sol17-30 Won't you sleep?

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.

I have one little preschooler who, no matter the day, cannot settle herself, stay quiet, or fall asleep at naptime unless she has a teacher's help. Truly, this is an amazing year because there is only one such student in the midst of a class of twenty-two preschoolers. There are several who are slow to nap and a handful who don't nap at all - but each of these is very quiet and respectful, able to self-soothe. Now, late March, this little girl and we teachers have our routine down - we first help everyone else in the room find their cot, lovey, special blanket, etc., and then one of us finds our way to her cot and sit down next to her, rubbing and patting her back. It actually has become a very sweet ritual. As I watched her fall asleep today, I thought I should try to capture some of this in a poem. Here goes!

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

She smiles and stares, all wide-eyed,

She calls out to her friends.

She's doing aerobics on her cot

Her body twists and bends.

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

I tell her it is time to rest,

She can't be dancing on the bed.

She frowns with slight protest

But agrees to what I said.

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

She fidgets with her lovey,

she tries not to make a sound.

Then she calls "Ms. Ingram!"

giving a pat to the ground. 

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

I move my chair next to her cot

She asks, "Will you stay with me?"

I reassure her, "I am here,

Now you must lay quietly."

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

She is so sweet and I wonder why

This napping becomes so hard.

We all learn at our own pace,

One day she will need no guard. 

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

I pat her back a little bit,

And I pat her back some more.

She wiggles her feet, nestles in,

Her blanket falls to the floor.

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

I pat her back in gentle rhythm.

Adjust her blanket just fine

The thumb goes in her mouth

I know that's a sleepy sign.

I'll watch her fall to sleep.

She looks up at me with one last glance,

Then softly closes her eyes.

There's a rhythm to her breathing

For which there is no disguise.

-->

I watched her fall to sleep.

SOLSC #4 May I work with a few?

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.

*******

Another freezing cold day,
another indoor play day,
another day of unceasing loud voices and nonstop activity,
another restless nap time.

After the requisite one hour of attempting to nap, it was time to take the wide-awake ones to our infamous "Purple Room" for some run around time (and allow the sleepers some real peace and quiet).

Much to my surprise, only seven children were awake!
Amelie, Helen, Eloise, Bernie, Zuren, Micaela, Caroline.

This had never happened before - seven children only?

What a gift this was for me! I admit to being overwhelmed at times with 23 preschoolers in my class. Working with seven children only? Ha! This is not work!

I slipped out of the classroom with my seven charges, leaving Melissa and Claire to watch over the sleepers. I didn't have my computer or notepad with me. I freed myself to simply "be" with the children.

Using all of the blue blocks, the children built one enormous house and a second smaller house next door. They created a story, with specific roles, playing with me. 

They insisted I was "the daughter," with

"Daddy Zuren," 

"Mommy Micaela," 

"baby sister Helen," 

"baby sister Amelie," 

"big sister Eloise," 

"Grammy Caroline,"

"Teacher Bernie," and 

"Mr. Charlie, the big brother who lived next door." 

Following their lead, I 

ate pancake breakfasts

went to school

had a fire drill

had a snow day and didn't have school that day

went to visit Mr. Charlie and have a snack of cookies and juice

stayed with Grammy while Mommy and Daddy went away for the weekend

played hide and seek with my sisters

played in the backyard

A pretty good life for a daughter!

In the midst of a hectic day, 

stuck indoors, 

lots of loud play, 

I was given the gift of being with just a few.

I wonder how I might make this happen more regularly?

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

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

A Story Collage by Amelie

Once upon a time, there was a little boy in the house. And then he went to Amy’s house. And then he saw a brick house that was strong. These two brick houses were strong and this one was, too. And all the city was strong. This little character went into a house, this strong house. And then, what happened – a big monster came. The little boy is now at home. The eggs weren’t going to be taken, or the feathers. The light is on, in the house. The End

How can I fall asleep?

Six weeks into the year, there is calm and quiet at nap time,
the children understand and expect nap.

How do so many children get to sleep in one room?

I do my part,
reading a book,
shades down,
curtains drawn.
Then, soft music, and
whispering teacher voice.

