My Little "Jimmy"

My Little "Jimmy" brings a smile to my face!

I haven't blogged in about a week. I'm not sure why I decided to stop. Ok, I know why...I just got lazy or made excuses and found other things to do. I have really enjoyed blogging and it's helped me with so many things this year but for some reason this week was just a lazy blogging week.

Munchkinville has slowly gotten better and my munchkins are coming along. They had their first individual Picture Day during the week but had to wear their uniform for this one. They get to dress up for their Spring pictures only. Either way they still looked cute! One munchkins made sure to tell me they showered especially for that day! haha ~I would hope so! Some probably just shower only on Sunday's! heehee I admit when I was little I hated to shower and there was a short time that Sunday's were the day! I know my mom didn't let that go for very long! Haha! Yes, I now shower daily!

During the week we went to visit our Computer Lab for the very first time and they loved it!! I'm fortunate to have in my classroom a workstation of computers (5) for the munchkins to use. I love technology and am always amazed at how much these little ones come in knowing about computers. Not very many of them have computers at home but they get to use the ones in the class & also in the lab every other week. I did have one little one cry when we were in the lab because he was afraid he wouldn't use it right or answer right. Of course I had to reassure him that it was ok if he didn't pick the correct answer. Poor baby, a perfectionist already!

We also had our first Early Release day. This is where students get dismissed half day and we stay for Professional Development. The morning was short because our Counselor put together an outdoor celebration with one of our Partner's in Education-Walmart. We were told to put together a song, dance, or skit, by grade level for that day...kinda like America's Got Talent. We weren't given any information as to what it was for or why we were doing it and that it "wasn't mandatory but greatly appreciated." You know what that means~we have to! It wasn't that we rebelled but we really never made the time to meet and come up with something. We're usually ok with doing silly things because the munchkins usually get a kick out of us making fools of ourselves, but this time...nada! Yikes! Other grade levels were saying they weren't doing anything...FIBBERS! I think the morning of we all felt the pressure of "wasn't mandatory but greatly appreciated." Thank goodness for our coach... he was singing a song he wrote to Love Me Tender by Elvis, yes, he wrote a song! Sheesh! Talk about taking this seriously...heehee! Actually it was a really good song about loving our school, faculty, kids, and community and teaching there for 33 years. Well, that morning when he told me about his song, I batted my eyelashes and asked if the four of us could be his Love Girls. Whew...he said yes! We had 30 minutes until it was time...eek! I raced to get red butcher paper and made big hearts, our prop! haha! The celebration actually turned out very nice and it was a surprise for us! Walmart was there to randomly draw names and give 10 teachers money! Nope, I wasn't one of them! Darn!! Most of the grade levels did very good acts or dances, we were saved for the end...yikes! The pressure to stand there and sway with a heart! haha! Thank goodness he let us join him, otherwise, we would have been the loser group not doing anything! haha!

The rest of this blog is about my "Jimmy."
As most of you read previously...there was a little run in with mom and most of you are probably dying to find out how that all went. I was ready for round two and had my inner Kung Fu Panda ready just incase. Administration was also ready to sit in with me. Well, at the last minute administration had something to attend to and the counselor was going to be late. In a way I was ok with that because mom didn't know they would all be sitting in. I figured I could defuse the situation if need be. Well, mom and grandma came with little brother and we sat in my room. It was like night and day and they were very calm and nice!! It might have been because she was warned by my principal or she'd be banned from the school. The counselor arrived while we were talking and I thought hell froze over with the looks they gave her! haha! Luckily it didn't get ugly at all and we were able to discuss her son. The fact that this is her first child in school made it was obvious that she is not aware of the school routine and that there are also rules for parents to follow. Some things she brought up of that frightful day weren't true at all, but I wasn't going to play a she said/she said...I much rather keep the peace and turned it back on her in a way and showed her some of his work. She was surprised to see what he could and couldn't do and YES I do teach during the day as she questioned prior. It all ended very well and she is happy to have him there at our school and with me! Yay! Whew! heehee!

It's been great to observe my "Jimmy" in what he says and does. He continues to speak in the third person and when I correct him on it and ask him to use "I" he does his little giggle instead. He also does this sound "Nyah, nyah, nyah" which reminds me of the old 3 Stooges shows. It's hilarious and I laugh inside. Actually, some of the kids have started to copy him and I admit I've done it back to him and he looked at me funny then laughed! One little boy tried talking in the third person but I quickly put a stop to that. The other munchkins are actually very kind, helpful, and very sweet to him. I think they can tell that some of the things he does are a little different but they take care of him and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've given them the talk of being kind to one another and especially to those who are different...I think they were actually listening! It warms my heart every time I see one of them helping him out. Don't get me wrong, he is very bright and does everything the others are doing, just from time to time they redirect him or show him how. It's very sweet and loving!

Something happened this week to "Jimmy" and I'm not sure what it was...but from one day to the next he's doing really, really well! He's doing better than some of the others! We have a morning message time and they copy what someone shared with the class in a journal, well his usually was in Kinder terms, pure scribble scrabble! Then the next day he said "Look at Jimmy's"....WOW!! ~Did he do it himself? or did the other munchkin do it for him??? Hmmm....~Very nice Jimmy, you did a beautiful job! Then it happened again the next day! What's going on?? Such a big difference! Guess what?....it happened every day after that and his pictures were now beginning to show more details and different colors. Yay!!!


