Moved

It actually happened.  The move to the "big school" is complete!  Unfortunately, I was not able to be here for the first couple of days, but since yesterday, things are running smoothly.  I wondered if it would all fall into place and yet, deep inside, I knew it would.

"Don't worry, be happy!" comes to mind as I sit here.  Yes, things are still a little chaotic, but considering we moved 4 classrooms of kiddos into 3 classrooms, I think things are going well.  I was glad to be in the classroom yesterday.  It was good to interact with the children and see their smiling faces.  It was also nice to see how things have come together.

I missed Monday and Tuesday because I was in a car accident on Saturday.  I'm still really sore and very tired today, but glad to be back.  It's amazing to me how a smile or hug from a little one can make my day so much better.  I also had the chance to visit with a 4th grader yesterday.  It's so good to interact with the students.  They are all unique, some are a little harder to reach than others, but when you can reach them, it is wonderful.

Another day has begun and off to a different start than what I was hoping for, but as Dory so aptly put it, "Just keep swimming..."

Moving Day - Part 2

Today there is light at the end of the tunnel.  When I came in this morning the majority of the boxes were gone, as was most of the furniture.  It's strange sitting here with nothing on the walls and a clean desk.  It's not terrible, almost refreshing.  I enjoyed my time in the classrooms earlier and I'm really glad to have most of this move behind me.  I'm excited to have the next three to four weeks on the main campus.  I am thrilled to be sharing space with someone I admire and respect, not to mention, like!

When I left here last night I felt hopeless and so tired I could drop.  Today is a new day.  Tomorrow is the new start.  It will be very different, but it will be over before I know it.  That is the way of the last month of school no matter what is going on.  I even found myself smiling when I found out that my new "roommate" has to pack all her stuff too.  God is laughing.

Moving Day - part 1

Well, it's here!  Moving day!  I'm trying to remember the positive as I sit here surrounded by boxes.  Today they will come and take most of this stuff to storage for the summer.  I'm happy that this will be a much more pleasant work environment when this is done.  It's hard to remember that right now.  It feels like I will never be done. Overwhelmed and stressed.  However, as I'm sitting here getting ready to go into a class, I am listening to parents, who are helping to pack books and children in the classrooms, laughing.  Somehow, I know it will be OK.  Yes, I'm hot and tired.  Yes, I'm still overwhelmed, but there is that little light that is shining.  The positive ray of hope.  It will get done, it will happen and life will go on.  It will be a very different, long (or could be very short) three weeks, but flexibility and determination will overcome the overwhelmed feelings and stress that are here, now.

More on moving day(s) to come.

Difficult

Have you ever had one of those days, (weeks, months, years), where almost everyone and everything seems difficult?  We all have certain things we would rather not do, but do them because they need to be done. Lesson plans can be like that, but I would be lost without them.  Moving is another one of those things that is difficult for me.  I tell people "I would rather have a root canal than have to move." However, since we have to be out of our building by the end of the month, I don't have much choice.  I guess I do, but it would be 3x's worse if I didn't do anything to get ready.  I keep telling myself that it will be wonderful when the renovations are finished and we get moved back in.  Who knows, I may even get rid of some things in the process.  I can be a little bit of a hoarder.

One of the other difficult things that happen with a move is that you have to deal with many differing opinions on how and what should be done.  If it were just me moving it wouldn't be quite so bad, but we are moving 12 adults and about 65 children.  If that weren't enough, the children are all 3 and 4 years old.  And, if that wasn't enough, there are all sorts of people who have different points of view on the situation.  Sometimes it's difficult to find a compromise that will work for everyone.  It can be tricky.

I find that when I have dealings with other people, I am less than happy about some of the ways things are getting done.  I also find that if I dwell on this, I lose my "power" to be in control of me and give it to them.  A friend of mine once asked me "Who's not doing what your way this time?"  I was really upset at the time and it completely took me off guard.  I was expecting sympathy and got reality instead.  Boy, was I upset, but he was right.  I keep asking myself the same question when I get so angry about things I have no control over.  My rebellious side kicks in and I get super upset.  I want to scream and shout but that is not productive.  Oh sure, I may feel better for a moment (note: totally understand kids who have tantrums), but in the long run, it won't make any difference.

