Back To School Essentials

Today is August 1st.  School starts in one month (for the children)!  I officially head back to work on August 27th, but I have already spent a week working in my room (here) and countless hours on Pinterest and reading teacher books.  What can I say?  I love my job.  Sure, summer is for relaxing and holidays and all that, but it's also about getting excited for next year!  : )

I know schools in many areas start earlier than us, so my Pinterest is flooded with "back-to-school" ideas and blog posts.  Inevitably I read them (all) and start to get excited and a little antsy to go back.  I have some "Must Haves" not just for back to school, but for the whole year.  These are things that I absolutely always have in my classroom.

School Supplies

Obviously, we teachers need a good stock of basic supplies on hand for our day-to-day work.  I am fortunate to be given an order form and a spending limit and am basically able to order whatever I need.  This is in addition to our student supplies, for which we receive another order form and spending limit.  The supplies will be waiting for me when I return to school in a few weeks.  I order things like pens, white-out, masking tape, Scotch tape refills, whiteboard markers, staples, paper clips, and sticky notes.  I have many essentials that I re-use every year and do not need to be re-ordered, like staplers, scissors, hole punches, etc.

I always supplement my boring, standard supplies with some fun, exciting supplies...like a 24 pack of Sharpies (all different colours!!), Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers (did you see they have some new colours out this year?!?!?!), colourful ballpoint pens (planning is so much more enjoyable when you use a different coloured pen for each subject area...), and of course, a better selection of Whiteboard Markers (black, red, blue, green gets a wee bit tired....fuchsia anyone?).

Cleaning Supplies

We have cleaning supplies provided to us by our custodial staff.  However, I am not convinced that the school board issued cleaner is all that great.  I also don't like the way it smells, and the cloths that we are given just do not get washed enough (yuck).  

Elementary School classrooms are disgusting cesspools of germs and illness waiting to happen.  Right?  I always have a healthy supply of cleaning wipes on hand.  Always.  I prefer the "no name" brand (Superstore) or "life brand" (Shoppers Drug Mart) to Lysol because of the smell, but any brand will do.  I use these mainly to wipe tables, but also to clean other things and germ-collecting spots like door handles, computer keyboard and mouse, and even a good wipe of the communal supplies (pencils, scissors, etc.) to cut down the germ-sharing as much as possible.  Side-note:  I am thinking about running things like scissors and manipulatives through the dishwasher before school starts....thoughts?

"Kitchen" Essentials

No, I do not have a "kitchen" in my classroom (unless you count the one in the house centre...but last time I checked those appliances don't actually work...and the chairs are a bit small...) but I do eat at least 2 meals in my classroom every day.  I struggle with getting out of bed in the morning, so I take my breakfast with me and eat it at work while I prepare for my day.  I also eat lunch in my room most days, though one of my goals is to spend a little more time in the staffroom now that I won't be busy with lunch-time music rehearsals all the time.

When I got married 4 1/2 years ago, my hubby and I found we had duplicates of almost everything, since we had both been on our own for a while prior to meeting and getting hitched.  Most of it we gave away or got rid of, but a few things came to school with me, like the microwave!  It is really nice to have in the classroom to heat up my lunch, to make some oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, or...what I usually use it for....to heat up my coffee that I never seem to be able to drink! I have a single cup drip coffee maker in my room as well (I bought it for about $10 at Superstore a few years back and recently found one at WalMart for $10 that I bought to have at home after our Tassimo bit the dust).  I also have a small collection of dishes at school like a couple plates, a bowl, coffee mugs and utensils.  

Though I pack my food for breakfast and lunch most days, sometimes it just doesn't work out.  Sometimes I can't bring a lunch for whatever reason, so I just plan to run out and grab a quick lunch from somewhere close.  But....what happens when that doesn't work either?  Unexpected meetings, parent phone calls that take longer than planned...then what?  I always keep a few things in a desk drawer for these days.  These also come in handy for those days when you end up staying way too late and just can't face the thought of going home and cooking dinner!  They aren't always the healthiest option (instant noodle cups?) but it's better than going hungry!  Here is a list of items that may be found in my desk drawer at any given time;

     - Tuna Salad snacks (you know, the ones that come with crackers?)

