SOLSC #2 Is that the way the wind blows?

I am participating in the
March 2018 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity

for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

4:17am. The howling wind wakes me up, much too early for the school day, much too late to get back to sleep, just right for writing and reflecting. Just write.

Sad.

This wild burst of a windstorm has cancelled my evening flight; we got the text from the airline late last night. Tony and I were headed to Maine to see my parents. They are 88 and increasingly frail, my Mom with dementia, my Dad with Parkinson's. We try to visit them every couple of months, to check in, to smile, to absorb. We keep our eyes peeled for affordable flights and we grab an available weekend and we make it happen. I am blessed that my brother Mark lives only one mile from their retirement community, and is able to check in on them all the time; we love to visit Mark and Sue, too. 

This wind, this wild, relentless wind has cancelled our flight. So weird. I don't remember ever having this experience before. I don't remember having a wind storm. No snow. I don't hear rain; they say there may be some rain, minimal rain. Just wind, wind that roars like ocean waves. Wind that wakes me and makes me wonder, where am I?

Exhausted.

This has been yet another windy blur of a week. It's end of second trimester, a crescendo of 

data, to be both collected and entered, 

report cards, to be drafted, written, edited, proofed, 

children's projects, to be finalized,

our Learning Showcase, to be readied and executed,

Teaching Residents, to be coached through all of the above, 

and

daily teaching, to be somehow done in the midst of it all.

Whew.

Is that me, toppling over?

Joy.

I can't let the joyful moments just blow by.

1 - My preschoolers were beaming about their projects last evening, showing their treasures to their families, telling them how their (quite whimsical) engineering devices worked, taking their families on a wild imaginative ride, and, literally, dancing through the classroom all evening, like mini windbursts.

2 - My Teaching Residents (I have two this year...that's a topic for another slice!) were so energized and motivated this past week, they were like mini windstorms of their very own...making sure every preschooler's work was completed, adding beautiful touches to our classroom, creating a delightful video montage for the Showcase, juggling all the different professional demands, and keeping light spirits throughout the storm and bluster of this week.

3 - Today will be simply a half day at school with children and a half day of work time, to tie up those loose ends on report cards and data. Whew. We'll be able to take a deep cleansing breath.

Bonus: We will fly out tomorrow to see my parents...losing one day, but perhaps, perhaps, perhaps gaining another? I may take Monday off ... to add just one more wind metaphor, I guess that means I'll be blowing off Monday ;-) 

And now this slice is 

gone with the wind.

sol17-3 What do you learn in a moment?

I am participating in the
Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity for
teacher-writers to share and reflect.

Last night's Learning Showcase was marvelous. We raced around the room tidying things up, laying out tablecloths, setting up each child's projects, creating an art gallery look to the room. Cloths are my "instant magic." I love throwing cloths on everything - throwing them over toys and other things that you are hiding, throwing them onto tables to draw attention to the work displayed. We worked quickly, we worked non-stop, we worked together - I love my teaching team!

         Turn around, and the room was packed with adoring families, excited youngsters. My mind was on autopilot, repeating explanations, highlighting attributes, encouraging conversation. "I hope you notice...take a minute to look at...your child worked especially hard on...the reason why we..."
          Toward the end of the evening, after much of the congestion and chatter had ebbed, parents of a former student - now, second grader - came in, and they had their younger child in tow. This little girl will enter preschool next year, and the parents were showing her the room and introducing her to her big sister's preschool teacher. It was such a sweet and lovely moment...this brief introduction. I squatted down low, to be at her eye level, and she looked at me through one of the wire sculptures - so very dear! She had big wide eyes and just the beginning of a smile, as her parents shared, 'Ms. Ingram was Angela's teacher...." All the while, she stared at me through the wire sculpture, both of us quite captivated.

Funny how one little moment can stand out as something so precious.

sol17-2 Where can it be?

I am participating in the
Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity for
teacher-writers to share and reflect.

Searching.

I've gone around and around my house, looking for my dressy black jacket with the small floral designs on the cuffs. It would be the perfect thing to throw on this evening, for our Learning Showcase, to switch from school day casual to a more refined, professional, "Your children have worked hard so I'm styling for you" look. Where is the darn jacket? I have a small house, I have very few and small closets, where can it be? First glance at the closet reveals nothing. Slow down. I flip through the clothes hangers from the left side, then I flip from the right, I repeat, I search the floor, I search my husband's closet, I search the front hall closet with the winter coats - no reason for it to be there, but, there's no reason for it not to be in my closet, so now anyplace is possible. Did I take it on a trip and leave it somewhere? Did I take it to the cleaners and forget about it? How long ago did I last wear it? (How long ago did I last 'where' it?) Why isn't it here? What's my back up plan? No, I think I wore my red jacket to the last Learning Showcase. Actually, I'm not sure. The black dressy sweater would be nice. Here I go again, back to the closet. Searching from the left, searching from the right. What the heck? Where is my black dressy sweater? Sit. Sip your morning tea. Write a slice of life. Clear your mind of the morning fog. All will be well.