What does all of this have to do with children?  Well, the 65 plus kiddos that have to make this move for 3 weeks of classes are going to run into a lot of frustration.  Children like, and need stability and routines.  They need structure and patterns in their lives.  This is going to "upset the apple cart" so to speak.  I have to remember, my anger at other adults is not going to help the children. As adults, we need to be there for the kids and be there to help each other.  If we work together, we can make this temporary situation much more bearable.

Wishing you peace and calm during your difficult times.

Endings

I have recently had an experience with having to end my association with an organization that I have been a part of for many years.  It feels awful.  There were many reasons for this, but it still feels bad.  I have thought and prayed for many days and nights about the situation and came to the painful decision to end my association with this group.

My reason for writing this is that a loss is a loss.  Some are greater than others but they all feel bad.  Endings make us have to deal with those nasty feelings of sadness, anger, and grief.  I have learned over the years that grieving the loss of something is as important as grieving the loss of a person.  While I know it's not the same, the same process needs to happen.  None of it is fun but all if it is part of the journey.

I will miss the people who are involved with this group but I have to move on.  I think about our children when I am going through something like this.  It brings up the empathy response.  My babies go through endings all the time.  People will say "they're just kids" and "oh they won't notice", but they do.  We need to teach our children how to deal with endings.  Whether it's the loss of a loved one, divorcing parents, loss of a pet or a friend moving away, these children need to be able to express their feelings and let people know how they feel.  We need to be good listeners and let them tell us what happened.  They may not be able to tell us how they feel about it, but we can help them with that too.

It's a good thing to feel and express your feelings.  I don't like it sometimes but I know it's good.  We need to remember that just because our children are small or young, doesn't mean they don't have the same feelings.  They just might not be able to express them.  It's our job, as teachers, to help them learn.

Spring Break

How did it already get to be Spring Break?  The children are excited and some of them are acting out because they don't want to spend a week at home.  A week at home means no schedule, no regular meal times and maybe no attention.  It can be really hard for these little ones to readjust to home life.  Children want and need a routine and schedule.  It doesn't have to be a "to the minute" schedule.  However, it does need to let them know what's happening next.  That takes time and energy to set up.  Some of our parents work two and three jobs and still qualify for free lunch.  Others don't work at all but don't have any idea of how to set and keep a schedule, for themselves or for their children.  We have all kinds of kids and parents. The one thing I know is that, whatever the situation, these parents, grandparents, guardians, etc are doing the best they can with the tools they have.  Children don't come with instructions.  We tend to do what we were taught.  Most of us were taught by example.  Some are good examples and some are not, but all of them are doing their best.

I hope you have a safe and restful Spring Break.  I hope that this time restores your inner peace and helps you to deal with the rest of the year.  It's going quickly.

Gray Days

It's been overcast and rainy now for about 2 weeks.  Maybe a sunny moment here or there, but mostly gray.  I don't know about you, but I don't do gray days very well.  So what to do?  Well, I try to make it colorful inside.  I try to add as much "color" as I can to my lessons.  One of my favorite books to read this time of year is Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  I love this book.  I have so much fun with the kids.  When I read the book I mix the colors in front of the kids using colored water.  So when the "red mouse steps into a yellow puddle", my colors mix in front of their eyes.  Three and four-year-olds are in love with magic and this is magical for them.  Their little faces light up enough to brighten any gray day.

After I'm finished with our large group, we go to small group.  I use "jelly marbles" and I let the students mix their own colors.  I use small, plastic condiment containers.  We place a clear jelly marble into the cup.  At this point, the marble is just a very small, very hard piece of  clear "plastic." I make sure they feel the marble before we add the liquid.  Once they tell me what color they want, we mix the color in the little cup using red, yellow and blue water.  I get my marbles, water containers and coloring tabs from the Steve Spangler Science website.  I love the quality of his products and I have not been disappointed yet.