Friday was probably my most precious day with "Jimmy." In the morning while he was working in his journal, he looked and seemed quieter than usual. Then he said, "Jimmy's sad" and put his head down. I asked him to come sit with me so we could chat. I asked him why he was sad and he said mom had gotten mad at him because she wanted him to wear the brown pants. I looked and he was wearing the blue pants...hmmm? I guess he won that battle?! haha Then I asked him why didn't he want to wear the brown pants and this smarty said...they weren't clean. Now how wonderful was that! I had given them the talk on coming to school clean and neat and he doesn't like to be dirty! I told him that sometimes mommies and daddies are rushing in the morning and sometimes they get mad but still love him and I was sure she would be ok with him when she picked him up. I asked him to give me a hug and oddly he came over but just rested his head on me and his arms to his side. I had to show him how to hug but he still did the same thing. The rest of the day it seemed like every 2 to 3 minutes he would come up to me wherever I was and put his head on me so that I would hug him! Awww.....his little deer eyes would just look up at me each time! My heart smiles!!

I hope his growth and transformation continues in the direction that it's been going. He just brings a smile to my face and heart. Something every classroom needs! Stay tuned....

XOXO's

What is Kindergarten??

What is Kindergarten??

Today was such a wonderful day that I truly got that feeling back! I love Kindergarten! There are moments from time to time that I get that feeling and just love what I do! Then of course there are moments that make me sit and think about what and why I do what I do. Days like today just make it that much better!

So what is Kindergarten??...Well, translated literally from German it means "children's garden." Friedrich Fröbel opened the first kindergarten in Germany on 28 June 1840. As per Wikipedia's definition; it is a form of education for young children which serves as a transition from home to the commencement of of more formal schooling. Children learn to communicate, play, and interact with others appropriately. A teacher provides various materials and activities to motivate these children to learn the language and vocabulary or reading, mathematics, science, computers, as well as that of music, art, and social behaviors. For children who previously have spent most of their time at home, kindergarten may serve the purpose of helping them adjust to being apart from their parents without anxiety. They are usually exposed to their first idea of friendship while they play and interact with other children on a regular basis.

When I sat down to do my blog tonight I knew I wanted to blog about getting that feeling back of what Kindergarten really is...that is, before the TAKS came into the picture years ago. I knew what MY definition of Kindergarten was so I decided to google Kindergarten to see what the Internet would say. I came across Wikipedia and others. For some who do not know this... shhhhhh...Kindergarten is not mandatory in the state of Texas. As a matter of fact, it's not mandatory in; Oregon, Ohio, Missouri, California, Louisiana, Colorado, IL, WI, PA...to name a few. Many of these states do not mandate it but most children attend Kindergarten...Thank Goodness!!! I can't imagine what 1st Grade would be if children didn't get that foundation. Yikes!

As I read Wikipedia's definition...it made me smile. I'm not one to toot my own horn ever! Those that know me, know that very well, but today reading Wiki, I could actually say ~hey..today that was my classroom and munchkins!! We had so much fun!! Kindergarten has changed so much from the time I went to school and even from when I started as an intern to now. Back in the day the key word in Kindergarten was Play! Kindergarten has steered away from play because of the demands of that lovely test...TAKS. When I started teaching it was soooooo much fun! I had a Dramatic Play Area, a mini kitchen, little costumes, hats, and fun stuff to pretend with plus we still learned to read and write and everything else. The interactions and dialogue the munchkins would have with one another during that time was incredible! Then we were told no more Play Time from past administration. Boo!!! Many elementary principals have either middle school or high school experience only and in their mind numbers take over. TAKS scores!

Today was a day of Play!!! It was a beautiful cool morning and that started our day just right. The windows open (ok only two of 7 open...heehee...it's an old building) to feel the breeze come in and the munchkins were quietly working. They were all excited to talk about the hail storm that hit last night. My sweet "Jimmy Boy" said ~Mr. Sun spit ice down. Haha! Cute! Think that's a little bit my fault because when they come in from PE they're usually hot, stinky, and dripping with sweat. So I usually tell them they smell like Mr. Sun and he spit on them. Haha!! I had a teachable moment there and briefly explained where the hail came from. ~Mr. Sun didn't spit down the ice...it came from his drink he dropped! heehee! No I didn't tell them that but they probably would have believed me if I did! They're too cute!! ~hail is frozen water droplets that come from the clouds and can get bigger and bigger if there is an updraft and new layers of water droplets freeze on top. Ok, so I should have stopped at frozen water droplets from the clouds...sometimes my 2nd Grade teacher science brain comes out! haha! Oh well, I'm sure it won't hurt them knowing, that is.. those who heard anything after frozen water...heehee!