     - The aforementioned instant noodle cups or other instant soup cups

     - Dole fruit cups (I try to find the ones packed in water, not syrup)

     - Granola bars

     - Fruit-to-Go fruit leather bars

     - crackers 

     - a selection of tea bags and coffee grounds, obviously

This year I want to have some roasted chick-peas or something on hand for an extra protein boost that is nut free.  Any ideas?

Kids bring their own snacks to school where I teach.  Kindergarten is a half-day program, so they do not bring a full lunch.  At least a couple times a week, there is a child who doesn't have a snack, for whatever reason (sometimes it just didn't make it to the backpack, sometimes you know it's because the family can't afford one).  I always have snacks available for those students who may need something, but I have learned not to make the snacks too exciting.  I have had trouble with kids lying about not having a snack so that they could get one from me, or even hiding what they had from home, etc.  I will keep granola bars (nut free), soda crackers (boring!), and plain apple sauce on hand.  I usually only offer the apple sauce to kids who can't have the granola bars or crackers (I had two kids this past year with severe gluten allergies).  This past year I also went through a lot of plastic spoons because kids would bring yogurt, pudding, apple sauce, etc and hardly ever bring their own spoon!  It got a wee bit annoying.  I may include something about sending utensils in my Intro Newsletter this year.

Toiletries and Personal Items

I have learned over the years that it never hurts to be prepared.  All these items should be fairly self-explanatory!

     - Advil

     - cough syrup (in locked drawer...for ME, not the kids!)

     - Fisherman's Friend or other throat lozenges

     - nail clippers and nail file (it sure sucks to go through a whole day with a jagged, torn-off nail catching on everything!)

     - hand sanitizer (we also have bottles of sanitizer for the students provided to us)

     - hand lotion (especially in winter around here...my hands start to look like I have dragon scales...)

     - feminine hygiene products (unless you are a man...)

     - dental floss, and a travel toothbrush and paste!

     - a little travel-size case with deodorant, make-up compact (powder), lip balm, hair brush, bobby pins/hair ties, etc.  Because sometimes you just need to freshen up.

Us teachers spend a LOT of time in our classrooms, right?  It may seem silly to have such a long list of "must-have" items, but my room is my second home, and these things can help make the day go a lot smoother!  

What are your must-haves?

Classroom Progress #1

This week the weather hasn't been all that great, and I'm heading on holidays next week so I decided to do something CRAZY and go to my school.

Actually, for me this isn't crazy at all.  Each year that I have worked at this school except for one (last year) I have gone in during the summer.  Some people do call me crazy.

I enjoy a nice quiet day in my room, without the pressure of start-up being only a couple days away.  I think I am more creative with my space when I am relaxed.

Relaxed = Summer.

And...as much as I love my colleagues, I enjoy the focused time alone, without the distraction of sitting and chatting and then feeling guilty and stressed about it when I finally get back to work!

At the end of the year we just finished, I said goodbye to half of my position (teaching music) and hello to full time Kindergarten!  I also moved classrooms.  This basically involved shoving everything anywhere as quickly as possible.  Organization?  What's that??  

Classroom moving motto = Get 'er done.

This is what things looked like when the Custodian first opened my door for me...

Not so bad!  When I left, most of my furniture was stacked in the hallway and crammed on the carpet so that the floors could be waxed.  Our Custodians are awesome at starting the set-up process if you draw them a little map on the whiteboard, which I did!  Yay!  

So that cut out a big chunk of work for me and I was able to get started on sorting through some things right away.

Classroom library books, waiting to be sorted;

Math supplies and manipulatives; BEFORE

Math supplies and manipulatives; AFTER

I just need to add the cute little labels I made!

In my old room, the recessed coat hook area was blocked off and used for storage.

I was in a room that was exactly the same size, but I used it for two programs; K and Music.

I had a rolling coat hook rack in the hallway so that I could maximize storage in the room.

Now that I am only doing one thing, I don't really need a giant storage cave anymore and I can use the coat hooks in my room!

However, my shelves and curtains used to hide a multitude of sins.

Not earth shattering, but oh dear, are those boxes ugly!

Ah, much better!

Loving these inexpensive Sterilite containers with dry-erase marker friendly labels!

