Summer plans.

Well school is over. I spent the day screening new sprouts for the fall… we administer some assessments and score them to help with placement... it’s always a bit of a mixed bag of emotions. On the one hand, I’m excited to meet new friends… on the other hand, I am ready for summer vacation.

As I did last year, I’ll be taking a break from daily postings over the summer. Don’t worry, I’ve got a few special surprises up my sleeve. Some giveaways, a book study, and some other stuff you’ll just have to come back to find out about. How's that for a cliffhanger?

If you have the summer off, ENJOY. I’ll be spending the first half of my summer working with graduate students at the local university... spreading my love and enthusiasm for literacy. The second half will be spent traveling and RELAXING. I’ll be back soon with more information about the giveaways and book study.

Goodbye.

The last day is never fun. The kids are ramped up… feeling anxious, sad, excited, you name it. It’s not a good mix. At my school, my sprouts meet their first grade teacher on the last day too, which just works them up even more. It’s a fast, sometimes chaotic day and yet I’m sad when it’s over.

In what other grade but kindergarten do they kids say they are genuinely sad school is over? We tried to have as normal a day as possible, but really, it didn’t happen. The hugs were more frequent and much tighter. One little guy almost hurt me he hugged me so tightly… there were no complaints from me.

I almost started to cry at one moment… it was towards the end of the day, they were all shoving the last bits of paper and memorabilia into their backpacks… the classroom got very loud and noisy and I just stood there looking at them all and got overwhelmed with emotion. For the record, I snapped out of it, but it almost happened… almost.

To make matters worse, one of my dear friends was leaving our school today. I stayed to help her pack her room up and tried to bring a little laughter to the sadness of the situation… I got a few chuckles out of her and the others helping, but really, it was all just a show. When I finally got a moment alone with her, I gave her a big hug, kissed her gently on the cheek, and told her I’d see her soon. Goodbyes are no fun.

As luck would have it, the last few itty-bitty friends to leave are some of the most affectionate. No asking for hugs from these characters. They asked me to walk them out to the bus line, something I don’t normally do… today I did. As two of them took my hands, I thought, ‘Wow, another year gone.’ They will visit me next year early and often. I’ll have a new batch of fresh sprouts to nurture. I’ll miss my class, but I know they have the skills (academic and social) to be successful. I'm a teacher... I gave them my all.

Clingy.

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." - C.S. Lewis

As I prepare for my last day with my sprouts tomorrow, this quote from the author of The Narnia Chronicles, has stuck in my head like a jingle. Something happens the last few weeks in kindergarten… it didn’t happen when I taught second grade, and I suspect it doesn’t happen in most other grades, my students, all of them, become incredibly clingy.

Maybe it’s all the talk of ‘becoming a first grader’ or just the simple realization the end of our precious time together is near, but my itty bitty friends become, what my mother would refer to as, ‘Velcro puppies’.

The funny thing is, while they are hanging off me at every second possible, I’m finding myself feeling the same way. When they line up at Quiet Time to give me a hug, I’m squeezing them back with just a little more gusto. Grown men can be tenacious too.

There’s another powerful quote about teaching from Carol Buchner – ‘They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.” I think it’s the same for teachers. As I look back on the year, it’s not the benchmarks, data, and test results I’ll remember (for the record, they were good), it’s the affection. The love. The way they made me feel.

Graduation Reflections.

Yesterday was our kindergarten graduation. Always a bittersweet day, here some highlights.

• There's nothing much cuter than new dresses and new dress shirts on kindergartners.

• Practicing our songs in the morning, a certain kindergarten teacher had a mini panic attack when the entire class forgot the second verse of 'Rags' - a song we've sung all year long.

• When you realize that every other class is having some sort of celebration around the same time as yours, don't worry about parking... Just email all parents and ask them to take said parking chaos into consideration.

• Realize when your female teaching partner comes back from changing into a dress, a little boy saying, "You look like a cow!" is probably not a good thing... For the record, her dress was black and white - prompting the comment.

• When you emerge from the bathroom wearing a dress shirt and khaki pants and every child swarms to tell you how 'handsome' you are, it's most likely a sign that all the t-shirts and shorts you've been wearing the past few weeks have washed away the fact that you wore the same dress shirt and khaki pants all year long until it hit eighty degrees.