When I come back to class after a day, we look at what we have in our little cups.  It does not resemble anything like the beginning marble.  Instead of hard, clear, and small, it is soft, colorful, and much bigger.  The "jelly marble" is actually a polymer.  It absorbed 300 times its weight in water.  The children are amazed.  We look at a beginning marble and then at the end result.  It's hard to believe they were the same thing.  They are able to take them home when we are done.  Another surprise for them is that the once hard sphere is now able to be broken.  They take great joy in doing that with their "marbles."  It is one of those very joyful, learning experiences that can make a gray day feel warm and sunny.

Wishing you colorful "gray days".

Websites
www.stevespanglerscience.com
www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ellen-Stoll-Walsh/70624406

Relationships

Relationships. 
 www.merriam-webster.com defines a relationship as follows:

• the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.
• the state of being connected by blood or marriage
• the way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other.

I was recently in a meeting where people were defining what was expected from different groups in the workplace. The first group addressed were the teachers. The moderator wanted to know what was the most important thing teachers could do to provide the best learning experience for their students.  It was unanimous! Teachers need to establish positive relationships with parents and children.  This was said to be essential because only then would both the child and the parent feel safe.  In order to learn, we must feel safe.  Brain research bears this out. When we don't feel safe we are always on guard and therefore unable to attend to what's being taught, presented or shown.  Everyone in the room agreed with this assessment.  Positive relationships were the most important thing teachers could do to make their classrooms productive and well managed. We then moved onto the next group.

This group was the staff in charge of the teaching staff.  The moderator asked what they could do for the teachers.  I couldn't help myself.  I have very strong opinions on this matter  I said that I thought the same applied to them with the teachers as it did for the teachers with the students and parents.  I said that the administrative staff needs to create a positive work environment for the teachers so that they feel safe and are able to pass that along to the students.  The administrators set the tone for the staff.  Teachers are "required" to provide positive feedback for students.  For example, three positive comments to every one negative comment.  I think it should be the same for the adults.  

Everyone needs to feel worthy and respected.  Positive feedback is one way that happens.  I am very fortunate that I have that with my administrators.  At this meeting, I was more of committee member than an employee.  The golden rule "Treat others the way you want to be treated," still holds in work situations.  People of all ages need to feel safe in order to prosper.  Adults need positive feedback as much as students and parents do. As we get older I think we forget that aspect of life.  We are all "grown up" now and don't need positive feedback.  We can "handle" it, we are adults.  I disagree, we all need respect and acknowledgment.  It is so important that all of us support one another.  As teachers, we need to support each other as well as our administrators.  Administrators need to remember to support their teachers and staff in the same way they expect the teachers to support and provide a positive environment for their students.  The same rules should apply all around.

Feeling safe and respected is so important for everyone involved.  When we work together and help bring each other up, we are helping ourselves.  Think about how good it feels to help someone.  Think about how good it feels for you to get a thank you or a smile from someone you didn't expect to smile or even acknowledge you.  It's the little things that make a workplace fun to go to.  There will always be conflicts and disagreements.  What we do to get over them and help each other smile is what makes a classroom, school, home, office, etc. a wonderful place you where you want to be.  A happy place that makes a job feel more like fun and provides a safe environment for learning.l.

Choices

A friend of mine gave me a "Self Therapy" pad for Christmas.  It was hysterical but only because it struck some familiar chords.  The first thing you are supposed to list is "Psychodrama of the Day".  I think about that a lot.  We have those moments daily when we can choose to react in any manner we choose.  The point being, we get to choose.

I have to remind myself that I cannot control someone else's emotions or reactions.  The only person I can control is me.  It's pretty empowering to know that I have that choice.  Sometime I get sucked up into the vortex of calamity.  I have to remind myself (often times others remind me) that I have that choice.  I get to choose how I react.

This is not to say that there are real situations that need reaction.  However, in all of those I still have a choice about my reactions.  How I react to the child who rolls their eyes at me, the teacher who is complaining, the office person who is not doing things my way.  In everything, I have that choice.  Today I choose love and kind.  I choose to see through those lenses.  Hopefully that will make for a wonderful day.