Somewhere along the way I inherited this ugly little brown shelf.  It used to hide in the storage cave with a class set of glockenspiels stashed inside.

In my new world, it is front and centre in my teaching space as it is exactly the right size to extend my counter area and gives me some extra storage.  The bottom shelf is accessible to students on the other side and is filled with supplies for an art/crafts centre.  

The top shelf is for teacher and carpet-time stuff.

The yellow box contains my number line cards, sorting mats, 10 Frame cards and DIY rekenrek cards.  The green basket has some dice (traditional, colours, letters, shapes), some sparkly wand pointers, my crocodile game, my rhyming basket, and a cute little hedgehog holding a strawberry....for....um....because it's cute.

The edges of this shelf are pretty rough and ugly....

So.....Washi tape!

 Have you seen the paint stick book dividers on Pinterest?

I went to my local Rona store and sweet-talked the awkward man at the paint counter into giving me some FREE paint sticks.  He didn't seem very happy about it.  But he let me have them anyway!

                                      

Using the FREE stuff that a parent gave me (here) I made some cute themed dividers.

Most of the pins I have seen for this project are alphabetical - for book titles, or authors, 

or even reading levels.

These dividers are for my own personal books that I keep at school to use for lessons and 

read-alouds.  I have them organized by theme and/or subject area.

Here are my finished dividers (plus a cat head);

And another angle (with another cat head!);

And here they are in action (no cat heads....);

Something I was working on today was cleaning out my big map drawer unit.  It has very large, but shallow drawers and is perfect for storing items like um....maps (hence the name...), posters, chart paper, etc.  I have not sorted through it in a few years and managed to find plenty of stuff to recycle and get rid of.

I came across many things that I made or purchased early in my career and have since replaced.

I was fortunate to be hired at the end of June way back in the day, giving me the whole summer to start planning and preparing things for my very first classroom.  It was terribly exciting!

I had no extra money at all (I worked at the Gap that summer!) and couldn't afford all the fun and cute teacher stuff that I can afford now.  Its kinda funny....I didn't have the money when I really needed the stuff.  Now I don't really need any stuff but have the money.

Anyway, I am pretty crafty and artistic, so I made most of my posters, charts and classroom decorations in those early years.  In my sorting today I came across these oldies;

They are pretty old and sad looking now. 

The laminating is all bubbled and peeling off (the machine wasn't working properly when these were done).  I just couldn't bring myself to throw them out.  Maybe I can salvage them?

(yeah right)

I will not be going back to my room until the end of August.

That's what I told the Custodian, anyway!  We'll see if I can actually wait that long.

Though my room is still quite a mess I did get a crazy amount of stuff done this week.

Now I won't stress and obsess over my room all summer, drawing tiny floor plan ideas in a notebook and scribbling down all kinds of crazy little plans.

Well...to be perfectly honest I will still scribble down all kinds of crazy plans in a notebook.

I just don't need to do the floorplan ideas because it's all set up.

Ha.

Summer projects!!

On the second last day of school, this AWESOME parent stopped by my room and said she had something for me, and could she just grab it quickly from her car...

I know this parent pretty well, after having taught both of her lovely daughters.  This Mom and I have lots in common, especially a love of all things crafty!  

She came in with this GIANT box, as well as a zippered case and a bag BURSTING with crafty things that she was getting rid of!!!

JACKPOT!!!

I brought it home to sort through and organize over the summer.  After moving classrooms, I have enough sorting and organizing in my room waiting for me.  But of course I couldn't wait...nope, I busted into this baby on the FIRST day of my summer break.  You should have seen the mess I made!  Stuff everywhere!

Anyway, what a goldmine of stuff.  

Stickers, stamps, fancy-edged scissors, and beautiful paper.  

Just looking through it all inspired me.

For the last 9 years, I have had two jobs - teaching Kindergarten half-time and teaching Music half-time.  As you can imagine, I have had to split my time, my energy, my focus, my resources, and yes, even my creativity between these two positions.  

Now, as I am one summer away from only doing one job (full time Kindergarten!), I find myself thinking of all the possibilities...

How will I organize and set up my classroom???

What will my classroom theme be?

What are some things I have wanted to try but have not had the time, energy, or resources for?

Etc....

