Week Four 10-16-2005
This Job is Really Hard.
Having been married to a school teacher for many years, I always sort of knew that being a public school teacher is a very difficult job. It is a time consuming, emotionally draining, administratively challenging, weekly grind. And yet, much like parenthood, it brings rewards unavailable in any other situation. Getting to breathe in the genuine sparks of discovery from these little people who seem to really like being here has been fun. Admittedly, these sparks only fly occasionally, but I would never get to see them if stuck in a cubicle somewhere.
Pumpkin Lessons.
Mrs. Koenig has a little handbook from the Everyday Math program with a year’s worth of math related activities mapped out. On Thursday I asked if I could address the class as the teacher and teach a lesson. Judy has been great about all of my requests, giving me opportunities whenever I want to do things with her class. I really appreciate her faith and willingness to do so. She had planned an activity from the Everyday Math handbook where the children would transform into a jack-o-lantern a using shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth. I asked the class to identify some of the shapes on the completed jack-o-lantern models that Mrs. Koenig had designed and glued up. These students know their shapes, one even explaining the difference between a circle an oval without prompting. In reflecting on what I did, I could have demonstrated some more techniques in making shapes for the children to cut and use and spent more time on that part of the lesson (if only because I spent the next 15 minutes doing it over and over with individual students).
Invented Spelling.
One of the regular language arts activities that Mrs. Koenig uses is to write labels and descriptions and on a flip chart under a rudimentary drawing of a familiar or easy to decipher scene. She uses invented spelling when writing, in an effort to model for the children that the sounds they hear have corresponding symbols that can be written down. This is an approach championed by Columbia University’s Lucy Calkins and I was initially confused by it. I have always thought that modeling correct spelling, always, would lead to correct spelling, always. Making a point of correcting beginning writers at every turn can’t possibly work…and I asked Mrs. Koenig about using invented spelling. She told me that the children want to do it perfectly and will spend frustrating effort to do so and will focus on getting it ‘right’ rather than listening and trying things. I think this identifies one of the most important aspects of what we do as teachers. These children have to know that the trying is the most important part and we have to make an atmosphere that encourages the freedom to do that for all the students.
Book Sale.
Scholastic sponsored sales is a big source of funding for PTA’s all over the country and Jackson Ave. is no exception. One of their book sales was this week and I think it’s a win-win for everybody. The kids get books to take home, Scholastic gets some revenue and PTA’s get a percentage.