The day continued to be really pretty, weather wise. It was so cool, breezy, and a bit overcast when we picked up our munchkins after lunch and we decided to take them on a walk. Our school has a huge back area and we decided to take them on their first walk. We used to do this a lot when we just didn't feel like going back in and back to the same old thing! Today's weather just made it that easy to say ...walk time! It was so sweet, two itty bitty's came up to make sure they got to hold my hands as we walked. All the others just gathered around as we walked and talked. I felt like my little ducklings were waddling behind me. We talked about the trees and how the leaves would be changing, the weather, and anything that was going around us. The clouds were filling up and getting a little darker and they got to see them moving closer together. The little oooo's and ahhh's were cute to hear! We still didn't want to go in, ok I didn't want to go in...ha! These little munchkins are so easily amused! So we held hands and made a big circle and we walked in toward the center and back out, then in and back out, and in and out...you get the picture...they LOVED it! As they walked in toward each other they always let out a scream, I had to laugh each time! Darn I didn't take the camera out! We did this over and over and over...to see their little faces laughing was too cute. Then one of the other Kinder classes wanted to join our fun so that made the circle even larger! The screams were even louder! Walking one way in a circle then switching the other way was hilarious to watch these little bodies get twisted and bumping as they went the wrong way. Then I decided to do Ring Around the Rosie, Hokey Pokey, and Duck, Duck, Goose, in our large circle. I forget that many of them have never played or heard of these simple games. The Hokey Pokey was fun for them and us to watch. As we were making such a loud commotion other kids from different grade levels who were at lunch came over to watch. My past munchkins who are now 3rd Graders ran over and wanted to play Duck, Duck, Goose with us! Awww...I miss those munchkins! It was such a wonderful thing to see the older kids playing too. I also got in on the fun...one of my munchkins who was the goose didn't know what to do so I held her hand and we ran around the large circle as we were chased. I had to do that with a few, boy did I get a work out! haha! Many times teachers forget to have fun with their students especially as they get older, so to see my old babies playing with my Kinders and having a good time just made my day! Loved it! They asked if we were going to do it again tomorrow...I wish! We actually stayed outside playing for maybe an hour! A newbie Kinder teacher asked if I thought we would get into trouble...~What? Trouble?... no, but who cares if we did? it would be worth it! We've learned how to justify anything we do in Kinder. It's not actually not a matter of having to justify ourselves but from time to time someone will question something and in Kindergarten anything we do is a learning experience for many of these munchkins. So I'm glad we gave them an hour of outdoor fun experiences! What a wonderful day for my munchkins and for myself! I think I needed that to get a hold of what Kinder really is...fun!

Was today the calm before the storm in Kindergarten or just a wonderful preview of what's to come??? Stay tuned for more...

XOXO's

Western Day + 16th of September Day=2 Crazy Days!

Yeeeeeeehawwwww and Ahhhh-hahahahaayyyyy! (ok so I can't do the Mexican Grito)

Monday was the Twilight Zone, Tuesday was Western Day, Today was 16th of September Day...what will tomorrow and Friday be???

After my encounter on Monday...I was ready Tuesday morning for any tongue lashings that mom might have when she dropped of "Jimmy." I felt ready...I was not in lala land...I knew what I would say...my inner Kung Fu Panda moves were ready...the bell rang to pick up the kiddos....~here I go... my boxing theme music was playing as I entered the ring......hmm....bah??? What??? Awww man! Nothing!! "Jimmy" was in line smiling up at me and mom was no where in sight. Has that ever happened to you??? You play out in your mind something you're going to say to someone, feel real chingona (excuse the language) (translation...bad a$$) then you never get the opportunity!!! Darn!! I was soooo ready!! I'm sure it was for the better...I probably really wouldn't have said anything anyways...haha!!

The day was actually fine, no drama, and "Jimmy" was back and feeling better. It's not his fault and the entire situation makes him my little favorite even more!!

The munchkins were allowed to dress up for Western Day...Yeeehaw! I was a bit disappointed only 4 dressed up!! My other group of munchkins and parents always dressed up and did everything!! I guess this group of parents are going to need a lot of pushing to participate in school activities. I was spoiled for 3 years with awesome parents. I'm sure there are some hiding in this group I just need to squeeeeeeeze them for more! heehee! Since it worked with our Chains of Hope I sent home a note thanking and naming those munchkins who dressed up. Will it work?? Will more dress up for 16th of September???


Forgot to mention....mom showed up Tuesday after school!! Ahhhhh I wasn't prepared in my Kung Fu Panda mode!!! No worries, she was very different and wanted to schedule a meeting for Friday after school. I was fine with that. I saw the counselor inside and I did mention it to her and she'll be sitting in on the meeting. Mom doesn't know that and it may cause some fireworks on Friday when she sees the counselor present. After 12 years teaching, I know better... you always have someone else present, especially after what already happened. I'll have to get into my Zen mode on Friday. My inner Panda will be with me...just in case! heehee!

So...did my munchkins dress up for 16th of September?? I guess my note home thanking my little cowboys and cowgirls who dressed up worked a little...today 9 munchkins dressed up!! 5 more than yesterday!! Two parents also sent in some Mexican cookies and Pan Dulce! Yay!!!! My thank you note today was a lot longer with names of all my Señoritas and Señoritos so hopefully our next activity will have more participation! A little competition is always good!


Today was a little crazy with so many munchkins and teachers dressed up. Being out of uniform does something to the munchkins...they get WILD! haha! It was also our Grandparents Day luncheon! I had to remind them to be on their best behavior....blah, blah, blah! I'm sure that's what they heard me saying or...waah wah wah, wah wah wah waah from Charlie Brown. I don't blame them...I wasn't listening to myself either...haha! Love days like these when we can have loads of fun and still learn. Not only was it a fun day for the munchkins but for teachers too. Wearing our Rosarita dresses was the best thing ever! Total comfort zone!!! I probably could get a side job at a local Mexican restaurant...I have the outfit! haha! Our lounge where we eat was very festive, filled with decorations, and colorful paper flowers. The best part was....Pan Dulce...Mexican sweet bread for those who need translating. heehee! Yummers!!! There were huge boxex of it which was provided by our administrators! Yummy! In class we listened to Mariachi music, talked about why we were celebrating the day, compared the USA and Mexican flags, learned how to make Papel Picado and had some yummy goodies to end the day!


Gotta love my little Señoritas and Señoritos!

Stay tuned for more fun filled adventures...
XOXO's

What a day!!! Punk'd? Twilight Zone??

What a day indeed!!! Was I punk'd? Was I in the Twilight Zone???

Now to my rant...what a day, what a day, what a day!!!