One thing I have wanted to freshen up for a few years now are the letter signs for my Word Wall.  

For 9 years I have been using hand-me-down signs that were passed on to me with the classroom when I first started at this school.  The signs had been part of one large letter banner that was cut apart...somewhat crookedly, I might add.

They have served their purpose, and there is nothing *wrong* with them.

But, I really like the pennant look and for the last couple summers thought about making my own set of pennant-style letter signs for my word wall.  It just never happened.

This box of crafty goodies contained literally the perfect amount of paper in literally the perfect colours for me to make my signs.  I was feeling pretty tired and wanted a lazy day anyway, so I turned on some netflix, got my paper cutter and lap desk, and got started.

I used the fancy-edged scissors on some of the accent pieces, and stuck everything together using the glue tape dispensers that were also in the box!

If I find the right size of letter stickers I will use those for the actual letters.  Otherwise, I will just write them by hand with a nice fat black marker. 

After laying some out on the floor to show a sampling of the colour selection, my darling cat Gretchen Lightning decided she would like to play with one.

She was having so much fun getting in my way that she called her darling sister, 

Molly Marshmallow over to join the fun.

I will be sure to take some photos when they are completed and hanging in my classroom!

SUMMER!!!

You know what those are???

Hmm?

Do ya?

Those, my friends are strawberries.

Delicious, sweet, juicy strawberries.

Anyone know where I got them from?

No?  Nobody?

Ok, I'll tell you.

From my garden!!!

It's summer time, baby!!!

And now it is OFFICIALLY summer...nope, not because we have passed the summer solstice and all that mumbo-jumbo.

It's summer because SCHOOL is OUT for kids

AND FOR TEACHERS!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!

: )

(If you are not a teacher and do not have the summer off, I apologize for rubbing this in your face.)

A Thoughtful Gift

I had the BEST kids this year.

Seriously.

The best.

You know what (sometimes) goes with the BEST kids???

The BEST parents.

Yessiree....I was blessed with some of those this year, too.

I had some really awesome, supportive parents.  Not many of them could come in and volunteer, but many were willing to help from home if I sent little projects home.  Even more than that, I just knew that these parents were supportive of me and what I was doing in the classroom.  They were always kind and friendly to me.  What a gift.

Teacher gifts are an interesting thing.

First of all, they are unnecessary.  We don't need to be given gifts at the end of the school year.  

Where I teach, I usually receive a handful of gifts from kids and their families, at Christmas time, and then sometimes at the end of the year.  Whenever I do receive gifts, I am extremely grateful and appreciative.  Truly, I am.

This year some very thoughtful parents and kids gave me some very thoughtful gifts.

This photo is of a beautiful shadow box that one parent made for me.

I can't wait to have that on my desk as a daily encouragement!

(An awesome teacher is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget.)

A thoughtful gift, though not necessary, is a powerful thing.

Teaching can actually be a lonely profession at times.  

Often teachers are criticized and judged.  Many see teachers as a bunch of lazy whiners.

"Must be nice to get the whole summer off..."

"Must be nice to be off work at 3:00 every day..."

"All you do is play with kids all day??  Must be nice..."

I'll save my snarky responses for another blog.

When a family gives a teacher a meaningful gift, it encourages us.  It motivates us.  It inspires us.

It does not matter what the gift is.

It does not matter how much the gift cost.

Sometimes you get a gem like this Mom who spent her time making a beautiful and thoughtful keepsake for me.

I am blessed.

If you teach somewhere and you are not so blessed...

perhaps you did not hear any kind and heartfelt words of gratitude this year...

Let me tell you...

You are amazing.

You are appreciated.

You make a difference.

The kindest words...

Today was the fourth-last day of school.

For me, it was my fourth-last day as our school's Music Teacher.  As I explained in
this post I am going to be teaching Kindergarten full time next year, instead of half-time K and half-time Music.

As eager as I am for this year to be done, and as ready as I am for the summer and for the changes that are coming, part of me wishes I could just suspend time...just a little.  Just to soak up a few more moments.  Like today, at the year-end assembly, dressing up in Justin Bieber shirts, sideways hats, and busting out "Baby" with some kids, including students beat boxing and rapping (very well might I add!) just because we can.  Or spending almost an entire afternoon watching children face their stage fright, get up in front of their peers in class and share something, like a song on the piano or singing a solo.  Magical.

