Viva!!

What a day!

What a crazy, bonkers, fun day! I'm not sure if I was on a high on life thingy the last couple of days, but I just hit the wall! ~No not literally. Even though I wouldn't put that past me...running into things from time to time has been known to happen! haha! ~I'M POOPED!

The kids were adorable in their outfits! As much as I make fun of my Rosarita dress, I love wearing it because it's like I'm walking around in a tent! So comfy just like a Hawaiian muumuu dress! I can let the gut and lonjas hang out and no one can tell! haha! Our day was nonstop and I'm exhausted! It didn't help that I couldn't sleep last night...finally fell asleep around 2:45 then up at 5:00. Eeek!


We revisited our discussion from yesterday on 16th of September and they asked if they could record themselves. ~Yikes, I think I created little video and photog monsters...heehee! Love it! Surprisingly they did very well remembering the information we covered and using the camera. ~Even if I was watching them like a hawk as they used my camera. Heehee! I think next time I'll check out one of the school's cameras but it may not have charged batteries or no memory card. So far they've taken care of mine...so I may continue to let them use it. I only took over the camera when they wanted to dance, if not, they really would have been bouncing around and my camera may have been shot across the room! ;)

As the munchkins were lining up for lunch I was doing who knows what and overheard part of a conversation between some munchkins and I had to laugh! ~Well, I had to keep in the laughter because I didn't want to make anyone feel bad. A group of them were talking as they were lining up and I heard a little girl, who was in a beautiful white outfit say ~My sister said I looked like a maid! ~BAHhaha! It was so hard not to laugh but I held it in. I stayed around their area to continue to listen to what their conversation was about. My little Blue Shoe boy from last year was soooo sweet and told her...~You don't look like a maid, you look pretty! All the girls look pretty, no one is a maid in here. Ms. Buddé even says she's not our maid! ~BAHAHAH! He got me on that one!!! I had to laugh at that out loud because I do tell them they have to clean up for themselves and we don't have a maid in the classroom and I'm not their maid either. Haha!! From out of the mouths of babes! Heehee They make me laugh more and more and make this adventure so much more enjoyable!

It was also Grandparents luncheon day today. The cafeteria was full of munchkins and their grandparents enjoying lunch together. The sound of mariachi music, smell of fajitas, and a decorated cafeteria added to the smiles not only on the munchkins but also on their grandparents faces.

I had promised them I would make them quesadillas but after PE and after sitting through a fundraiser kickoff, I was loosing energy fast!!! I had about an hour left in the day and we (the other girls and myself) decided we'd just do it tomorrow....but then I felt bad and put that Rosarita dress to work! A few parents had sent in some pan dulce, Mexican cookies, and Mexican candies, so I HAD to do it. How could I not! As I jumped into my Mexican senorita role I got them busy doing some work and pulled out the portable burner, grabbed the corn tortillas, spatula, and started to cut the cheese. ~No, no, not that cheese! heehee I'm sure many of them were already doing that from the fajitas at lunch! haha Pee eww! I had to remind them...~No one is allowed up here at all while I'm cooking! I wasn't sure if I'd make it on time to finish making them all a quesadilla, pass out the pan dulce, cookies, and candy. I totally channeled my inner Rosarita and totally looked the part too! haha Sitting on my stool, in my Rosarita dress, hair pinned up, and cooking over a hot stove. Well, not a stove but a hot little burner..haha! It reminded me of watching my grandmother cook for us. I also felt like one of the lady's at the bazaar making gorditas except I was throwing out quesadillas like a mad woman! haha!! The natives started to get restless once they finished their work. As it is, when they are out of uniform they go bonkers so this was a double dose of bonkerness (again, I'm making up words! haha) They wanted to dance so I let them dance. Turned up the Mexican music and they had their own little party on the rug! It was cute because my munchkins from last year are comfortable dancing with each other so the boys grabbed their partner and started spinning them away! The new little ones were a bit shy but they got over it pretty fast.

Once I finished and plated everything...ok wait, that sounds like I'm on a Food Network show..."plated"...haha I meant to say once I threw everything onto the plain white paper plates they still we tortured for a few more minutes. My old babies already know...~We don't touch or eat anything until everyone is served! The poor new babies were twitching and salivating as they waited to dig in because my waitress skills were a little rusty and slow.