Who created some of these parents??? In order to keep my professionalism I'll keep it brief...
if I can! haha! I really felt like today was an episode of Punk'd or the Twilight Zone. I waited for Ashton Kutcher or Rod Serling to pop out. Ok, maybe the music from Twilight Zone since Rod Serling is not around anymore. Eek creepy! Anywho...I had a call from our office that a parent wanted to see me...~hmmm??? who could it be?? Then she said the parent didn't want to wait for my conference time and would only take 5 minutes. It was "Jimmy Boy's" mom. He was actually absent so I figured she wanted to talk to me about his absence??? Who knows? I told our clerk I was ok with it because my little leader had control of our Calendar Time and I could spare 5 minutes.

Wow...what a bizarre 5 minutes that was!!! Met her in the hallway and the counselor happened to be down the hall near her office. Mom came to turn in his Mini Me project because he was sick. I'll post a couple of my munchkins projects...too cute! Wow, how nice was that of her to come down and drop it off even when he didn't come to school?!...Wait...eeekkk..~scratch sound on a record~...the niceness stops there!


Everything is such a blur....the counselor was closer to us and that's when it got worse. Mom was going off that she didn't like being told what to do and other stuff. While she spoke I think I drifted off to some far, far, away land...because I just looked at her and thought...~HUH?? Where in the bejeebers is this coming from?? Well, she didn't like that the office told her she needed to speak to me during my conference time, that she needed to go through the office, and some other rules all parents need to follow. I told her ~I'm sorry, but yes...we all have to follow those rule. At that time the counselor jumped in and said the same thing...yikes...mom did not like that one bit! After she was rude to the counselor that's when she felt she needed to start on me. I'm not a fighter but for one brief moment...when I was in lala land...I thought of a perfect move from the Kung Fu San Soo's Women's Self Defense Class that I so wanted to use but I didn't...I just let her vent. She was shooting out nails...Yikes!! I can't say I was getting mad...I was more in shock than anything. She went off on the fact that we assign a family project once a month. ~Heaven forbid you sit with your child to work on a fun craft project once a month!!! (By the way...they did it WRONG because they didn't follow instruction..ay!!) Then she went off on Homework...why should she sit and work with him she asked...then she said it..."what do you do with him all day?? Don't you teach him anything? Don't you teach the curriculum?" ~Oh NO You Didn't!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Pow! Kabam!! Smack!! Heighhhh Ya!!! Ok that's just my pretend Kung Fu Panda take down scene in my head...heehee! I kind of giggled when she said that and surprisingly kept my cool. In my professional voice and manner I told her what I needed to say then told her she could make an appointment during my conference time because I needed to get back to my kids and TEACH! She kept on and on, truthfully I stopped listening...lalalala... I couldn't get over the shock that a parent doesn't want to spend time with their own child. He's in Kindergarten not High School!!! (Not that High School parents don't spend time with their kids, just can't think of any other reference..haha) Then the counselor stepped in again and told me I wasted enough of my time and to go ahead and go back to my munchkins and asked mom to follow her. Sheesh!!! Thank God the counselor was there and witnessed it all!!!~insert Twilight Zone music and Rod Serling voice~

Later, the Principal came by but I was working with the kids..wait...what? I actually work with kids...heehee At lunch the Principal told me she went by to check on me...awwww sweet! Probably to see if I was still alive...haha!! I found out mom started a scene in the office and that's why the counselor followed her to my room...and here I thought God sent her...well he did! Then I found out mom cussed out the counselor and as she was escorted out a male companion got out of the car and also cursed at the counselor...YIKES!!! Ashton Kutcher still nowhere in sight to tell us we got Punk'd!!! Well, Central Office was made aware of the situation, and if it happens again, mom will be banned from the school! We'll see what happens tomorrow morning when she drops him off....

On a better note...I do have to say Friday, September 11 was a beautiful day! My munchkins didn't win the Chains of Hope for the school but we did have the most for Kindergarten $49...yay!! The kids were such great sports when they heard they didn't win the pizza party for 1st place. They held their breath to hear if they won 2nd place and the ice cream party...nope. They kept looking at me...do we still have a chance for 3rd and the popcorn party?? Nope, we missed that by $10.00!! Darn...I should have put in my own money, but I didn't think that would be fair..who knows those other teachers probably put in their own money...heehee! Either way the school had a very nice outdoor ceremony and collected a nice amount for the scholarship foundation! Thanks to some great munchkins, parents, and their donations!!


Ready for a better day tomorrow...it's Western Day! Yeeeeehaw!!!

XOXO's

Do Penguins Have Teeth????

Do Penguins Have Teeth??? No, they actually don't. Well, my little penguin boy does!!!(if you've read the earlier posts you know who I'm talking about)

During the inservice yesterday my munchkins crossed my mind maybe once. I thought of calling and checking on the sub but I knew she could handle it and my student teacher would also be there in the morning.

Walking into the classroom I kept thinking...they better have behaved!! I warned them!!! As I got to my reading table where I work from, there was the note from the sub...

AHHHHHHHH!!! Three names were on the Did Not Behave list. Darn!!! Now the mean teacher had to come out! Ugh...I don't like her! heehee! My "Jimmy" boy was on the list...oh no! How will he respond and react to me being upset?? One of my girls was on the list...she's actually my little one who just turned 5 the last week of August. Last but not least on the list was my "Penguin Boy."

The classroom was still empty so I sat and read the note in it's entirety. The note was a very positive one for the most part. She enjoyed my munchkins and would actually come back! Whew! It's so hard to find subs who want to sub Kindergarten. Thank goodness! Well, my "Jimmy" boy changed his card to yellow for not listening, not paying attention, and giving her a hard time. My little girl was talking way too much. "Penguin Boy"...want to take a guess??? Nope, not a bathroom thing again...nope, not talking too much...nope, not playing too much. Ready for this??? Well, I wasn't ready to read what she wrote...I blurted out loud...~What??... I read... He bit a girl on the arm!!!! ~Oh no he didn't!!! Did I just miss something?? When did I teach them to bite each other??? Was that when we were learning to stand in line?? Or when we talked about being The Best Kinder Class!! ~Boys and girls please lean over and bite your neighbor! Now, now, you didn't do it just right...a little harder please...good job! AHHHH!! Are you kidding me...he bit someone?! Penguins don't have teeth!!! Why? Why? Why??