As one class arrived this afternoon, student after student after student came and handed me cards that they had made.  I almost lost it right there.  I didn't read the cards right then (for lack of time and the inevitable crying...) and then after a tough phone call about a kid, a parent meeting, and some more packing and cleaning for the big classroom move, I forgot about the cards.  Luckily I tucked them in my bag and they came flying out when I pulled out my laptop at home.

And boy, did I cry.

And question my decision.

And cry some more.

It is just too sweet not to share some highlights.

"You are the BEST music teacher ever.  You are fun, intelligent, smart.  Thank you.  I would not learn music if I did not know you."

"You have been a great music teacher over the years.  I miss you as a teacher.  You have an amazing voice and I think you can play every instrument in the world."
(aw...not even close, but so sweet!)

"I will miss you as my music teacher, I have never met someone quite the same as you."

"I'm going to miss you because you're my first music teacher I know and you taught us everything you know.  Thank you for that."
(aw...hopefully not everything...)

"You were the best music teacher a kid could imagine.  You were strict for the good of things.  I'm just so sad I don't wanna taco bout it."
(yes....she drew a little picture of a taco.  Amazing.)

This one made me laugh the hardest;
"The year was awesome.  You made it a year to remember by putting on the Spring Production just using your powers.  It was spectacular.  You are amazing.  I wish we could make this year a bit longer."
(oh yes....my POWERS!!!!!  And yeah...I kinda wish we could make the year longer, too.
Sniff, sniff...)

And the one that just hit me like a ton of bricks;
"I loved the Spring Production that you made this year, it was fun.  Music will always be in your heart.  You will still play instruments but at home not at school.  You will always be a music teacher inside your heart."
(Ouch.  But the best kind of ouch.)

I'm sorry...I can't see the screen anymore...excuse me while I get a tissue.
Maybe the whole box.

when you love what you do...

Yesterday I enjoyed a lovely lunch with some fabulous colleagues and friends.  It is VERY close to the end of our school year.  So close....I can almost taste it!

The end of the year is probably one of the most exhausting times for teachers.  In elementary school, we go right to the bitter end...no exams or alternate schedules.  We are busily trying to make sure we have covered our curriculum, completed projects, and accurately assessed each student in each area.  Then we have to tackle writing the dreaded report cards.  Our board adopted a new reporting system this year, which we are all still getting used to.  One we have written our report cards, submitted them for review by our admin, and made any necessary corrections, we still have to print, file, stuff envelopes, and send them home (but not until the last day of school).

Then we still have our student work to compile and send home.  In Kindergarten, I put together a large memory book / scrap book with work from throughout the year, along with photos and special mementos.  Thank God for an amazing volunteer this year who really helped with those.  Hours and hours of time, and a surreal amount of gluesticks later, they will be ready to send home.

We also have a number of special events in the last week of school.  There are assemblies, presentations, parties, and our annual Sports Day, when teachers each run an activity station outside while the students travel around and have fun on the last day.  For myself, I am editing a video of a school-wide music project to share at the final assembly, practicing with 2 different groups of students who are performing at one of the assemblies, planning the Kindergarten Year-End celebration (an assembly for parents to attend at which the students share poems and songs, etc), making a slideshow for Kindergarten, and preparing some special gifts to send home with my kids, parent volunteers, and Educational Assistant.

Whew.  I'm tired just thinking of it all.  And on top of that....many of us are moving classrooms this year.  That involves a crazy amount of cleaning, purging, organizing, and obviously moving.  My colleagues' plates are equally full.

Believe it or not, I do not say any of this to complain.  Our school is no different than any other school....we are not any busier, nor are we working any harder than teachers anywhere else.  This is just the life of a teacher at the end of the year...am I right?  (Yes.  Yes I am.)

I say all of this because I was very struck by part of the conversation with my friends and colleagues yesterday at lunch.

There we sat...tired, stressed out, and just totally done.  We were so happy to have the chance to sit and enjoy a nice lunch together.  We were all finished our report cards, and though we all had a thousand other things on our to-do lists, we all chose to spend some time relaxing and enjoying each other's company.  I love these ladies, I really do.  I'm not sure I would have made it through the last 9 years without incredible friends like these.  Truly.