Caps for Sale

"Caps for sale, fifty cents a cap!"  I remember that story by Esphyr Slobodkina from my childhood.  Captain Kangaroo read it to us on the television.  It was so long ago, the show was in black and white.  It's hard for me to believe that so much time has gone by.  When a friend suggested that I use this book with my three-year-olds, I said: "no way, it has too many words."  I didn't think the children would be able to sit for that long.  Oh me of little faith!  Caps for Sale is one of my favorite books that I read with children.  I read it to the same class for 3 days.

The first day I put on my own checked cap.  The second time I put on my own checked cap and a gray, brown, blue, and red cap.  On Friday, when I read the story for the last time, I have on as many caps as I need for the students to each have one.   They are not just gray, brown, blue, and red.  I have a rainbow of sparkly colored caps.  During the story, when the peddler falls asleep, the teacher helps remove the caps from the sleeping peddler and gives them to the students.  The class then becomes the monkeys in the tree.  It is so much fun when they figure out that they are doing what I'm doing.  They even are good about giving the caps back when they throw them down.

Making stories come alive for the children helps them to love the stories.  I hope that as they grow, they develop a love of stories and books.  It is always such a treat to share these stories each year.

What an interesting week!

It was an interesting week, but I could probably say it was the week that wasn't.  Incredibly cold temperatures and frozen precipitation extended our MLK,Jr. holiday from 1 to 3 days.  It was really nice to not have to venture out on dangerous roads, however, I missed my kids.  I wondered if they were all warm and dry.  I prayed that they had enough heat and food.  Coming back yesterday to those tired smiling faces, it was clear that they were OK.  I was relieved.  Sometimes all we can do is wonder and pray for our kids.

At Head Start I don't have to worry about them not having at least two good meals and a snack daily. Those are provided for them at no cost to the parents.  It's those other times.  We had just gotten back into routine after a long Winter Break and then this.  Little ones have a hard time being out of routine.  As much as they need their routines, they fight it when they come back if there hasn't been any structure at home. I'm so glad they are back and hope that things continue to get back to "normal".

There was a really exciting thing that happened during this week that wasn't.  I received an advanced copy of the book our principal put together for our school.  He invited everyone on the staff to submit stories.  The title, Stories From Webb, says it all.  They are our stories, real teachers, aides, support people, parents, and administrators in real life situations.  I was in awe when I read all the endorsements at the beginning of the book, not to mention the forward by Kim Bearden. I felt humble and appreciated as I read these words.  I was even more in awe as I began to read the stories that followed.

I knew I worked with an amazing group of people, but this was icing on the cake so to speak.  Our book is available for sale next week from Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.  I am so excited to be a part of this experience.  So look us up and remember #KidsDeserveIt!!

Happy New Start

A friend of mine said to me "Happy New Start" instead of the traditional Happy New Year.  It gave me pause.  When I think about it, we get to have Happy New Starts every time we choose to.  Every moment is a chance to start again, whether it's how you are thinking or something you would rather be doing, each day, hour, minute is a chance to begin again, the way you would want it to be.  Or not, if that's your choice.

This week the students came back to school.  They were excited and anxious to be back in their routines.  They were ready for their Happy New Start.  Sometime teachers do not seem quite as ready for a new beginning.  Ruminating over how we are going to have to deal with this student or what to do about that parent, etc.  Everyday we get to choose how we will react and how we will take on challenges.  I forget that often.  I forget that I have that choice and can get bogged down in what was or what may be instead of what is, right this minute.

I hope you are able to have a Happy New Start this year.

The week before Christmas!

