Does it spiral because there are too many of us together?

Read-alouds.
These are ubiquitous in the preschool classroom.
Every day, there is a story time - children gathered on the carpet, listening to the teacher as they read a picture book aloud.
In this early part of the school year, the children are learning how to sit within a group of classmates and listen to the story. This is such a foreign art for the average three year old! I mean, really, aren't you nestled on someone's lap, when a book is read at home?
Here at school, you must sit without touching another student, several feet distant from the teacher, and you should sit quietly, listening. Honestly, my books are short and concise for these first many weeks - the children have so much learning to do about the routine of a read-aloud, that I dare not read a long, rich, interesting book, but instead spend my time 'setting the stage' with the children, noting and complimenting their seating, their quiet, etc.
Ugh.
I am losing my excitement about these read alouds! I feel so shackled by them.
I hear Bev Bos' wisdom...she only read to those children who wanted to listen to her. She let other children - the uninterested - engage elsewhere in the room, playing at the dollhouse, mashing playdough or clay, building with blocks. If the book was interesting enough, they'd wander over. Oh, and she didn't make them sit in a particular way, she didn't make them put down toys they had been playing with....
(Isn't that respectful of children - to let them decide what they want to do? Choose their own learning?)
She didn't die on the hill of the read aloud. (My emphasis.)

In the public school classroom, everyone gathers and sits for story.
End of statement.

Another wild idea by Bev Bos - if the children didn't seem to have any interest in the book she chose, she'd close it and pick another. Again, respecting children where they are.

Here's what my most recent read aloud looked like  -
One child running around and around, unable to sit still.
Several other students watching him, captivated.
One student is in full tantrum, and my teaching assistant is doing her very best to figure out what is wrong.
Another student echoing every line of the book.
Others yelling SHHH, I CAN'T HEAR!
Still another student yelling, No! No! No! (To whom? I wonder? Yet, I cannot figure this out...must keep the book going.)
One child trapped in the classroom's bathroom, needing our assistance, calling for teacher's help, with tummy troubles that are above his skill level.
One child is crying because another has chosen her favorite spot on the carpet.
Another child is crawling across my lap while I read.
Several students are holding books of their own, flipping pages, oblivious to mine.
Half a dozen of my students are seated with their backs to me, having lost attention due to all of the above.

Yay, beginning of the year read-alouds!

They can only improve.

SOLSC #22 How do you relax?

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.

I arrived at school this morning so tightly wound. My mile walk from the metro didn't soothe me as it typically does, because my mind raced with all that I must get done between now and Friday. It was a little bit like this - 

findlostlibrarybookreportcardsneedtobe

finalizedyoumustfigureoutattendance

totalswhereisoverviewofcurriculum

planninginformationtosharemustwrite

notetoheadofschoolbeforevacationprint

outstoriesandphotosforportfoliosmust

completegolddatabeforevacationtoo

Friday is coming - and it is going to be great, this I know! My husband and I are flying to Scotland, spending spring break in Edinburgh with our son Bryce, who is there for a semester abroad. I am so so so excited! But, wow, there is so much "doing" between now and then. 

The good news is - today was the beginning of our special intersession at my school. Each day, instead of centers, the preschool and Pre-K classes are mixed up and divided up into small groups to pursue fun new activities. My intersession group this spring is called "Great Books in Great Places" - I and my colleague Ms. McNeil are walking the neighborhood with eight children and a bag of picture books, stopping to read in lots of fun new locations. Yes, it is a sweet way to teach!

To introduce the intersession, we sat in our early childhood book nook and read Dr. Seuss' Ten Apples on Top. I explained that we would search for great places to read as we walked. Today, I brought a backpack filled with books about outdoors. We stepped out into the brisk air and walked up the street, up the hill, around the corner. We stopped to read whenever a child asked to stop.We had no sooner left the school when the children asked to sit on a concrete pad. We read The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, which led to us listening to and repeating all the sounds of the world around us - different birds, cars, the horn of a big truck, wind, laughter and voices, a bulldozer, hammering, and even a foam plate that the wind blew down the road. As we made our way down the road, we found a tree with a huge root system and the children thought that was a perfect place for another book (Birds, by Kevin Henkes). As we made it up the hill, there was an open field where some children sat while others collected sticks, all in earshot of the reading. Here, we read two books - one, a song, Inch by Inch: The Garden Song by David Mallett and, two, a book about friendship, Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English. We were just bending the corner of the road when we realized we had to get back to school in a very few minutes...we raced back! Yikes! That was the fastest hour of teaching ever...and we have so many unread books in the backpack still. Tomorrow we will walk and read again!