But the part of the conversation that leaves me inspired...well, it didn't even hit me until afterwards.  Until this morning, actually.

I slept in a little today, because I could.  I have lots to do today, but I know somehow it will get done.  So I made a GIANT cup of coffee and some breakfast.  I sat on my couch (which I vacuumed yesterday...yay me!), grabbed my laptop and started checking pinterest!  As I was happily reading and pinning away, I had to grab my "Next Year" notebook to write down a couple more ideas.

Anyway, I realized how crazy it was that I have a half-filled notebook about next year, when I still have a week left of this year.  Next year, people.  I have a mountain of stuff to do, I have the whole summer ahead of me, and I have HALF A NOTEBOOK filled up with ideas for NEXT FREAKING YEAR.  Am I nuts????

Then I thought about lunch yesterday.  Inevitably, the conversation turned to the upcoming school year.

One by one, each of us expressed how excited we were about next year.  Excited.  

A few of us have big changes in our positions coming.  We have had conversations and meetings about students who will be coming into our classes next year (some of whom are incredibly complex and challenging students). In the midst of our stress, our tiredness, and our overwhelming list of things to do in the next week...we are all just so excited.

It's easy to feel excited in the middle of the summer, when you are relaxing in the sun on a patio with a drink in your hand.  It's easy to feel excited once you have had time to relax and recharge after the insanity of a school year.

But there we sat...right in the thick of the year-end madness.  Exhausted and barely hanging on.  And one by one our eyes lit up as we thought about the year ahead even though we aren't quite done this one.

It just makes me love what I do even more.  It makes me respect my colleagues so much more.  This is one of the many reasons I feel so incredibly blessed to be where I am, at an amazing school, working with such amazing people.

Now....it's time for me to tackle that to-do list.  : )

Sugar....thoughts about healthy messages in the classroom

First of all, I want you to know that I am a sugar addict.

I don't want to be.  I have done enough reading and research to know that sugar is as addictive as cocaine.  COCAINE, people.  I know a bit about what it does to the body and the mind, even contributing to things like anxiety and depression.

I also know that it tastes good.  Like, really good.

A couple years ago my husband and I went on a lovely west coast holiday and had a grand time.  We spent a boatload of money, staying in nice hotels and eating in restaurants, which we don't do too much of in our regular life.  We ate so much "junk" food (deep fried fish and chips, burgers, cheesecake, crepes loaded with chocolate and whipped cream...mmmmm....) that on the drive home, I plotted out my plan to improve our diets.  As a teacher with some extra time during the summer, it was easy.  I kept the kitchen stocked with fresh produce, I cooked nice healthy meals, and I had plenty of time to work out.  It was awesome.  I lost about 12 pounds that summer and I felt AMAZING.  Seriously....I slept better, I had a ton of energy, and my tastes changed.  I didn't intentionally cut out sugar necessarily, but it happened as I sought out whole, natural foods.  Suddenly foods tasted better to me...real foods.  Cucumbers are the most delicious little thing, maybe EVER (sorry Mom...I know you are gagging as you read that...).  Grapes taste like candy.  Corn tastes like candy!  When I did try the sugary treats and snacks, they just tasted gross.  I didn't even want them.

Unfortunately, going back to school in the fall was the first obstacle in maintaining this lifestyle.  Paired with a few other bumps in the road in my personal life, before I knew it I was right back to my old way of doing things.  Eating whatever (and then feeling guilty), feeling sluggish and lethargic a lot of the time, dreading workouts (even though I enjoy them once I get started) and so on.

This year I have continued on this road, while telling myself "I will start making good choices after ________".  Fill in the blank with whatever event, season, or big work thing (like writing report cards).  I know I need to make better choices.  I want to make better choices.  I know that once I get started, it will get so. much. easier.

Now, my thinking (as usual) moves over to my classroom, specifically when my little Kindergarten darlings are there and it is snack time.  In my class, kids bring their own snacks from home.  We are a half-day program, so they do not stay for lunch.  I have absolutely no control over what the children bring for their snacks.  And my goodness....you should see some of the things that turn up.  Bags of chips or cheesies.  Packaged cookies.  Crackers with processed cheese spread.  Pudding and Jello cups.  Granola bars covered in chocolate.  Cans of COKE.....for a KINDERGARTEN CHILD....to drink!.....AT SCHOOL!!!!!  
That is the not so great side.  There are plenty of families sending in awesome snacks like apples, bananas, carrot sticks, berries, etc.