Finally when they started to dig in I sat down and took a breath! ~Holy Moly Guacamole! I was beat!! ~Mmmmm....this is good!, I like these things! Can you make more? ............insert screeching tire sound....~More?? I'm sorry Rosaritas Restaurant is CLOSED! They laughed and I took another breath! ~Whew!
Stay tuned for more adventures...
XOXO's

Boys Do Cry!

Sometimes I feel I should be the one crying!! Is it enough what I do?

Another week just flew by. We're already in October...yikes! Where does the time go?
We had a very productive week and I finally got to blogging about it. With Fall in full swing we started our Harvest lessons and activities. The munchkins had a fun time learning how an apple starts as a seed, gets from the orchards, to the store, and into their tummy's. They were able to weigh and measure their apples, as well as, a mini taste test to see which apple was liked the best. It was neck-n-neck between Red Delicious and Granny Smith...in the end, Red Delicious beat out Granny Smith. Personally I like Fuji or Granny...it has to have a yummy crunch to it. Yuck to smooshy apples! heehee

My munchkins are really progressing at a great pace. I do have about 4 that worry me. When I check their homework folders I do see that parents are working with them but some more than others and that's a big indicator for me. One of those 4 munchkins is a precious little girl who I already see making a huge growth of improvement. She is being raised by grandmother and grandma is doing a super job working with her. It was evident this week when she beamed to show me her name, she has a super long name and can finally write it all! Yay for her!! She was so proud of herself ~Look! I can write my name! Yes she did! She was super excited and her eyes lit up. This was another little moment to remind me why I love the little ones. Seeing their gains, which many may think are little accomplishments, but to my munchkins and myself, those little gains are like climbing Mt. Everst. Coming from not being able to hold a crayon or pencil to writing their name, neatly, and using correct letter formation is huge! Those students who already come into Kindergarten with that skill are a step ahead of those that don't. As a teacher, I praise those parents for helping their child!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Who says boys don't cry?? Well...I sure can make them cry!! Little boys that is...adults boys are a completely different blog! heehee Yes this is a "Jimmy" moment. The munchkins know that when they finish their work they can read their book from the library. "Jimmy" finished his work, ~go ahead and take out your book and read "Jimmy." ~normal tone if you were wondering. Some time passed and I noticed he was resting his head on his desk, ~"Jimmy" take out your book and read please. I went back to working with a different little munchkin. When I looked up again "Jimmy" was just sitting there. ~hmm...I know he heard me...is he being defiant...nah...hmmm??? At this moment I realized I need to treat him just like the other munchkins and not give him more opportunities than the others because he actually hasn't been evaluated or coded as anything. Just because I and the munchkins notice little differences I need to treat him the same. ~Ok, here goes...I go to his group..."Jimmy" please take out your book and read. He just sat there and looked at me. ~hmm...why is he just looking at me??...I know he understands me...ok one more time..."Jimmy" I've asked you more than once, please take out your library book or you'll change your card. He's still sitting and looking at me!! No emotion at all. ~Maybe if I walk away he'll do it....yeah that's it, I'll walk away. I started cutting out some apple patterns for an activity we were about to do and then that's when everyone heard...WHAAAH! ~to myself I thought Woah mama...what the fart was that??! (yes I said fart instead of...you know!) I looked and yes it was "Jimmy" bawling! I thought someone pinched him or something. He screamed bloody murder...yikes! I know he's very sensitive but other times he hides his face and you don't hear him cry. This time it was loud....WHAAAH! ~Holy guacamole...now what did I say?? I asked the little girl next to him what happened and she said ~I don't know, maybe he hit himself. She was as clueless as I was! haha I asked him what happened...~hello dumb teacher, he's not going to answer you!! Haven't you learned that already?!...hmmm...As he cried, I saw that he kept looking in his desk. ~ahhh I got it!! I bet he can't find his library book! Duh, Ms. Buddé!! It was like in the cartoons...my light bulb turned on. ~"Jimmy" where's your book? Did you check in your desk? The bawling eased up a bit as he said ~"Jimmy" can't find it. There's the third person still! ~tell me "I" can't find it. Nope, still answered in the third person. ~Look again in your desk, I'm sure it's there. The way these little ones look is by no means compared to a CSI Unit...~sheesh, move things! Wow, I just sounded like my parents! Eek! Haha! Then I asked the a little girl who sits next to him to help him find it. Wawlah! She found it in two seconds! Instantly he was fine after that. I have to admit that I felt a bit frustrated...do I have to walk on egg shells with everything that pertains to him or what I say to him?? Can I cry now??!