I realized I was no longer tightly wound. I felt happy, carefree, lighter. Note to self - seek fresh air, walking, children, and books; a good mood will follow.

Tuesday SOL: What a Wonderful World

This is a Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out their website for many more reflections on teaching.


______________________________

Something I love about our school, which ranges from preschoolers (Pre K-3) to middle school, is our pairing of each of the younger classrooms with an older classroom. This school year, the Big Cats preschoolers will get together with first graders (the "Double-Headed Rattlesnakes") for partner reading each Friday. These structured pairings allow for the most beautiful and unexpected interactions, providing opportunity for role modeling by older students, with younger students basking in the singular attention of an older student. For our older students, I think there is even a "letting down of the guard" - a chance to be a little more relaxed and confident about their reading skills, as they casually and comfortably read to their younger partner. Sometimes, the pairings result in new friendships, with children happily reconnecting if we see one another in the hallway or elsewhere in the school.


Last year, after our partnering was well underway, one of my preschoolers ('Mary') began to refuse to sit with her partner, and even said to me,
"I don't want to go to the first grade class."

"Why, Mary? Tell me what is wrong. Why are you sad about reading with your partner?"

"Because she always reads to me!"

"She always reads to you?" I echoed, somewhat confused. This is my classic technique, when I fail to grasp something, I simply restate the words that were said...buying myself a little time, hoping they'll say something more that will clarify. I really did not understand.

"Yes. She never lets me read to her."

It's true, every now and again, I do have preschoolers who can read…but this little friend was not one of these. However, she loved our picture books, devoured them daily, imagined stories to go with the pictures, and saw herself as a reader. Imagine how easy it would have been to retort to this three year old - "But, Mary, you do not know how to read." I did not. I was thrilled by her confidence! My preschoolers see themselves as readers! I simply said,

"Oh! You want to read to her, too!?"

I turned to her first grader partner - "Would it be okay if Mary read to you, today?"
and she said, "Oh, sure! That would be fun!"
and off they went happily, to read together.


This past Friday, the Double-Headed Rattlesnakes came down to meet us for the first time this new school year. We introduced the pairings of students. Several first graders have younger siblings in my class, and we purposefully pair these siblings to read together - an extra special connection, in the middle of the school week, to have a little sibling time.

We will read together for thirty minutes each week, but this first Friday was simply to meet one another, to share your name, to talk with one another about your favorite stories. Several three year olds got up to grab books from our bookshelves, sharing some of their favorite books with their new first grade friends. After a little conversation time, getting to know one another, both classes settled in together on our meeting carpet to hear a read-aloud together.



Another special part about this past Friday was its date - September 11th. How to recognize the significance of this day with preschoolers? For me, since 2001, it has been the tradition of reading a special book - What a Wonderful World (illustrated by Ashley Bryan, written by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele) followed by playing the song by Louis Armstrong. This book is a beautiful story song, celebrating children, diversity, love. This year, since my September 11th book reading dovetailed with meeting our first grade reading partners, I read the book to the entire combined group.

This was an incredibly special read-aloud for me. Just three short years ago, many of these first graders were my preschoolers. There I was, reading the words aloud and looking over my audience, seeing these now much bigger first graders with the same faces they had in preschool, sitting snugly and amiably with their new three year old reading partner, happily engaged in the familiar book. Many of the first graders read along with me, recognizing and remembering the words. Everyone was so quiet and focused when we played Louis Armstrong, and I enjoyed their enraptured faces listening to his throaty words. One student noted, "My daddy sings this song to me."

Then, it was time to go. "First graders, it is time to line up. Say goodbye to your Big Cat friend, ask them if they'd like a high five or a hug from you before you leave."

For the siblings, this was hard. Some tears were shed, saying goodbye to the older loved one. One first grader plied his sister with many kisses on her cheeks. But for most of the pairings, they were saying goodbye to someone entirely unfamiliar, not known. I noticed a couple of my preschoolers shook their heads at this offer of a high five or a hug - not yet willing to be friendly with this new big student. This was worthy of a follow up discussion...

When the first graders left, we talked about how hard it can be to meet new people. "Did anyone have a funny feeling in their tummy?" I shared how some say it feels as if you have 'butterflies' in your tummy. A couple of children nodded. I coached, "There is a fluttering, a pulling. It helps me to take deep cleansing breaths. We'll get to know these first graders over time. We will see them each Friday. We will become friends, in time."

