So it's official...as of last Monday, August 10th, I went back to work with some pretty awesome 5 year olds, diving head first into the new year. While I was a bit saddened at the thought of leaving my little girl with her new sitter instead of being home with me, just the thought of her making new friends and starting preschool brought me right back into the land of HAPPY ;)
One of the best things (in my 'highly valued' opinion- this is my opinion of my opinion) about being a teacher is that we have a definitive work year. We only have a limited amount of time with our students to do something with them, what a great challenge to embrace. And I don't just mean get them to pass the tests, meet benchmark goals, master grade level standards, and everything else we 'work' for...no, I mean we only have one year to make a lasting impact on their lives. Are the choices I make going to make it a good one, or not? I choose to push for the former ;)
I face every year (and really, everyday) with the question riding in the back of my mind,
"How will they remember me?"
I know that times have changed and curriculum has been pushed up to an even younger age (which I really don't argue, because I do believe young children can handle and even embrace it), but some of my most fond memories of kindergarten with Mrs. Kropen were the simple things like:
*playing in the kitchen center (check),
*reading stories in the library (check),
*recess with my friends (check),
*parent helpers (especially my dad and pumpkin pies) helping out (check),
*and having our 6th grade buddies come in to our class to read and do fun projects with us (check that too!).
I love my job (not just teaching, but KINDERGARTEN) and I have often told my principal that he will have to pull me 'kicking and screaming' out of it before I go to a different grade (have I learned that from my students?). But seriously, I'm just not done in Kindergarten yet, we have too much to do! ;)
Think back, what were some of your best Kindergarten memories?
Please share them with me, I love to try new things! Just think of how your great memory could impact some cool, little kid in my class ;) I'll even invite you in for a spin!
Of all my years of school I remember Kindergarten and Mrs. Gibbons most fondly. There was a giant giraffe that when I returned years later realized was only about 5ft tall. But as a K student seemed SO much taller. And then there was a giant paper tooth. When you lost a tooth you got to put your name on it and then at the end of the year there was a drawing for who got to take home the tooth. I was very sad when my name was not pulled. Mrs. Gibbons was great and we all loved her and she loved the Aguilar kids. Even told my mom she should have more children! Ha! I just found out last year that Mrs. G retired a few years back. If I had known I would have gone and paid one last visit. So yes Kelli, what you do today your kids will remember and some of them will think back when and say, "Remember when Mrs. Dosil did this?"
ReplyDeleteoh man so I was toally excited to post about Mrs Gibbons and then LEIA BEAT ME TO IT. Haha can you tell we are sisters? Along with the giraffe, my other favorite thing was she would read "green eggs and ham" to us and then we would make green eggs and ham. She also has this pointer stick that she used when she read giant books to us. She would pick a student that got to follow along and use the stick as we read the book aloud, I don't know why but I thought it was the coolest think to use the pointer stick, you felt special cause you stood in front of the whole circle. I don't know why but I was into it.
ReplyDeleteWe should get Tony and Jenn to commment on this blog post as well and see what they say.
I have a really terrible memory so there is nothing specific I could tell you that I remember doing in kindergarten. But all that stuff that Leia and Laura mention I remember it now that they told me. And I also remember Mrs. Gibbons being a pretty cool teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis one time in Kindergarten I broke my finger and I had to wear this cast. I came home from the hospital and my sisters and dad were all sitting in the living room with pens ready to sign my cast. I had gotten a soft cast so they couldn't sign it but I thought it was cool that they wanted to!! And that's my best memory from Kindergarten...
ReplyDeleteI remember Mrs. Sweeny and that it was my only year in public school. We had a turtle in class and used to build forts for it to crawl around in. We had cookies and milk everyday and I only went in the afternoon. Imagine getting to be akindergartener and sleeping in or watching Captain KAngaroo.
ReplyDeleteBut another memory of K is when I was teaching in Stanfield and as a spontaneous conversation I asked what were some of the things that the strong wind outside our room could do and a child said "blow over our outhouse." Yes it brings you back to the reality of what some children lived with even in the late 1980's. That same village was so excited when I visited and brought ice cream something they couldn't have because they had no electricity.