Each fall I do a unit on nutrition in Kindergarten.  Typically I will teach them about the food groups and how and why different foods are good for our bodies.  I don't teach them that cupcakes and doritos are "bad" foods, because I don't think it is beneficial to create a shame mentality.  This is what I struggle with as an adult.  I teach that they are "sometimes" foods.  We try to eat good, healthy foods most of the time.  Sometimes, we will have a treat and that is ok.  And I really do believe that.

I begin my unit the day after Halloween (ha!) and the whole month of November is "Healthy Snack Challenge" month.  I don't want the kids showing up with lunch bags full of Halloween candy day after day.  Instead I get them excited about bringing in healthy snacks.  If a certain number of people in our class (it can never be all or nothing....that's not fair, and it'll never happen) bring a healthy snack, they earn a sticker on the Healthy Snack Challenge chart.  If they earn a certain number of stickers during the month (usually slightly less than the total number of school days...to give them a fighting chance), we end the month with a Fruit Salad party!  Everyone brings a piece of fruit and we make fruit salad together!

Now, the parents are obviously the ones who need to buy into this.  They are the ones doing the shopping, after all!  It has been fairly successful.  It always breaks my heart when kids want to eat healthy snacks but they just get the same packaged, sugary stuff day after day.  "This is healthy right Mrs. Teacher?!" with their bright little eyes so full of hope.  How do you tell them that yes, some granola bars may be healthy-ish, but this one is loaded with chocolate chips and marshmallows and it is dipped in chocolate, so no....this is NOT healthy!!!  I know that it is about convenience sometimes, and it is way easier to grab something packaged out of a box and throw it in little Billy's lunch bag than it is to cut up veggies.  Seriously.  I don't even have children of my own and I know this, because there are times that I just can't be bothered to do it for myself.

I should also mention that I have absolutely no idea what these children eat when they are at home.  Maybe they eat super healthy meals and they just get something a little less healthy when they come to school.  Maybe their parents order pizza every night.  No clue.  But I can't judge an entire families dietary habits on what their child brings for their snack.  And I am not trying to do that, just for the record.

When we have class parties and celebrations, parents will volunteer to send in special snacks for the students to share. And what kind of snacks do 5 year olds want for a party?

CUPCAKES!!!  COOKIES!!!  TIMBITS!!!  CANDY!!!  SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!

These last couple of years I have been more specific with what I want parents to send in.  I used to just open it up and anyone could send in anything.  Inevitably we would end with a table full of various sugar-laden treats.  The kids' eyes would light up, they would load their plates and stuff their faces, and 9 times out of 10, a bunch of them would end up feeling sick, throwing half of it in the garbage, and sometimes even wanting to lay down instead of having time to play at centres or whatever fun activity we were doing after!

Now, I will be specific with a list of possible treats and the idea is that once an item is spoken for, it is gone and there is no more room on our snack table for that item.  My snack sign-up usually looks like this;
     - fruit tray, or a bag of small whole fruit pieces (such as small mandarins)
     - veggies
     - crackers, pieces of cheese
     - a sweet treat (cupcakes, cookies, etc.)
I don't want to reinforce what many of these kids already think....a party is only a party if you stuff your face with sugar.  Maybe I can't change what they bring in for their snacks, and I certainly can't control what they eat when they are at home.  But, I can control what comes in for celebrations, and take care to send a healthy, balanced message.  Look kids, we're eating veggies and having fun at the same time!  Wow!

Well, that's the theory anyway.  Unfortunately, this year, parents will just send stuff in anyway, even though I ask them not to.  On our class party days I will have my 4 parents who have volunteered to send in the items from the list above.  Then as the kids come in, they will grab bags of cookies and candy that they brought for the party, even though I had communicated to parents that we already had enough treats!  No need to send anything!  I mean, how much food do 5 year olds need to eat when they are at school for half a day?  Seriously!

