This post is for the Tuesday Slice of Life writing challenge on Two Writing Teachers.
The children were last seen in the school on Friday, June 15th, but, their voices echoed.
We teachers spent busy, long days last week packing up our classrooms for our move this summer to a wonderful new location.
In the midst of the packing, we had several focused discussions about specific issues, both to wrap up this founding year of our school and looking ahead to year two.
In the midst of the packing, we took time to meet and share about our children.
I love being part of a staff that is truly all about the children.
I love how
we know about each other's students,
we embrace the time to share about specific issues,
we make these our whole school's issues.
Certain children need more. It's as simple as that.
We shared about successes, we shared about continued challenges...their struggles, their "stuckness," their beings.
In the midst of the packing, we had "kid talk," all of us embracing the time, respecting the need for this time. Time to hone in on what worked, what went wrong with specific children...considering their struggles, changes that are needed, ways we might support the child and family better, how to make changes in our teaching and across classrooms, in the school as a whole, to better support the child. Were there common unmet needs? Were there successful strategies? How might we work together to guide this student?
As I reflect this summer, I am happily aware that I love spending time with my colleagues.
I love how
we listen to one another's challenges in the classroom,
we draw a difficult child in rather than push them away,
we welcome older students to "catch a breath" in younger students' classrooms,
we have high expectations for their learning,
we seek to know the child.
Yes, we spent time on children, and the packing got short shrift.
I started off so controlled and organized - specific boxes marked "math manipulatives," "dramatic play - hospital," "engineering." As time and spirit failed, it became a mad rush to just get everything into boxes, a frenzied, chaotic, get it done, I am fried, I need to go home conclusion to the year.
I'll find time in August to sort through those materials.
I'm glad we spent time on children.