As I stew in my early morning confusion, I remember a preschooler's adorable and witty folktale...after week's of reading, dramatizing, and re-telling folktales together, every child has shared their own. (These will be on display tonight as well!) One preschooler recalled a family 'censure' of her older brother and wove this into her tale -

Adam. My Mom get angry with him because Adam says "What the heck!" A sorceress comes to Adam. She laughs at Adam. She cuts his hair off. Adam goes back home. My Mom and my Dad and Kevin and I say, "That's crazy!" And my Mom says, "What the heck!"
                    The End

SOLSC #18 What are the last minute things to do?

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

Big day ahead. This evening is our Learning Showcase, when families come to school to discover all the fun work the children have been doing during second trimester. I know the day is going to pass in a frenzied blur, as has every day this week, as we tie up any remaining loose ends. The preschoolers have completed 3-D engineering devices out of recyclables and found objects. I will share these in a blog post one day soon - they are delightful. I love the imaginative stories that accompany each of these creations. We also have individual story books, where children practiced sharing a beginning, middle, and an end - these, too, are so funny. There is a variety of art to see, since we are always experimenting and exploring. Our homemade paper quilt is the highlight.

Here's to the day!

SOLSC #8 Where will you put that?

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

It's not perfect, but I finally a created a display area for the 3-d work of my preschoolers. I found a bin of wire shelving in my basement, abandoned by my oldest son after his dorm years. This shelving wasn't quite enough for my 23 preschoolers, so I purchased some more. I am hoping it will be a semi-permanent part of my classroom, something that I can leave up every year. Now, every student has one 12" cube to display engineering, sculptures, and more. This is going to be perfect for our upcoming Learning Showcase! And a great way to keep my sanity as I work with children, because now I have a place to store their treasures. The children feel very special that they each have their own space - and everyone is working on the pre-literacy skill of reading their names, since that is how each cube is labeled.  :-)

SOLSC 2015 #20: Why does technology rebel when you have a deadline?

Each day during March, I am participating in the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC). All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers. Check out the Two Writing Teachers  website for lots more reflections on teaching. Thanks especially to Stacey, Tara, Anna, Beth, Dana, and Betsy for hosting this writing challenge. 

*******

It was crunch time for our Learning Showcase. I made a last minute decision to hang photos of children in the classroom.  This is the ideal way to show families what children are doing during the day...action shots....it shouldn't take very long...I'll just print them in black and white, straight from the printer...the children will love these, too....

Open Iphoto

Open Event,

Scan thumbnails,

Click on choice,

Edit photo,

Select print.

Repeat.

Open EVENT,

Scan thumbnails,

Click on choice,

Edit photo,

Select print.

Repeat.

Open EVENT,

Scan thumbnails,

Click on choice,

Edit photo,

Select print.

I double-checked that every student was represented.

Repeat.

Open EVENT,

Scan thumbnails,

Click on choice,

Edit photo,

Select print.

Repeat.

I double-checked that the photos were "queuing" appropriately.

Repeat.

Open EVENT,

Scan thumbnails,

Click on choice,

Edit photo,

Select print.

I spent some forty minutes painstakingly sorting through all my photos and sending pictures to the printer.  

I rush over to the printer.

My code doesn't work.

I run to another printer.

My code doesn't work there, either.

Why does technology rebel when you have a deadline?

I run to my admin,

"Please, I'm sorry, is there a way you could help me? I see that my photos are all queued, but I can't get any of the printers to accept my code."

"Oh, Learning Showcase printouts? I bet that is stressing you out! Let me see what I can do."

She drops what she was doing and begins to work with me, taking my computer, checking it out. Wow! Would I have been so gracious if someone interrupted me? She's amazing.

The issue is worse than she predicted.

Worse than I imagined.

Worse than I understand.

Worse than I can handle.

After many minutes, my printer code still does not work, so she creates a work-around, allowing me to print without a code. In order to get this fix to work, she reboots my computer.

"There, you can print on any of our printers now."

"But, there are no photos in my queue."

"Oh, they probably disappeared when I re-booted your computer."

Me - thinking but not saying - "But, that means I have nothing to print."

"You'll have to send them to the printer again."

Me - thinking but not saying, eyes watering, "But, I don't have forty more minutes."