T'was the week before Christmas and all through the house there were boxes a-plenty which were annoying my spouse.  Well not really (at least it rhymed), but if you are like I am, many boxes have come to your door via on-line Christmas shopping!  I love the ease of shopping on-line, but what to do with all those boxes.  In case you were curious, making robots is a great way to use up many of them.  Here are just a few of the amazing family creations we have received here at the center, just in time for the Holidays.  We are doing our study starter on boxes.  Enjoy the pictures.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Beautiful

I find that this time of year brings out the best/worst in all of us.  I had a wonderful random act of kindness happen to me this weekend.  Where I work, I feel like a rock star! My kids think I'm great and they are so excited to see me whenever I go into a class or walk down the hall at "the big school".  I get smiles and hugs from children I may or may not remember from year to year.  They change so much from when they are three.  That being said, this weekend I was in our local Walmart, just browsing and using up time before I had to go to a meeting.  All of a sudden I heard "Ma'am, Ma'am."  I thought it might be a student or former student's parent.  When I turned around there was a charming little girl looking at my glittery red sweater.  Her mom said ,"Go ahead, tell her."  This was not one of my students, but she looked up at me and said "You're beautiful!"  I was so touched.  I thanked her and asked if I could give her a hug.  We hugged and I told her (and mom and dad) how much I appreciated her compliment and that she had made my week!

I don't know about you, but it's not often that someone stops me and tells me I'm beautiful.  I had such a warm, fuzzy feeling when I left the store for my meeting.  That feeling has remained and I continue to say thank you for that small child and her parents.  What a great way to feel when everything else around me is chaotic and hectic.  Just a kind word can make all the difference.  I hope that you find a way to feel "beautiful" this season.  Enjoy the warmth and the joy all around you.  Take some time to shut out the noise and relax, at least for a few minutes.

21 Days? Oh my...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Actually, it has looked a lot like Christmas in some places since September.  Now, however, it looks like that almost everywhere.  With that look comes the anticipation.  When my kids were little I thought it was great because I could use it as a "bargaining chip" of sorts.  "Better be good, Santa is watching."  Nowadays, not so much.

Here at Head Start my babies are excited about Christmas, but they are also passing around a large number of diseases.  Anything from colds to stomach viruses are spreading at an alarming rate. Considering the weather, it's not a big surprise. I haven't had a voice since Friday.  It is always challenging to read a story with little to no voice.  I find that the normal "voices" I am able to do, don't quite come out the way I want them to.  A gobble ends up like a squawk.  Oh well, I think they get the idea, it just makes it a little more challenging for me.

I find that even when I don't feel well, I still have to be on top of things.  This kiddos are ready for their story, ready for their routines, and most of all, ready for me to be my animated self.  So no matter what, "the show must go on," (unless of course, there is a fever involved)! We try to keep things as normal as possible during this time of year.  Actually, we try to keep things as normal as possible all year.  It is so beneficial for the children to have a routine and structure.  I call it "flexible" structure.

So I think I'm the one who is concerned about only 21 more days until Christmas and as long as I stay in my routines, just like the students, we will all do just fine!!

Choices

Back from a wonderful break and the children are in full swing.  They have lots of energy and are so happy to be back at school.  I find this time of year to be especially challenging for teachers and students.  It's kind of a "limbo" if you will.  We had a long week off and only four weeks until another long break.  It's difficult to keep the students in routine sometimes once they've gotten out of routine.  I find that using choices is most effective for me.  Giving the students real choices helps them to feel empowered.

I love this time of year, but the weather is constantly changing, children are really sick (a lot), and there is excitement everywhere.  Remembering to give my students choices helps them to feel in control and take ownership of their actions.  They are responsible for the choices they make.  As always, there are consequences, both good and not so good, but I think they realize that it's their choice that determines those consequences, not mine.  Even at this young age, choices are helpful.  I have to keep reminding myself that we still have school for these four weeks and routines are essential to thrive..