His mood completely changed because he started coming up to me for his hugs every 2 to 3 minutes. At one point we turned it into a game. Yes, "we" which means ME. haha! I was sitting at a table and he stood right next to me but would not say or do anything, just looked at me. I decided to do the same back to him. I'd look at him then turn back to what I was doing. He still stood there. I knew he wanted a hug but I want him to start asking or just come out and actually hug. Then it turned into a game because now when I would turn to look at him he would turn away like he was looking somewhere else. I tried to hold back a grin but couldn't. Again, I'd turn away and could tell he now was looking at me. I turned back to look at him, he turned away. We did this for a bit and without saying a word to each other my other munchkins started to giggle as they watched us. It was like an old silent film! I decided I better say something or we'd keep doing this all day. ~what do you need "Jimmy?", you need to go and sit down like everyone else. Nope, he didn't move...he gave me a little smirk and a little sound and tilted his head close to my shoulder which I knew meant he wanted a hug. ~do you want a hug "Jimmy?" He nodded his head yes. ~then tell me "I" want a hug. He smiled and said ~hug! and this time put his arms out. I hugged him but his little hugs are so stiff and robotic in a sense. As it was time to leave for lunch I asked him if he liked hugs and he nodded yes. Then I asked if mom gives him lots of hugs ~No ...wow I wondered if that could that be true...possibly. Then I asked if grandma gave him hugs and he answered ~bear ones. Well at least grandma gives him bear hugs!!

I wonder sometimes if I'm doing any good for him. I do see an improvement in a lot of areas. Better than some of the others. Could his "differences" just be learned behaviors or a lack of nurturing or is there really something more that makes him one of God's special angels? All I can do for now is continue to give him the tools he needs to make it through, if that means all the hugs he wants then that's the easiest task I've ever been given.

If you haven't hugged someone recently...do it!! Hugs can mean the world to someone and you may not even know it! Hugs to everyone!!! Stay tuned for more hugs....

XOXO's

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

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

I'm a Real Teacher Again... I think?!

Today was the first day that I actually felt like a I was a real teacher again!! Whew!

I was beginning to get a little nervous that I wouldn't adapt back into Kinder life. It's been sink or swim the past week. I felt like I was sinking lower and lower and the light I saw as I looked up was too far to swim to and breathe. Today...I think my head hit the surface and I was able to gasp for air and float!!!

I need to remember NOT to keep bringing work home. I did so much stuff that it almost consumed my entire weekend! I told myself I'm not going to do that anymore because it stresses me out too much, I have no life, and I'm exhausted!! I may just babysit my bag and let it ride with me in the car so I won't feel too guilty not doing any work. Lower grade teachers are queen's of teacher bags!! A bag for this, a bag for that...guess I'm a bag lady! Haha! I'm going to start looking like one if I continue at the pace I'm going. Heehee! Work will always be there and there will always be something for me to "find" to do. NO MORE I say...ok, I talk a big talk as I sit here looking at my bag of things I should do. Haha!

Yay! All my munchkins came back after the weekend off. I had one little silent crier but she was ok once we started our day. They're such brave little souls!

