hiatus and I can just enjoy some good reading (and seeing my hubs!)
Since I am really interested in the concept of making scripted reading programs more culturally appropriate and relevant, I think this will be a very interesting read. Sometimes I really question the kinds of stories that are included in the reading program that we use, so I am interested to read some more about what criteria are used when pieces of literature are selected. One of my ideas for my doctoral research involves taking a deeper look at the curriculum we use across grade levels to evaluate how culturally appropriate it is for groups other than White students.
I got an email today from a parent expressing how much her daughter misses me since I have been out. We only had 2 days of school last week, then this little girl was out sick on Monday and then I was out Tuesday and Wednesday, so it's been awhile since I have seen her. This mom just wanted to tell me how much her daughter loves me and that she has been missing me a lot. What a sweet email to receive and so appreciated because I don't think teachers can ever hear enough about the positive influence we have on the kids we teach and the families we work with! She also said that her daughter talks about me all the time and how cool my shoes and scarves are. I have never had a class before that got so excited about my shoes.... love it!
Sometimes I get so caught up in teaching and getting done what I need to get done, that I forget how powerful my impact is on the lives of lots of little people. I think about them all of the time when I am outside the classroom, but it's really nice to know that they are thinking about me, too and talking about me and what we do in the classroom with their parents.
Also, I just got this new book, which I am really excited about. I feel like I have a huge stack of "teacher books" that I have been meaning to get to, but I haven't been doing a lot of reading outside of what I need to read for my courses. I can't wait for winter break because my classes will be on hiatus and I can just enjoy some good reading (and seeing my hubs!)
Since I am really interested in the concept of making scripted reading programs more culturally appropriate and relevant, I think this will be a very interesting read. Sometimes I really question the kinds of stories that are included in the reading program that we use, so I am interested to read some more about what criteria are used when pieces of literature are selected. One of my ideas for my doctoral research involves taking a deeper look at the curriculum we use across grade levels to evaluate how culturally appropriate it is for groups other than White students.
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