sol17-15 How can I learn more about that?

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 been participating in an on-line 30-day exercise challenge, thanks to the prodding of a very dear niece...and I am amused by my warmup routine. Yes, I begin each workout with a Google search of all the exercises I don't know followed by viewing Youtube video clips of how to do them. Here's just a sampling of the exercises I've had to investigate:

• bear hug side plank
• burpees
• mountain climbers
• Russian twists
• tricep dips with leg raise
• holloman to knee crunches
• plank jacks
• chaturanga push-ups
• lateral skater jumps
• heismans
• Brazilian lunges
• curtsy squats

Don't you think I should be in amazing shape, just because I know what these are now? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Practice, practice, practice.

I feel energized when I am "getting smart" about something new, much like an adventurer in new terrain. This positive feeling was the silver lining to my son's autoimmune disease - finding out everything I could possibly know, comparing different sources, learning what to question and what to accept as truth. It is the adrenaline boost for preparing for vacations, especially travel abroad - reading about the location, investigating sightseeing possibilities, and compiling lists of to do's. It is the 'piece de resistance' of my teaching - looking up new techniques, reading about others' experiences, getting background information, considering another perspective.

It is remarkable how essential the internet is to research and how quickly you can access the information you need. It wasn't so long ago that research necessitated a physical visit to the library. It wasn't so long ago when the big questions involved looking at microfiche (and I'm nerdy enough to have loved this level of fact-finding). It wasn't so long ago that if new questions arose or there was something additional to include, you needed to buy new typing paper and begin all over again. Truly, it is extraordinary what information is available right at our fingertips, within mere seconds.

It certainly makes my workouts easier!

New year, renewed expectations

This is a Tuesday
Slice of Life.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day. 

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

I received a very special book this past Christmas: The Book of Joy, wherein the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their insights on how to find joy in the midst of adversity. The book is powerfully uplifting, filled with nuggets of wisdom. Here's one from Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one's chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass.

This simple blog of mine, focusing primarily on preschoolers, has given me much joy over the past few years. And yet, somehow, over the past few months, I have had a writer's block, an inability to figure out what to say or do with it next.

But I have joyful news! Here, in the new year, after much reflection - in large part, instigated by this sweet Christmas gift -  I am feeling very hopeful about my early childhood blog again. I realize my writing matters to me. I like it, I love it. I want to 'keep on keeping on' about this one small piece of the world, to shine light on our youngest students, and share this joy.

Right now, it is what really matters to me. 

To kick off this new year of feeling inspired in my writing, let me share some sweet photos of our new year in the classroom. The preschoolers have returned from winter break delighted to be together, ravenous for new experiences, and full of joy! Just like me!

We continue to build detailed structures in the block center.

We have added balls and ramps to the block center, and the children are working like engineers to discover all sorts of unique ways to make the balls roll. They are creating tunnels, sharp inclines, flat roads, jumps, and much more.

There is always something different going on in the Art area! Our first day back, we used simple scratchboards to draw and write about our winter break. An on-going project is to create paper puppets, in order to share a story. We are fully immersed in folktales, reading a wonderful variety of books, and we are beginning to create our own stories.

Over in the dramatic play, we have created a new business: Hair by the Big Cats. It is both a beauty parlor and a barbershop. Each day brings more questions, curiosity, and pure fun!

Of course, we are writing in so many different ways. Here is our haircut schedule, prepared by a preschool receptionist. We think of ourselves as writers!

We also write our own original books in the writing center. One of the biggest joys is to share these books aloud at the end of the day, with all our classmates. 

So, there you have it! I am recommitted to writing this early childhood blog in 2017 - and to slice on Tuesdays with Two Writing Teachers! I hope you will wander by to read. 

Tuesday SOL What does mid-year look like?

This is a Tuesday "Slice of Life" for Two Writing Teachers. Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

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We are mid-year in the Big Cats. Every day, the children choose their own fun, working and exploring where they desire. There is cheerful "instigation" and coaching from teachers, guiding the children to extend what they have chosen to do, or to try something all new. Our centers are purposefully set up to reflect their interests and our "guided discovery" process from earlier in the school year allows the centers to have ample materials that are both accessible and organized. I have tried to set up a 'laboratory' or 'scientific' environment, a wondering and questioning place …we are constantly working "at" things, trying to figure things out - What can I do with this? How might I do that? What is the problem? What might we do? Why is this broken? How might I fix it? What are some ideas?