• When, not one, but two little boys have a clothes crisis (scissors and chocolate milk), be sure to start the phone calls to their mothers with 'He isn't hurt' - Both moms arrived with new shirts and for the record, kindergarten moms ROCK. Also of note - no wardrobe malfunctions for the girls.

• When you walk the class down to the cafe-gym-atorium a full half hour before the ceremony begins to set up, do not be surprised to see almost all of the parents there ready and waiting for you... after all, you warned them about the parking.

• When planning your outfit for the celebration, don't forget that while your classroom is air conditioned and cool, the cafe-gym-atorium is not. You will be sweating. You will be shiny. Get over it.

• Don't forget the extension cord for the boom box in the classroom. If you do, when you realize you've forgotten it moments before you need to hip play, you'll have to run back to your classroom on the other side of the school making yourself even sweatier.

• When kneeling down for pictures with every child after the celebration, try not to worry about the pain in your knees on the hard tile floor. Remember why you're here and the smiles will be natural.

• Don't imagine you're the President or Lady Gaga when the flashes from the cameras temporarily blind you.

• When the dust begins to settle and your realize one little boy had nobody show up, do not let his tears make you cry too. Take his hand, walk him back to class and offer him a chocolate pudding from your secret stash. Since naturally he's on the last bus, sit next to him, put your arm around his shoulders and read books with him until his bus is called to distract him from being sad.

• When his bus is finally called and he leaves, remember this is why you teach. You teach for the one kid who is alone after everyone else has left with parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. You teach so you can give him a pudding, read with him, and make him feel better.

Monday is our last day. It's never easy and when I finally say my last goodbyes and get in my car to go home, I fully expect to shed a tear or two.

Cheese.

Two days of school left. What's a guy to do? Well we had a picnic lunch together... I did resort to a movie too. Oh, and extra recess is a must! As luck would have it, Mother Nature had other plans...

Just as I'm about to line the class up to head out for recess I hear a 'BOOM!' and the thunder begins... followed by downpours. Hmmm. This throws a wrench in the plans for sure.

"Boys and girls, let's make a circle in the carpet area please," I said.

With that I cued up The Farmer In The Dell. I don't know what it is about that song... I swear we could play it all day long and never tire of it. We play enough times to make sure everyone gets at least one turn. For some reason, I get quite tickled when we stop moving, stand still, and all clap as we sing 'The cheese stands alone' over and over. Something about a sprout being the cheese and said cheese standing alone just does it to me.

We played until bus time and to be perfectly honest I think we had more fun than if we'd gone out for extra recess. Who doesn't love to clap and sing about solitary cheese?

Double dog dare.

I've written about it before. My dear friend, Mrs. F. teaches third grade. I see those big, almost gangly, third graders limbering down the hallway and I know there is a universe between them and my tiny sprouts. Sometimes I forget how challenging the academics can be as the children grow.

Yesterday in the teacher's room, I ran into Mrs. F. at the copy machine. We began chatting about this and that (her son just turned one and is quite simply one of the most adorable little boys in the world...) and I couldn't help but notice what she was copying.

"What is that?" I asked with a tinge of fear.

"It's their homework for tonight," she replied.

I picked the paper up and studied it. I was intrigued by her 'double dog dare' - I loved that. As for the actual math problem, I kid you not, it might has well have been in Chinese. Here it is:

"Um, I see the multiplication sign, but that's about all I see..." I mumbled.

She then proceeded to try and explain to me how this problem would be worked out. Mrs. F. is a patient person. She's an amazingly gifted teacher. She achieves amazing results with her students. She was totally lost on me.

I was polite because she's my friend. I nodded and said 'yes' and 'ah, I see' from time to time, but really I felt like Homer Simpson with 'Turkey in the Straw' going on in an endless loop in my head as she spoke.

Today she emailed me to let me know nineteen out of her twenty-one students got it correct. This did not make me feel any smarter. I adore kindergarten and never want to leave it... bumping into Mrs. F. making copies only reiterates this for me.

Teechr.

Yesterday at bus time, Darlene handed me the following note:

I love it for many reasons. First, she has clearly mastered the 'ch' blend - something we've been working on diligently for months. Yay! Second, she loves her teacher, something I never tire of being told. Finally, she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. There's no better compliment than that. She got a big hug for this one.

Pout.

This afternoon, I read a new book… well new to me. The Pout-Pout Fish is the story of a little fish who just simply can’t see past his pouty ways. His ocean friends try to help him turn his mood around – to no avail. Finally, a stranger comes along and gives him a kiss… he flips upside down, and realizes he really isn’t a Pout-Pout fish after all.