"Maureen, it shouldn't take you long...let me show you some Iphoto shortcuts..."

Me -thinking - "But, I don't want to learn something new right now. I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to." [Yes, sometimes this preschool teacher morphs into a preschooler.]

Like an amazing teacher, 

perhaps seeing some personally unrecognizable 'zone of proximal development' in me? 

that I was struggling just the right amount?,

she continues calmly and clearly, 

"Were you sending individual photos to the printer? You should create a folder of 'flagged' photos..." 

I am swept along, following her instructions, channeling her patience. She concludes, "And how about you bring your computer to me when you have the photos in one folder and I'll print them out for you. Don't worry about this, today."

She was right, it only took me ten minutes...much faster the second time, with her insightful hints. 

The photos looked great!

The Learning Showcase was great! 

Plus,

I learned something new! I learned something new! I learned something new!

Thank you, Kate!

SOLSC 2015 #18: How does it look?

Each day during March, I am participating in the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC). All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers. Check out the Two Writing Teachers  website for lots more reflections on teaching. Thanks especially to Stacey, Tara, Anna, Beth, Dana, and Betsy for hosting this writing challenge. 

*******

Earlier this trimester, my Teaching Resident worked with the preschoolers to create the most wonderful "monster masks", using cardboard and found objects. We had to find a very special way to exhibit these for our Learning Showcase (tomorrow evening!). After much thought, I decided where and how they should be hung…an old teacher trick, using binder clips along the ceiling framing and dropping yarn from these. Am I right that this is almost a rite of passage with early childhood teachers, to hang things from these ceiling frames? 

My mind raced with everything else that needed doing before tomorrow night - yes, we were (are!) in crunch mode. I hardly took a breath after we finished hanging the masks, because there was so, so, so much more to do before tomorrow night's family event. (I won't bore you with my "to do" list!)

I arrived at school early this morning, with a few moments to myself. The first thing I saw was our monster mask display. Here's what I saw: 

It made me smile. 

I stood in front of it a moment and just stared.

Years ago, I remember reading a quote that was something to the effect of, 

and, I am making this up as I write, 

"Gardeners see what still needs doing, the weeds that remain, the soil that must be turned, the seeds that must be sown. Visitors see beauty."

My classroom is like this, I realize. 

I need to be less of a gardener in my perspective about it - and more of a visitor.

For a moment, just a moment, this morning,

I was a visitor.

“The master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims the branches, plants the seeds, and pulls the weeds. If you merely stroll through the garden, you are but an acolyte.” 

― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

SOLSC #13 Our Learning Showcase

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

*******

We had a very wonderful Learning Showcase last night! These triumphant events signal the end of another trimester of school (I am amazed that we are two-thirds of the way through the school year), and provide a whirlwind tour of what the children have been learning over the past many weeks. The children are always super excited to visit their classroom in the evening hours - and families are always so pleased to see what their children's work. Imagine, preschoolers creating projects - working on one thing for many minutes, days, weeks! It is a beautiful thing to see.

We transformed our classroom into "a museum," with

• their cityscapes on the entry wall,
  

• children's 3D homes and blueprints on exhibit on tables,
  

• story collages hanging on the sides of cabinetry and other, along the perimeter of the room,
  

• shadow puppets on the whiteboard, and
  

• process art on a wall of windows.
  

Tech-savvy Melissa threw together an amazing "i-movie" about the Big Cats, so that the families could see their dear children at work and play in our classroom. 

Today is a day of professional development (lunch break is for blogging a slice! ;-) ...but the day began in a very special way: we toured the other classrooms, to see the Learning Showcase work throughout the school. Truly, I am amazed and invigorated by what I saw this morning. 

Throughout the school, preschool through fifth grade, the teachers show tremendous respect for what students are saying, doing, thinking, wanting, hoping. There is a profound trust in students' abilities, a belief in the student as initiator of his/her own learning. Each room highlighted individual student voice coupled with a strong sense of community...sprinkled with delightful, beautiful arts integration! 

I see and feel so much joy in my school! 

**************

(A daily share by a preschooler, in their own words)

A Story Collage by Helen

Once upon a time, fish were swimming in a frozen sea. Someone came along. It was a bear. It was a mean bear. It eats stuff. But, a bunny hopped into the ocean and it hopped away. It hopped and hopped and hopped, out of the place where the frozen ocean was. When the bunny came back, there was nothing else but fish and sand. The bunny hopped off to the land of colors. The bunny’s friend came along. What he saw was just colors everywhere. He hopped away and all he saw was colors everywhere! Another one of his friends came hopping along from the other way. They both went off to the beach again. A boat was floating along. And a bunny came, a bear came, and a pig! The End