I had to start a routine with them for my own sanity!! I couldn't do too many whole group activities all day anymore because I wanted and needed to see if they could start following instructions and work with some independence in some areas. We continued our Rug Activities/Calendar whole group because they're still very dependent and need my guidance. Pretty soon I'll have one munchkin who will rise to the top to take over my role and soon there after they'll all get a chance to lead the class. I can't wait for that day!!! That's the fun part to see my little mini me's...they start to sound like me. :) Immediately after we did our letters/sounds, chants, songs, poem, and we learned two new words...I...am...from our poem. We were able to put them together with our first word...me...and formed our first sentence...I am me! Yay!! The majority of them got this concept which totally shocked me. Some may not hold a crayon if their life depended on it but they learned I am me! I know I'm still a little in 1st and 2nd grade mode but they got it!!! That'll be it for now because I really have to go back and make sure we all know that these letters make words and words make sentences. This will take a looooong time because 4 call the letters~ numbers! Ay dios mio!!!

My munchkins did actually very well sitting on the rug during their rug time. Their squirm factor is easing up! They can sit a little longer now! Sit...roll over! Heehee J/k I decided today to introduce part of their Workstations (Centers). I learned once from an awesome presenter to call them workstations versus centers because they will hear the word work and associate it as a job that they need to do. Even though it may be fun, they're still doing "work." I tell them if they went to PreK they did "centers" now they're bigger and smarter and their doing "workstations."

My workstations are different areas of the room where they do different activities in that specific area. Each teacher manages their own workstations/centers differently. I don't do the more traditional way of letting the students go anywhere in the room if there is an open spot at that workstation/center and then rotate every 15 min or so. Ahhhhh...that's too crazy for me and kids will be all over the place. My workstations/centers are designed into 5 main areas of the room with plenty of back up activities once they are done with the main activity. Actually that's how their little desks are grouped...into the 5 areas. My groups or tables are color coded and the munchkins rotate their little bodies daily. I have a Red (Poetry Station), Yellow (ABC), Blue (Writing), Purple (Reading), and Green (Book Making) group. For example, the first day of workstations/centers they would stay at their "home" group. Today during our Literacy Workstation time, whomever sat at the Blue group stayed there and poof!...it is now the "Writing" Station. I only introduced two things they could do in each area for now. That group would practice writing their name, then their 2nd activity would be to use the playdoh to spell their names. Each group has different activities and they learn to stay within that area and then the following day each group rotates. They each get a chance to go through all the workstations/centers within a weeks time. Eventually I will add more things to do at their workstations for them to use once I see they understand the rules of what they are using. There can be up to 20 activities going on at once so I have to make sure I'm structured or I'll run out pulling my hair. Keeping them a little more structured helps me know where each child is and not racing from one end of the room to another. I may just have confused whomever is reading this or not..heehee! Workstations/centers help my munchkins with their independence and when it gets to be smooth sailing for them this is when I can start calling smaller groups up to work on Reading.

I explained each group to my munchkins and what they were allowed to do in their group and how they would switch tomorrow to the next station. I had to do a lot of modeling for them and put on my floaties as I watched them in their workstations. I knew I was going to sink if this didn't work. I could hear the music from Jaws in my head! I thought I might be rushing things and they may not be ready for this...I was ready to go down in two bites!! Which munchkin was going to chew me up and spit me out first?...Then that's when it hit me...they were doing it!! They were working in their groups, having fun, AND they were whispering!!! (you know how hard it is to teach whispering?!..haha!) Yay!!! No floaties any more for me! I had to run for my camera and take pictures of them working! It started to come back to me...I do know what I'm doing!! I'm a Kinder teacher again!!! I felt like Rocky running up the stairs...!!! ~ummm teacher why are you're arms up like that?...oops! Haha!! I may still push them because of the 1st and 2nd grade expectations but it won't hurt them, I'll just slap myself a few times and get back into Kinder mode! :)

Tonight I had to go back to work in the evening for Parent Information night. It's so hard to go back in the evening but I knew I had to because this is the first time that I'll have all my parents with me and I have to lay the law down! haha! I was pleased to see that I had a very good turn out, all but 2 showed up. I ranted about my expectations and stressed how they need to do their share in helping their munchkin this year. It looks like they are a good group of parents and very supportive. Whew...I was nervous!

Tomorrow is another day in another week in munchkinville and I hope it continues on the same path as today so I can bury the floaties! Is it bad that I'm counting down for the long weekend ahead?...heehee! Stay tuned for new adventures...

XOXO's

Day 2 in Munchkinville...Relief!