I am fascinated by all their different rituals before sleeping -


Some are quick -

one,
pulls blanket up,
over head,
sleep.

another,
takes off shoes,
takes off socks,
puts socks on arms,
pushes blanket to side,
fixes everything just right,
sleep.

one,
whispers,
"I did a lot of running.
I am sleepy, Ms. Ingram,"
and turns over, on his stomach,
hugging pillow,
sleep.

still another,
arm to the sky,
finger pointing,
drawing images,
just for a few minutes,
letters?
faces?
draw, draw, draw,
sleep.

one,
eyes on me,
staring, staring, staring,
a simple plea,
"Ms. Ingram, will you pat my back?,"
and, as I do,
sleep.

one more,

plays with her lovey bear,

hugging close,

making it a pillow for her head,

moving it to her side,

finding the best spot,

leaning on the lovey,

sleep.

Some take more time, and
more interaction with me -

one,
rocks,
from side to side,
on left side,
no, on right side,
no, left side,
no, right side,
back and forth,
over and over,
wearing himself out,
then, finally,
sleep.

another,
tossing and turning,
moving about from head of cot to foot of cot,
move, move, move,
feet out of bed,
head out of bed,
move, move, move,
a quiet cry,
"Ms. Ingram, I'm not sleepy,"
and, almost simultaneously,
sleep.

one,
whispers, non-stop,
telling stories,
quietly,
to oneself,
chatter, chatter, chatter,
little bit louder,
then a reminder from Ms. Ingram to be quiet,
quiet,
one more moment of self-talk,
sleep.


still another,
tossing and turning,
moving about from head of cot to foot of cot,
move, move, move,
feet out of bed,
a reminder from Ms. Ingram to lay down,
finally,
he lies flat on the cot,
blanket on the floor next to him,
hands over ears,
shutting out all noise,
sleep.

yet another,
sings,
our class songs,
ram sam sam,
head, shoulders, knees, toes,
a b c d,
turns onto his side,
sleep.

last one to sleep,
tossing and turning,
moving about
from head of cot
to foot of cot,
move, move, move,
picks out her hair ribbon,
twists it, turns it,
move, move, move,
takes off shoe,
takes off the other one,
finds small toy,
plays with it,
drops the toy,
teacher comes over,
fixes blanket,
pats back,
teacher moves away,
move, move, move,
takes off the blanket,
stretches feet to the sky,
spreads them, pointing upward,
move, move, move,
feet down,
puts blanket back on,
finally,
sleep.

Every child with their own unique ritual for going to sleep.
Why does this surprise me?
No two of us are alike.

The Big Cats are sleeping!

This post is just an update - the curtains are hung and our classroom is dark during nap!   Mozart plays in the background, all the children are quiet and resting, most fall asleep.   It is a lovely change from the first part of the school year!

Everyone is in better moods, especially the teachers!

Today, it is rainy outside and I can hardly believe how beautifully dark it is inside here.

How are they supposed to sleep?

My classroom has a long expanse of beautiful windows, some 30 feet, floor to ceiling, alongside a very active alley.
Fabulous, right?
Yes, the light is lovely.

There is lots to see.
I've begun keeping a running list of what the children see in the alley.
I want to get some binoculars for all along the windowsill, to encourage observation.

Many delivery trucks come down the alley.
There is a high school on the other side of the alley from us, so we see students, teachers, lots of people.
There have been bicycles and skateboarders.
It is quite fascinating to preschoolers

Unfortunately, it remains so during nap time.


A darkened room is an essential environmental clue for preschoolers that nap is about to begin.

There is so much light in my room that when I turn off the overhead fluorescents, no one notices.  (I often don't bother turning them on.)

I was told during the summer that room-darkening shades would be installed in my classroom as part of the building remodeling.
But, the contractors are gone,
we are in our fourth week of school, and
nap time has been near impossible.

On our very best day, half the class fell asleep.  (We had played many running games on a nearby field.)

Check out this visitor during a recent nap:

Yes, that would be a backhoe/power shovel inches away from "trying to sleep" Big Cats.  Everyone sat up in their beds, with a squeal, "Look!"

Six times, back and forth, the backhoe/power shovel lumbered by,  picking up large pieces of concrete from a construction site at the end of the alley and carrying these out.  As it moved out of the alley, the backhoe/power shovel made its backup warning sound "baaahnn, baaaahn," and construction workers guided it past parked cars, barking "All clear!, that's good!"

This is the stuff of preschooler dreams - construction equipment in action.

With the exception of a few who had fallen asleep before the construction equipment came down the alley, the children were either out of their beds, pointing and exclaiming, or standing on their cots, huge grins.  There was no going to sleep now!

I'm investing in curtains...these children and their teacher need nap time for napping!!