The bell rang and I had to figure out how I was going to approach this within the next 30 seconds. I should send him to the office for that one, but I usually like to handle my discipline myself because most of the time sending them to the office doesn't help much. I went to pick up my munchkins and decided I would handle this. I saw mom...I told her about the biting incident and knew he didn't behave but he told her it was because he hit a girl. Hit, bit...not the same thing...good rhyming words but way off!! I told her I would talk to him and the little girl to find out what happened.

Oh, I also forgot that my student teacher had told me the twin little girl I have had a fit in the morning before coming into school. She was screaming, crying, kicking, and threw herself onto the floor!! He mother had to drag and carry her into the classroom and plop her in and leave. She didn't stop crying for over an hour!! Wow!!! I couldn't believe it! She cried a few tears a few times but nothing as dramatic as that. This little one never says a thing!!! Some munchkins can't and won't accept change very well. Yikes!!! Well, as we started walking in then I got to witness it myself!! Whoa mama!!! I tried to go over and help mom calm her down. The sweet talk wasn't working at all. Then I tried to help mom bring her in. It was like I was trying to rope a calf...she was twitching and flopping everywhere! I would have lost the roping competition! I thought of hog tying, but nope that wouldn't have worked either! Haha!! I was about to scoop her up and drag her in but I decided...heck no! No bruises for me thank you!! Mom grabbed her and right at the entrance to the hallway the counselor made her stand...who knows how she did it...Child Whisper maybe??? Nah, she has a very loud and raspy voice so that probably scared her. haha!! She looked for me and clung to my arm...~Oh yeah, now you want to come to me...I wanted to say, but she did and she stopped crying once we were in the classroom. Whew!!!

That was a brief 2 minute distraction before I decided on the lecture I was about to give...eek. Instead of going crazy wild. In a low, clam, tone I did the ~I'm so disappointed, My feelings are hurt, We're Not the Best Kinder Class speech. A pin could drop! I thanked those who behaved and told them to kiss their heart for caring and behaving. I looked over at "Jimmy" and knew he might be crying because of the last time I was upset with the class. This time he knew he got a yellow card and had his head down and looked up at me with teary eyes. I wanted to melt but I had to stick to it. He is just like the others and needs to follow the rules too.

The day before I had spoken to the class about behaving and if I received any names they would have lunch detention. I also sent this home with parents so they would be aware. I reminded my three offenders that they would be having lunch detention and they nodded their heads...they knew. I spoke to my Penguin Boy and the little girl he bit separately to find out what happened. I asked the girl first then got his side. She said they were in line for lunch and he was bugging her and she told him to stop then he bit her and pointed to her upper arm. Then I asked him what happened and he said he bit her on accident. ~Oh whoops, I accidently got my mouth and teeth around your arm! I probably would have believed ~I was hungry! Ay!!!

I normally don't like to reward munchkins for behaving because I think they should behave without getting a prize. I give out a lot of verbal praise but since this is a new group of munchkins...yes, I'll be rewarding all the ones who behaved with a treat tomorrow. Hopefully this may entice the others to try harder next time. A bribe maybe??? Well if it works...great! If it doesn't...you'll be hearing more about my offenders!!!

Just as soon as I gave my speech, later that morning cards changed to yellow!! It must be the barometer! Yes, when the weather changes so does the behavior in the class!!! Look...it's pouring outside right now!! Who needs the Weather Doppler when you have Kindergartners! Almost 100% accurate. Today's offenders were two girls and two boys...yes, one was the same little girl from yesterday...chat, chat, chat, chat, chat! The boys were... my little Blue Shoe boy and yes...my "Penguin Boy!" Can I cry now!!! Whah!!!! He has some type of fascination with playing in the bathroom. Again, he was standing on the urinal and then tried to pull down another boys Choninos! (my word I use for underware) Ugh!!!!

The rest of the day went very well! Maybe because they were in I better behave mode! Haha!! I was able to hand over the rein of part of our Calendar Rug Time over to one of my munchkins and she did very well. Slowly she'll be able to learn the entire routine and take over for me. The others were so excited to follow along with her and asked when would they get to do it? Yay!!


Tomorrow is our September 11th Remembrance ceremony and I'm very proud of my munchkins....we collected $44.00!! Woohoo! We still don't know who the classroom winner is...we'll find out tomorrow morning. Parent's like to compete against each other and it's hilarious, that's how we were able to collect so much in such a short time. As I said once, the community and families at my school aren't rolling in money, but then again who is! My first note to parents about the contest was a general one and a few munchkins brought in their dimes and other coins. I sent out another note thanking and mentioning the munchkin names who brought in money. The next day a few more brought in some spare change and one little girl brought in $5.00....this is when I started naming the munchkin who brought in the most money for the day and the amount they brought in. Well that sparked the fire in some of my parents. I then got it $3.00 here, $4.00 there, each time with a note I sent home with the highest contribution. Yesterday was the all time high of $7.00 from a little girl! Healthy competition works great and it's for a good cause!!! :)

After school I spoke to my Penguins mom and had a long talk with her. It's great to have parents like her. She is very supportive and is working with me and not against me. She did tell me at the beginning of the year that he is very hyper! Bless her heart, she actually felt sorry for me and apologized. She didn't understand how I was still being patient with him. I told her we're all still learning and I didn't want to send him to the office yet because he is very remorseful and a lot of it is still immaturity. I'm strict and very firm but I don't want him to not want to come to school. I think my patience with him is helping her keep her patience and from pulling her hair out or his..haha! I do see characteristics of ADHD but I'm not one to diagnose but I told her if it continues after September then Houston we have a problem!! Tomorrow is another day and hopefully he'll make better choices.