Yes, we are mid-year in the Big Cats, and I am so pleased with the kind-hearted and curious work that my preschoolers are drawn to doing. The Big Cats love to work at things, to try. They are happy with the "gray," with things not being perfect or absolute, with trying to make something work. They love exploring.

Let me share an anecdote:

Paxton was playing in the block center with the ramps and toy cars, and he found a small car with its wheel broken off. He raced over to me, in the art center, and asked to use the science tweezers to pull at the wheel, to see if he could loosen it free from the axle. Dmitry came over to investigate what Paxton was doing. Paxton worked at the car for awhile and then passed it to Dmitry, to see if Dmitry was able to remove the broken wheel.

Dmitry, using the tweezers, trying to pry the wheel loose,
Wow, I almost got it.
That's really hard.
Wow, I strong.
Shew.
Almost…almost…got you off.
Oh boy.
This is.
Off.
Strong.
Oooooh.
I almost got it.
I'm getting tired.

Paxton -
Can I try, too?
I'm going to have one more turn, okay?

Dmitry -
Ok, your turn.
You have to try it.

Dmitry passes the car to Paxton.
Paxton takes the tweezers and he, again, tries to pry the wheel loose, explaining,
I think someone should snatch it off.
I'm going to be a helper.
I'm going to do it all the time.
That was a really good hard one for me, Ms. Ingram!
My Dad has some really good tools, Ms. Ingram.
He has even bigger pliers than we do.

Micah walks up and observes -
Want me to try?
I'm really strong!
You can give me a turn.

Paxton -
And I am super strong, too, Micah!
Here, try!

Micah, takes the tweezers and struggles to remove the wheel, emitting groans -
eeeeh yah!
eeeeh yah!
She is really struggling. Luke walks up to see what is going on.

Paxton -
Luke, he can try, too. He's a really good fixer.

Micah -
He's really, really strong! 

Micah gives Luke the car and the tweezers. He begins to work on the car, and Micah cheers him supportively -
Can he? Can he?

Katherine, painting a picture at the same table and observing their hard work, adds a commentary,
Daddy has a thing in the basement that fixes bikes.
But it can't fix cars.

Paxton -
Can it fix trolleys?


I love their camaraderie and good cheer, even when working hard.
I love how these kids are working with each other.
I love how they support one another.
I love their instinctive sharing.
I love how they don't shy away or flinch from the difficult, from the challenging.
I love how hard they work, how they persist, how determined they are.
I love their conversations.


Yes, I am happy.

How hard is it to paint an impressionist painting?

Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers

[Trying my hand at a poem today, hoping to illustrate the hard work of growing a school. It's summer - I'm just playing around, trying to be more creative!]

I think

growing a school
is like an impressionist painting.
It starts with a vision.
The picture begins
disjointedly,
with intense spots of color.
The artist works fervidly,
moving about,
different parts of the picture,
varying and adjusting the palette,
many areas at once.
Focusing on
one small area,
there is only a blur,
lack of clarity,
not much more.
It takes much blending,
repetition of strokes,
attention to tone,
contrast,
illumination.
It takes time,
perseverance,
stepping back,
perspective,
consideration of the bigger picture.
It takes thinking and re-thinking,
before
the true picture,
the masterpiece,
is evident.

Entrance to the Harbor by Georges Seurat

Reflecting on hard work

The year ended with some difficult feelings -

"not knowing," confusion, frustration.
There were intense discussions about tough subjects.

It strikes me  -
these feelings we have,
as we face the daunting task of growing a school,
these feelings are what every student experiences when learning something new,
when challenged,
when the work is hard.

I expect joyful, excited, compelled.
I forgot "not knowing," confusion, frustration.

You have to
keep on,
stay at the table,
see it through,
reflect,
be resourceful,
stay open-minded,
consider different ideas,
keep questioning,
try again.

You are learning as you go.

And it isn't straightforward. It isn't always clear.

What do you try next?
Is there only one way or many ways?
How do you ensure you are moving in the direction you desire?

In the midst of the hard work, you wonder,

Do I have the "grit" and "perseverance" for this? 

Yes, this is exactly what students feel as they experience hard work.

Learning and creating don't come easy.
It is good to be reminded of that.

Is grit something you only know you have when you are looking backward, 
in hindsight, 
seeing what you accomplished? 

Maybe you don't know you have it when you are doing it?

Hard work.