It is early in the year. We have just met.

I see friends shaking hands
saying "how do you do?"
they're really saying 
"I love you."

Are my students visible?

This is a Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out their website for many more reflections on teaching.


______________________________

The power of visibility can never be underestimated.
- Margaret Cho

When browsing in the children's section at my local library this past spring, I found a beautiful picture book on display  - Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper. I checked it out, knowing my preschoolers would love the heartwarming story of a boy riding in his family car, only to find the moon following him. At the end of the read-aloud, one preschooler lingered at my knee, studying the beautiful illustrations.

I said affectionately,
"Do you think Max loves the moon as much as you do?"
and he replied,
"Yes, he does, but, see, he is brown and I am not."
"Yes, you are right, you noticed his skin color...you and he are different, you and he are the same."

Preschoolers notice details. There was no malice or bias in his words. I love that this little boy studied the illustrations so closely. And what a testament to Floyd Cooper's extraordinary artwork - so realistic, so life-like, so gorgeous.

In reflection of our conversation, I started thinking about my picture book library. I have an extensive collection, gathered through the years, since my own (now adult) children were little. The reality is, the majority of my picture books feature white characters. What must this be like, day in, day out, at my read-alouds, for my students of color?  Children should see themselves in the stories we share.

I do not want it to be a rare experience for children of color to see themselves reflected in positive ways in the world around us.

I decided to spend some time this summer adding more diversity to my existing picture book collection. My summer goal has been to find more books about ordinary moments, ordinary situations, embellishing all the topics that young children love, but with black, brown, diverse faces in the illustrations.

What if it was the norm for me to read books that featured people of color? 

I have unleashed my inner "teacher nerd" this summer!

I have spent time on the web,
chasing down book lists,
reading through blogposts,
searching through articles,
reviewing award winners,
looking up various topics,
on and on,
scanning for books.

The other day, armed with an Excel spreadsheet with the list of possibilities (see, I told you I am a "teacher nerd"), I wandered over to my local library and searched through the stacks, to see if I could find any of them. What a fun afternoon I had! It was so delightful to have endless time to browse, not driven by any particular curriculum deadline, simply to savor children's books. I found a great many of the books on my list, and I spent time reading them, considering their appropriateness for my preschoolers, and imagining how I might fit them into read-alouds throughout the year.

Of course, I didn't find every single book - I have many that I still want to track down. The list itself is a living thing - I keep adding books to it, whenever I find new ones. My initial research has focused primarily on finding picture books featuring black characters...clearly, I have a long way to go before I can consider my book list truly diverse. But, wow, there are so many amazing books out there!

Let me whet your appetite, too...check out picture books by Angela Johnson, Anna McQuinn, bell hooks, Brian Pinkney, Eloise Greenfield, Ezra Jack Keats, Floyd Cooper, Jacqueline Woodson, Kadir Nelson, Mary Hoffman, Patricia McKissack, Yuri Morales. (This is by no means a complete list, but I had multiple great finds for each of these authors.)

Here's to a few more days of summer exploration and a new school year filled with reading new books!

SOLSC 2015 #25: What makes you falter?

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. 

*******

Has this ever happened to you? 

I was in the midst of reading one of my all-time favorite books - Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran (illustrated by Barbara Cooney) - to the children in my class, when my voice faltered, shook, quivered. As if I might cry!

When Marian dug up a tin box filled with round black pebbles

everyone knew what it was:

it was a buried treasure.

Those pebbles were the money of Roxaboxen.

You could still find others like them if you looked hard enough.

So some days became treasure-hunting days, with everybody trying to find that special kind.

And then on other days you might just find one without even looking.

I recovered immediately and pushed on, but the feeling lingered as the day wore on. I challenged myself to put my thoughts and emotions into a poem….

Breathless

It leaves me breathless 

to consider 

creating lean-to's with weeping willow branches

sitting in the grass with all my dolls

mashing pyracantha berries for porridge 

It leaves me breathless 

to consider 

fishing with sticks, string, small pieces of bread, 

large multi-backyard games of capture the flag, and

flashlight tag with my brothers and neighbors

It leaves me breathless 

to consider

the absence of such leisurely play today

the rare gift of children making their own fun

how beautiful life is when explored outdoors 

It leaves me breathless 

to consider

And so it went.

The seasons changed, and the years went by.

Roxaboxen was always there.

It leaves me breathless 

to consider 

how many children have treasure-hunting days?

SOLSC 2015 #4: May I sit and hear the book with you?

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. 