Wow, tomorrow is finally Friday! Yes, it was a short week but it felt pretty long! Maybe I should change the name from Adventure in Munchkinville to Adventures in Penguin Land!! Stay tuned for more to come....
XOXO's

What Cookie are You??

Wow!! Finally an inservice that was very well worth it!

Dr. Keith Polette was our presenter for the day. http://www.keithpolette.com The day flew by!! Dr. Polette has always been a great speaker and presenter. I took one of his classes during my undergraduate studies and all the girls always showed up to his class! Heehee! Something about his way of speaking is so engaging, non threatening, and a lot of fun!

Dr. Polette is still with UTEP and now is our Reading Framework Guru for our district. He previously was working with the teachers in grades 3-6 and now us! He has authored a few teacher books and 4 children's books. Three of his children's books are based in the Chihuahuan Desert and are really cute. A few years back, my grade level at the time, used his book Isabella and the Hungry Coyote, made the kiddos costumes, and put on a mini production of his book. This book is his version of Little Red Riding Hood in the Chihuahuan Desert. We invited him to attend and he was kind enough to do so about 4 or 5 years ago. The kids were mesmerized as he read the story to them. We, the teachers, were in awe too! This time around we, the teachers, were also mesmerized!! Heehee!

Dr. Polette's is/has such a wealth of information and we were all glued to our seats craving for more. His presentation was serious, funny and entertaining! One of the fun things we had to do was pick which cookie we would be; a flatbread heart shaped cookie, an oatmeal raisin cookie, a rootbeer cookie, or a chocolate chip cookie....go ahead pick your cookie?! What cookie would you be??? Write it down and don't change your answer!! I'll give you the analysis of each one at the end of the blog. :)

One of the many key points he spoke of was~ Conservation. No not, energy conservation...heehee! He stated Without the ability to conserve, children cannot successfully understand phonics or process the letters and words in text. Conservation is the ability to recognize the same object in different configurations. We usually see the use of conservation done in Science when you have two same size glasses of water then pour one into a larger container and ask the munchkin which has more? If the munchkin can state that they're the same they understand conservation, if they say the larger container has more then they have not mastered the concept of conservation. Another example would be to show the munchkin two same size balls of clay. Keep one rolled into a ball and the other one, roll it out into a long snake. Then ask which has more... if they can say they're the same amount they understand how to conserve, if not, then they need more practice. A conservation example in Reading was showing the munchkin the capital letter A and the lowercase letter a. Ask the munchkin if they are the same letter. If they say no...errr wrong answer...they don't understand conservation! If they say yes they are both the letter A then...by George, they've got it!! When they do get it...it correlates with reading readiness and cognitive development so it will help them perform better. When they still do not get it, it's not because they aren't trying, it's because their brain development or to be more specific the Angular Gyrus, hasn't reached the point of growth or maturity to be able to understand it. Hope that made sense??!!

Some great children's books he shared with us that reinforce the concept of conservation were:

• Where's The Fish by Taro Gami
  
• Sea Shapes by Suse MacDonald
  
• Alphabatics by Suse MacDonald
  
• The Other Side by Istvan Banyai
  
• Alphabet City by Stephen Johnson
  
• Mouse Views by Bruce McMillan
  

This is the part of his presentation that I was sucked into... the discussion on a part of the brain called the Angular Gyrus. I am just fascinated by brain research...I know...nerdy! heehee! The Angular Gyrus is the part of the brain that is involved in the processing of auditory and visual input and in the comprehension of language. This part of the brain matures early is some munchkins by age 3, but not in others until after age six!!! Yikes!!! A few munchkins weren't even 5 when we started. After hearing this information I could instantly guess which munchkins' Angular Gyrus haven't matured yet! Until it develops we really can't force or push it to mature. We can help it along but it really begins at home with parents at a very early age....READ and SPEAK to your children!!! The more language children hear at a very early age, even another language, the more they internalize it. Then when it's time, it becomes an easier task to read and speak because they were exposed to language early.

How do you know if this part of the brain is developed??? An autopsy was his response! haha! Well, since we can't do autopsies on our munchkins, this is where the conservation examples came in; the glasses of water, balls of clay, and uppercase/lowercase letters. Another important way to tell if it has developed is if they can rhyme and understand rhyming. The fun example was to ask if they can take one arm, either left or right arm, hang it on top of their head and cup their ear with that same hand. The arm has to be on top and over, not behind their head. If they can do this their A.G. has developed, if they wrap behind their head...still not ready! 30 more minutes back into the oven...heehee! Who knows...maybe he just made us look like big dorks with our arms reaching for our opposite ear so he could get a good laugh! haha! Actually, I tried it with my munckins and the one's I can tell are having problems couldn't do it. A few did it perfectly, no questions asked and those are my little smartie pants!

There was so much wonderful information that I could go on and on about but then I'd be doing his workshop! Oh...are you still waiting to find out what kind of cookie you are?? Heehee...I was a Chocolate Chip and so were a big group of the other Kinder teachers. There were a few of the other cookies too. Ok...if you picked...

• Flatbread cookie-You're a clear-cut, no-nonsense person. You like things in your life to be precise and accurate. You enjoy being right about most things. Very analytical.
  