Day 2 was very calm...thank goodness! But, where do I get new feet! Ouch!

Parents were very good about leaving their munchkins at their designated lines. No criers!!! Yay!
I still can't get over how tiny they are and so darn cute!!! I slowly started a basic routine with them which will help in the long run. In my opinion if the discipline doesn't start from day 1...forget it, you've lost them and you'll have problems all year!

I made listening and following instructions into a game. They were thrilled to hear we were going to play a game! If they only knew... I was assessing to see who I may have difficulties with when it comes to listening skills and following instructions. It was fascinating to watch, to say the least! Hmmm...are they like my little mice in an lab? Heehee! In a way they are, bless their little hearts because they are so innocent and impressionable at their age. If I tell them the sky is pink they'll believe it! Or that my eyeball bottle has the eyeballs from kids who misbehave. No, I really don't tell them the sky is pink...haha! Ok so I do use the eyeball bottle...haha! No worries, not real eyeballs...just water bottle with gel and googly eyes! Haha! They do think I flattened kids eyes and stuck them in the goop..heehee! I know, I'm bad.

Their little minds are like sponges wanting to learn, it's just finding the right method to teach them that can be frustrating at times. Not all munchkins learn the same way. You have visual learners, auditory, kinesthetic ...etc. so I try to touch all areas using any means possible; music, dance, movement, etc. I always fear I won't be the best teacher I can be or that they won't learn everything they're supposed to. The pressure I put on myself is horrible sometimes. It's true that we are our own worst critic! Well, enough of that for now!

We did so much today and they were very good. Yes, we had some moments but they're learning that boot camp has begun. haha! They were better today because they knew I would be sending discipline cards home today if they misbehaved. One little one was preoccupied at one point and whispered to me "how am I doing today?" Awww....of course I had to reassure him he was having a GREAT day and would keep his green card. (No, not crossing papers but a green itty bitty card they think is worth gold!...heehee)

We did our calendar routine, we sang and danced the months of the year and the days of the week! Woohoo! They loved the months of the year to the movements of the macarena! haha! If you remember how the macarena goes try it...it works! You know you want to try it! Haha Our days of the week are sung to the tune of the Adams Family and it's cute to watch because most of them can't snap yet so they use their mouth/tongue to make the snapping sound. "Days of the week..snap snap...Days of the week...snap snap...Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week..snap snap...there's Sunday and there's Monday, Tuesday and there's Wednesday, Thursday and there's Friday, and then there's Saturday...Days of the week..snap snap..." :)

We did a little bit on how to draw a face and details so we don't have anymore alien's in our drawings or stick limbs and fingers...heehee. We also did a little bit on numbers 0-5...we'll be working on this for a while...eek! I forget what they come in knowing or not knowing. We'll also be doing a lot of fine motor skills to help them control the crayon and writing skills. I don't use pencil's at all until later. We only use crayons right now. One reason is they'll want to erase everything and it's a mess! Also I want them to learn it's ok to make a mistake and not worrying about erasing everything and keep going. The crayons make even the smallest scribble look nice and colorful!

I had the best compliment today from one of my munchkins which started a chain reaction...one of my itty bitty boys said..."you know what? I like this class!" I told him "well I like that you're in this class and this class likes you too!!" Then of course they all started saying they liked being there! Awww....whew! Thank goodness!!! Guess being strict and a balance of fun keeps them coming back, I hope!

I'm still crossing my fingers and praying that my class size stays small and behavior problems to a minimum. I did get a new little girl today but she's wonderful and a beautiful little thing. I'm lucky so far with my little pingos, Spanish for behavior kids. Some of the stories I could tell you about some of the other kids in the Kinder classes...eek! Parent's need to start disciplining their children, have consequences, and be consistent...ok enough or I'll get started on a soap box.

I told my kids we had a secret...shhh...get a little closer to hear....don't tell anyone... ready?...you're still to far...get closer...listen.. ~whispering...Guess what?... I was told I have the Best Kinder class ever and they gave me the best kids!
Their little eyes lit up and you can see them beaming! Love it!

Hoping for a good rest of the week...stay tuned.
XOXO's