Well, I just loved this book. First of all, it’s written in a wonderful silly rhyming pattern that is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. Secondly, there is not one, but two messages to discuss after reading. First, we talked about how simple it is to make a decision to change who you are… you can decide, at any moment, to be or act differently. I then asked if anyone knew what the second message was… after some silence and blank stares I gave a clue.

“Sometimes, I come to school and I’m not very happy… I might be upset or sad about something going on at home, or even with other adults at school.” I began.

“Then, one of you walks in, and does something that changes my mood…” I hinted.

A few smiles and hands arrived. I called on Audra.

“We hug you!” She exclaimed.

“Yes! Your hugs put a smile on my face and put me in a good mood,” I agreed.

Sometimes a kind gesture, like a smile or hug, can really turn your mood around. Which is a good thing since nobody loves a Pout-Pout fish.

Some spider.

Oh Charlotte. Each year, you cast a spell on my class... and me. We just finished our study of insects and spiders (they're different!) and celebrated by watching Charlotte's Web... the classic animated version - not the live action remake from a few years ago. I was about to begin writing about E.B. White's masterpiece, but I remembered my post from last year. After rereading it, it really captures the magic of the story... so, here it is again. Until next year Charlotte, rest well dear friend.

Well, we finally finished Charlotte’s Web. I’ve got to say, every time I read that book, I find something new to admire. They don’t call it a classic for nothing.

Anyway, yesterday I read the chapter where Charlotte dies. We’d talked quite a bit about what they thought might be coming and I knew most of them knew it was imminent. When I came to the last paragraph, the one where she actually dies I scanned the room. My sprouts were engrossed. I looked down and finished the chapter.

One of the most heart wrenching lines of the book (or any book for that matter) closes the chapter.

‘Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was with her when she died.’

As I finished the line, I looked up. There were some visibly sad children staring back at me… a few with tears. Momentarily, I questioned my book selection. Had Charlotte’s death been too much for my sprouts?

No. In kindergarten, the majority of books we read are finished in one sitting. The reading experience is short, usually around ten minutes or so. The other chapter books we’ve read this year were on the short side too. This book was a journey. It took weeks to complete. Each day, we took twenty minutes out of our hectic day to sit and experience the world E.B. White created together. It was magical.

After I read from a chapter book, we usually get up and sing a song or do some movement activity… sitting for twenty minutes is a feat for five-year-olds! As we got up yesterday, I noticed Andy and Sage walked over to me… they were clearly affected by the sadness we’d just shared.

“Are you boys alright?” I whispered to them.

Andy nodded, but his face was giving him away. He wasn’t.

Sage chimed in with, “Anyway, we can sing and dance and we won’t be so sad about Charlotte, come on Andy.” He grabbed his buddy’s hand and walked him over to the circle.

Charlotte, you truly are some spider.

Portal.

Ah the internet (or World Wide Web as the local newsman calls it...). I'm never surprised at the amazing networking opportunities it provides. I get tweets and emails weekly from teachers, students, and parents. Usually they are kind comments and questions. Occasionally, I'm asked to read and review a book (who doesn't love a free book?) - a few weeks ago I got a most unusual email.

Rachael Stefanussen, an Industrial Design student, emailed and asked if I would take a few minutes to look over her senior capstone project. Being the busy person I am (yes, the kids leave at three, but we all know how that goes), I agreed, but it took me a few weeks to give it the attention it deserved. When I finally sat down to view her project, I was blown away.

Rachael's video was entertaining, professional, and, most importantly, thought provoking. She has envisioned a Portal that would connect teachers across communities to collaborate on classroom management, lesson planning, and all aspects of teacher mentoring. After viewing the video twice, I emailed Rachael with my thoughts and ideas. What about crossing all boundaries and making this international? What about integrating Facebook and twitter and using the already built networks many teachers have created?

Part of what excited me about Rachael's video is the simple idea that someone is thinking outside the box and trying to push the teaching experience even further into the future. I love progressive pondering and Rachael has really impressed me with her ideas.

Rachael was very gracious and we had a nice email dialogue back and forth. I asked her if she minded me sharing her wonderful proposal with others... she agreed on one condition - she'd love feedback from others too. So here it is. Please take a few minutes to watch and leave a comment for Rachael.