• Oatmeal Raisin cookie-You're a practical down to earth person. You're a good problem solver, like making decisions and happy to tell people what they ought to do. Usually very organized.
  
• Rootbeer cookie-You're weird!! Haha!! You like it because no one else had thought to do so. You like trying new things, taking risks, going with the flow, and combining things that most people would never think of combining.
• Chocolate Chip cookie-You are a party favorite. You are popular, energetic, a good mixer, and a great dancer. Fun to be with, you're a wonderful companion, though you don't have much use for schedules or being on time.

Wondering how these relate to classroom teachers...well, we each have to possess a little of all 4 in order to have a successful classroom. All this talk of cookies...yummy...got milk??

Stay tuned for the next blog and how my munchkins behaved with the substitute...
XOXO's

Short Week..Hip Hip Hooray!!

Hip, hip, hooray...start of a short week today!

What a wonderful break! I can't say I was full of energy and ready to get back to work...I had too much fun and wanted more time off. haha! I had to remind myself it was going to be a very short week. 3 day week, yes three days because I have a workshop all day tomorrow...Woohoo!

I normally wouldn't be very happy about going to a workshop but this one I am. If anyone took any English courses at UTEP with Dr. Keith Polette, you know what a great speaker he is. In my undergraduate course of Children's Literature we would swoon when he spoke. He has a great way of keeping your attention and interest. It doesn't hurt that he's not bad on the eyes too...heehee! ~blush~ He has some great children's books he has written which relate to our Southwest area. I'll post more about him and his work and the workshop tomorrow if all goes well.

My munchkins today were very calm and it was nice. They're starting to fall into a routine which will make my life easier in the long run. We were supposed to watch President Obama's speech today but not sure what happened. The techie that I am and another fellow teacher found it streamlined on a Washington web site and the munchkins got to listen to it. To my surprise they did a very good job paying attention...well, some listened. My penguin boy, who should have been the main one listening wasn't...ugh! All my other munchkins were very focused on what President Obama said especially when I gave them the eye when he said "Listen to your teacher." It's amazing what they know and how well they listen. Many times we get looked over because we're Kinder! We had a great discussion afterwards about the things that were said and what some of the things he said meant. This was a perfect transition into the discussion of having a substitute tomorrow and they BETTER behave! We'll see what happens with that when I get back on Thursday.

We used scissors today for the first time...eek!!! Wow!! It's amazing to see the correlation of my munchkins who have no clue how to hold or use scissors with those that have very poor fine motor skills or I should say lack of fine motor skills when writing and using a crayon. The munchkins that I've notice have poor fine motor skills couldn't hold or manipulate scissors if their life depended on it! Before using the scissors we first learned how to trace their little hands on construction paper. Most of them did ok, but some hands looked like strange creatures from the black lagoon! Once we traced, then I had to show them how to hold scissors. Yes, just like anything else, many need to be taught how to simply hold little scissors correctly and then getting their little hands to manipulate the scissors open and closed. We went over the rules...no playing, no poking, no cutting hair, no cutting uniforms, no walking with scissors, no this and no that! Finally....we started, they first have to learn to place their thumb and first two fingers in the correct places. We did that over and over. Whew! That's a job in itself! A good chunk of them did very well holding their scissors while others struggled. I know I should have just had them practice cutting paper into snips and strips but I wanted to push them a little more. Well, those cute and strange little hands we traced...it was time to cut them out! Maybe 5 cut out beautiful little hands and kept the fingers intact! Another 7 or so did ok...a few fingers missing or chopped off or their hands looked like part mittens or creature hands. Haha! The other 4...ahhhhhh!!! I think that's going to be homework for those...just holding and cutting up paper and following lines to cut. Yikes!!! Their poor little hands were...hmm.. let's just say amputated! Not making a joke of any amputees but these poor little hands had no fingers and were left as blobs. I'll have to post the pictures later of some of their construction hands...they are super cute to see!

Toward the end of the day today they had a special treat...Ronald McDonald came to talk and put on a skit about Bullying. Did you know there was a real Ronald McDonald...well there is!! Heehee! It was a little scary to see this very tall man dressed in the full outfit and makeup! My sweet special "Jimmy" boy cried. At first I thought it was because he was scared of the clown. Who's not afraid of creepy clowns?!! Well, later he told me he cried because it was "too wild." They gym was packed with K-3...that's a lot of kids and he had them very active and it did get loud and crazy. This was a good indicator for me that he doesn't do very well with too much audio stimulation, but he did do ok. The kids loved his show.


We'll see how tomorrow turns out at the workshop and I cross my fingers the munchkins behave with the sub...or else! ;) Stay tuned...
XOXO's

Boogers and Bathrooms...Oh MY!!!

Wednesday is usually called hump day...gosh, I'm glad we're over the hump.

Knowing we have a 3 day weekend ahead made the week seem to go very slow. Munchkinville so far has had its good moments and some bad moments. I'm ready for a long weekend and adult interactions! haha!

My munchkins had their orientation in our school library this morning. Our librarian is great and brave to shoo me away while she did her orientation with the munchkins. She wanted to work with them alone and would bring them back to me in about 30 minutes or so. Wow!!! Free time!! Woohoo!! Well, not exactly free time... 30 minutes is a lot of time to a teacher and believe me I had so many things I needed to do...where to start?? Later in the year she increases the time to 45 minutes...~ahhh! :) I chatted with my student teacher and a few things were completed, not many...but it was a nice little break.