Thankful

This post is long overdue.  I kept waiting for some Community Helper pictures, but everyone is very busy.  I will post those when I get them.  What I did want to say is how Thankful I am for everyone here.  This is an amazing place to work.  From the Administration at Webb to the teachers and students at Head Start, I am ever so grateful each day.  The precious children at the center, our babies, are a joy in my life.  If I am ever feeling down all I have to do is go and talk with one of them.  Their joy and excitement are contagious.
This Thanksgiving I will be giving thanks for all the people in my life those who are my blood relatives and those who are my chosen family.  Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a very hectic time of year, but also a time of wonder and happiness.  I'm looking forward to spending these next few weeks appreciating all the happy energy around me.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Routines

I read 4 different books, 1 each week,  for 4 weeks in each class.  In other words, we do a book a week and I rotate the books so that at the end of the 4 weeks each class has heard all 4 books.  I tell other stories as well, but I usually have a central "theme" that I use for the 4 weeks.  This time is one of my favorites: monsters.  Well, not really monsters, Jack & the Beanstalk, Abiyoyo, Go Away Big, Green Monster and The Very Busy Spider.  I love these stories.  Usually, I will read the story myself the first time I do it and then I will use
recordings, iPad apps, YouTube videos and such to tell the story in another way.

This year I couldn't find my copy of The Very Busy Spider, so I ended up telling the story from a book written in Spanish.  It was fun and frustrating to look at the words and try to figure out what they said, but I also knew the story well enough to tell it without the exact text.  I love it when I get to that place where I can just tell the story.  The same is true for the other books.  Go Away Big, Green Monster has an app that has the story in song form.  For Abiyoyo I have an iPod recording of Pete Seeger telling the story.  Jack & the Beanstalk is a different story.  I don't usually use a different version of this book.  The one that I have is simple enough and flows nicely.  It's one that we got with grant money many years ago.  I enjoy the Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum part the best because I get to sound like a giant and the kids are really engaged.

All in all, this is a great group of books and the children really enjoy them.  They are among the ones most requested when I see them in Pre-K.  

Building Boom at Navasota Head Start

Building Boom at Navasota Head Start

The first of our many family projects have started to come into the center.  As usual they are fabulous. Our "study" that we have been working on is Buildings.  We have been looking a different types of buildings, what they are made of and also who works in those buildings.  We sent a request home with the parents to make a building.  You can see the amazing projects that have come back to us.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so this blog is going to be mostly pictures for you to enjoy.

My friend Pete!

I have never seen anything like it.  My friend Pete the Cat can charm 3-year-olds like no one else.  Pete and I have been together for many years now.  It never fails, Pete shows up the first week of school, amid the tears and the defiance, the not knowing how to sit and listen to a story and the lost little ones who look like they have been left by the roadside.  All of a sudden when a small, blue cat appears over the back of a big book stand, everything is OK and all is right with the world.

I have to give you a little background on how I happened upon Pete the Cat by James Dean and Eric Litwin.  I was visiting my grandchildren and noticed this book in my granddaughter's room from one of the book fairs they had gone to at school.  I glanced through it and noticed it had colors in it, I thought "great a new color book I can use with my Head Start kids, I'll have to get one."   And that was that.  I got home, ordered the book and went on my merry way.  The book arrived from Scholastic and I actually read through most of it and was really upset.  It only had four colors, red, blue, brown and white.  What kind of color book was that?  I did notice that I could download the audiobook for free, so I did.  I also ordered the little doll that went with the book.  OK, enough background.

I took Pete into class with me and after I had read one of my big books I brought out Pete the Cat   I Love My White Shoes book.  I took out my iPod and started to share the story with the class.  I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this story and how mesmerized the children were.  When we got to the end of the book, which was my first time to hear the end as well, I laughed out loud.  The children didn't understan


d why I was laughing, but it didn't matter.  Pete and I have been best friends ever since.  Pete can calm a room full of children quicker than anything I have ever seen.  He whispers in my ear and tells me about how wonderful it is to see all the children waiting to hear his stories.  He sits and watches as I "read" his books.  It's more like how I interact with the story.  We still listen to Eric Litwin tell the story on the iPod, but I'm right there with him, reacting to what's happening and interacting to what's going on.  Before long, so are all the children.

When the children move to Pre-K I usually try to get to each Pre-K class at the beginning of the year with Pete to check on them and let them know we are still here and still watching out for them.  Thanks to Pete, they know "It's all good".