*******

I love reading to children, but it is also a real treat to sit alongside them as someone else reads a book. Sitting there amongst the children, I see them in new ways.

Just this past week, Ms. Kim [my Teaching Resident] was reading the truly fun and fabulous 'twisted' folktale The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury) and I had this opportunity. Ms. Kim sat in our big cozy chair and all the children sat on the rug in front of her; I joined the children on the floor, sitting at the back of the group.

I spent the rest of the day chuckling about some of the antics I observed. 

Truly, it was like putting out one small fire after another!

The children settled in to hear the good story. Within seconds, they were very excited by the title itself, offering immediate feedback - "That's funny! It's not three pigs!" "Why is it the Big Bad Pig!?," many voices at once, a few "No, ME! I'm talking NOW!", and I am on alert, watching the many sparks fly due to their unbridled enthusiasm…Will they settle down? Will Ms. Kim regain control? Do I need to intervene?

[Yes, Ms. Kim's voice was strong and confident, her body language was completely at ease, and she quieted the children with the simple invitation, "Well, let's see! Let's hear the story."]

Ms. Kim had set up her phone on a nearby chair, in order to tape herself doing the read-aloud. From my place in the audience, I notice one preschooler become engaged with this phone...he immediately loses interest in the book. "I see phone, I see phone," he whispers, and he scampers towards the phone, adding, "phone games." 

[That is a fire that must be extinguished! Sorry, buddy, you will play phone games when you are with your family - it's not happening here at school!]

I no sooner intervene, scooping him onto my lap, when another child shrieks "I can't see! I can't see! I can't see!" A small fire begins. Unbelievably, the preschooler in front of her - who is breaking our sitting rule by being on her knees - gives her a quick glance and immediately adjusts her body position, sitting down on the floor, without a word from me! Yes! Fire extinguished!

[This is learning, preschool level - and I get to relax, now, right? Let's hear that book!]

Right next to me, a child gets up on his knees and starts groping his own bottom. Not just scratching, but both hands in - SPONTANEOUS FIRE! I am on the scene! I give him a very strong stage whisper and point towards the bathroom. 

[This same toilet trainer once explained - with similar mannerisms observed - "I am keeping the poop in." We will have none of that during this fine book! Oh my!]

Okay, let me settle back. I realize, somehow, there are now three children on my lap. Something about holding my phone lover in my lap has attracted two others. And these new two become my set of kindling wood, as they begin to argue over space on my lap. "Shhhh!" I admonish, "We are listening!" Both children go quiet. However, one, who always does the right thing, looks at me with furrowed brow, frustrated to be admonished, and her look alone is about to send me into gales of laughter. There are a few residual embers, but this small fire has been extinguished. 

We get to the part in the book where the Big Bad Pig takes a sledge hammer to the wolves' house and the children are beside themselves with confusion, excitement, perhaps even horror.  It begins to feel again as if twenty-one small fires are erupting, there are so many comments and questions. Ms. Kim gains control with a simple, "We are listening to [names of child] now," and this child explains artfully - "Maybe the Big Bad Pig does not know how to make friends?"

I'm not sure I have ever heard something so funny - we teachers are now creating our own small fires, trying hard to not giggle, and it takes a few more minutes for us all to settle down. Ms. Kim adds, "No more questions right now - let's find out what happens."

Okay, I settle in. This should be nice.

Immediately, a girl begins to wail! Not whimper, not a small cry, but a full-blown loud-pitched wail. This is quite a disruption for a videotaped read-aloud! This is an emergency fire! I must get to the rescue! I toss aside the three on my lap (well, I'm sure I was more polite than that), and embrace the one who is crying, turning her wailing head onto my shoulder, to muffle the cry, and I whisper calmly, "Breathe, breathe, breathe" while my eyes race madly over her body to see what is bleeding, what has happened. She begins to soothe, and I whisper, "What happened, what is wrong?" and she whispers back "That boy said I cannot ask any questions right now." 

[Oh, I see, that was not an "I am bleeding" cry; it was an "I feel indignant" cry. This is something else we are working on in preschool - appropriate reactions to problems. I see we have much more work to do!]

Truly, the rest of the read-aloud is a bit of a blur. I know a couple children jumped up to see the book more closely, one stepping accidentally on another child's hand; two "best friends" had to be separated from one another because of their private, staccato conversation in the midst of the teacher reading; someone was pulling at a loose thread on my shirt, who I largely ignored because he was at least very quiet; and a variety of other small fires. 

Yes, it is fun to be sitting in the midst of the children, seeing the book with all new eyes.