As teachers, we have to have eyes in the back of our heads, sonar radar, and super powers! Heehee! I could sense my munchkins coming so I walked out of my room and to the end of the hallway... sure enough my little ones were coming down a back hallway with the librarian. She gave them a great compliment...they were much better than the Kinder class that went to her yesterday! See! ~I whispered to them...you are the best Kinder class...so far... don't ruin it! :)
Don't get me wrong...I do have some little boogers that are pushing my patience level and giving me more gray hair but they're nowhere near some other munchkins in Kinder...eek! Knock on wood!!

Speaking about little boogers...Boy do they LOVE to dig in their noses!!! There is always one or two when we're gathered on the rug digging for gold! The first week I was real good and would nicely say ~we use a tissue for our nose not our fingers. Well...today I just got tired of watching the same child, who I've told over and over to use a tissue, digging and digging then looking at what he found and just as he was about to smear it...that's when I wasn't so sweet or nice anymore. Yes, I did it...I admit...I drew attention to my archeologist digging for gold...I didn't call on him by name, but I did gasp quite loudly (works better than yelling and it really gets their attention...Ahhhh!! Oh my goodness...YUCK! We don't pick, dig, or fish for boogers! Get up and get a tissue right now! (still in a low but shocked tone) Well, as I finished saying that... 3 little boogers stood up to get a tissue?! I had noticed only 1 digging and was directing my comment to him...obviously there were others who thought I was talking to them! Ay dios mio!! I almost started to laugh! It helped me remember some of these boogers are still babies!!! I have one who just turned 5 on Monday, so she was only 4!!! Oh my goodness!!!

Yesterday was the first day someone took home a Yellow Card for behavior...yikes! Well, that same little boy received a Yellow again today!!! Yesterday he was caught playing in the bathroom. He climbed like a little monkey on top of the stall and jumped!! Today was even better! As part of my class was in line, quietly waiting their turn to use the restroom, that's when I heard boys squealing and yelling. ~Oh those BETTER not be my boys! There was another class taking a restroom break so I was crossing my fingers they weren't mine...remember...I have the best Kinder class. Well, the bathroom main door is always kept open so teachers can see part of the restroom if they need to stop kids from playing with the soap and water, paper towels, or just yell in to hurry up. The stalls have doors and there is a partial wall covering the urinals so no worries about exposing themselves. Well...my monkey from yesterday had just turned into a penguin!!! I had heard the noise and stood in the hallway at the entrance to look in and see who was playing...well, my little monkey had his little pants down to his ankles waddling, laughing, and screaming from the stall to the urinal across the room!!!! OH NO YOU DIDN'T!! His uniform shirt was so long it almost came down to his knees, lucky for him! So much for the best Kinder class!!! ~Ahhh! (yes there's the gasp again) What do you think you're doing???!!! Get out here right now! I forgot they take you word for word and he started waddling toward me, pants down and all toward the hallway...yikes!! ~Xoch what are you saying?...~Go finish your business, wash your hands, and get out! When we get to the class change your card! His little voice said ~yes, m'am At least I taught him to say yes m'am and he used it at the appropriate time. Back in the classroom I had the speech after he changed his card to yellow...in my sad low tone I said~I'm very disappointed in the behavior of some of you and thank you to those who were behaving. Behavior like that does not make us the best Kinder class. Heads went down and silence came across the room. I heard crying, not from my penguin who should have been crying, but from a new little boy I got last week who is very sensitive. He's a special little one who we're monitoring for other needs or behaviors we (the counselor and myself) noticed that are "different." By all means, there are no "normal" children/people...we all have our quirks, differences, and what I call God's special gifts! As a teacher we can detect little things that stand out and need to be addressed for the betterment of the munchkins. He's probably my favorite right now...I know we're not supposed to have favorites but I'm drawn to him probably because he reminds me of one of my nephews who has Autism and... he cracks me up!! He has the sweetest eyes when he looks at me and a noise or giggle he makes when he doesn't want to talk and then when he does talk... he loves to talk in the 3rd person! It's like a little cute munchkin Seinfeld episode...remember the Jimmy episode? :) Jimmy wants to drink water. Jimmy is tired. Jimmy is going to go home....cute!!! (his name is not Jimmy by the way) Back to him crying...it broke my heart! I went over to him and asked him why he was crying but he didn't want to talk or look at me, he just had his head down on his table hiding in his crossed arms. I whispered in his ear as I held back tears...~Are you crying because you thought you were in trouble? No answer...~I'm not mad at you, you didn't misbehave it was ....not you. I'm sorry I made you feel sad. Instantly he sat up, wiped his eyes, and in the 3rd person said ~Jimmy (I'm not using his real name) doesn't walk with his pants down. Jimmy loves you. My heart sank!! ~I love you too! Why am I doing Kinder again?? I guess for those exact moments!!

On a happier note...our school is participating in a school wide contest called Chains of Hope for our September 11th Remembrance. Remember the paper chains made from strips of construction paper we've all done sometime in our lives? Well, we sell each red, white, or blue strip for 10 cents and the class who collects the most money and the longest chain wins. The money collected goes to the districts scholarship fund. I bug parents and teach the munchkins about giving to others. My classes have always done very well but I wasn't too sure about this new class of munchkins. To my surprise, not only are they bringing in dimes for their strips I've had one bring $3 and another today bring in $5...wow! That's a lot for these little ones to walk in with and for the area I work in. I'm not saying they're poverty level but they aren't rolling in the dough either. We're off to a great start and we have until September 10 to collect so we'll see how it turns out. They're so excited it's cute! I also had to explain it's ok not to win too! Yikes, I forget they're so little and I had to let them know we can TRY to win but it's ok if we don't win. I hope they understand that...eek!

Thanks for listening...stay tuned for adventures in munchkinville....
XOXO's