Personally, I am trying to make better choices.  It's one day, once choice at a time.  Last night I really wanted to eat potato chips (that my husband bought....why???  why do you tempt me so???) but fought off that urge and ate an apple and a few nuts instead.  Yay me!  The other night I went for a 10 minute walk instead of sitting on my butt all night...just most of the night!  But my thinking is that making good choices becomes a habit.  The more good choices I make, the more good choices I will want to make!  I speak from experience.

It isn't about judgement.  It isn't about shame or guilt.  It's just about the messages that I send and reinforce in my classroom.

What about the MUSIC???

Since announcing my new(ish) position for next year (full-time Kindergarten, after 9 years of half-K and half-music) I have heard some very interesting comments from people, and have been asked some interesting questions.

I think the best (worst) one was when an adult who shall remain nameless *actually* said to me,

"Well, that's a waste of talent."

Yes.  How silly of me.  Being a Kindergarten teacher is completely useless.  And obviously, an elementary school music classroom is the only place one could possibly use their musical talents.
(Yes, I am aware this person meant well.  But seriously.)

Similarly,

"But, I thought music was your passion??"

At least that one was from a child.  It is kind of cute that she thought I was giving up my passion for music because I am not going to be running the music program anymore.

"All this time we have taken you for granted!  Now we don't want you to go."

This was a sweet 10 year old girl.

After telling them, "the exciting news is that you get a *new* music teacher!!", really trying to spin the news to be positive and happy.  This one little guy with the most heartbreaking look of shock on his face says  "that is not exciting news...that is terrible news."

I had a conversation with some colleagues and friends today about change, and how children view change in the context of their school community.  It is very difficult for children to see me as anything other than their music teacher, simply because I have always been their music teacher.  It is difficult for them to picture someone else filling that position, because I have filled it even longer than any of them have been in the school.  Now of course, the children will be fine.  The school will be fine.  Things change all the time in this life!  After the first couple music classes with the new teacher, the way she does things will be the new normal!

What my students don't know about me is that though being a teacher is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, it isn't my only dream.  They don't know how many other things I have set on the back burner because so much of my time, energy and creativity has gone into my job.  When I practice songs, they are for one of two places - school or church.  When I write songs, they are for music class or for one of my crazy spring productions.  Other hobbies and passions have been completely ignored due to a lack of free time.

Now, please don't get me wrong....I am not complaining.  Taking this job, and remaining in this position for as long as I have has been my choice.  I chose it again and again, year after year, because I love it.  Teaching music to children is a gift - and I mean it is a gift that the teacher receives.

In many cases, I have seen a different side of children than what they show in the regular classroom.  Oftentimes, children who struggle socially or academically excel in music.  Many children find freedom in musical expression that they do not feel anywhere else.  Music awakens a side of people that may otherwise remain dormant, and to see that in a child is pure magic.  I wouldn't trade the 9 years I have taught music for anything.  But, as a very wise young lady said in a special speech for me the other day (as she and I both sobbed...), "all good things must come to an end."

It's just time.  That's all.

Though I am aware that I will not exactly be sitting around twiddling my thumbs as a full-time Kindergarten teacher, I also know how many extra hours I have devoted to the planning, organizing, maintaining and juggling of two completely separate programs, not to mention all the extra stuff that a music teacher does like choirs, productions and concerts.  Streamlining into one will be quite something.  I will have more time, no question.

And what will I do with it?

Well, I can't say for sure.  But I do have a few ideas...

Have I mentioned how many children's book ideas I have floating around this head of mine?

I love to paint.

I might be a speaker at an upcoming convention for Early Childhood Educators.  That may be something I would pursue more of in the future, as well as writing about education.

I make jewelry as a hobby (this is one I have kept up during my years of teaching!) and sell it at Christmas time at markets/community sales.

I used to perform as a singer/songwriter just for fun at little coffee shops.  I haven't done a show in over 5 years.  I may need some fresh material...

And speaking of performing, I was talking to some good friends about starting up a band just for the heck of it.  They may have thought I was kidding, especially since "fanny-packs" is actually in the name we came up with....

Then there is this thing I keep hearing about...I don't really understand it, and I still have a lot more research to do.  I think it is called...

...having a life?????

Sounds magical, doesn't it?  I'll keep you posted on what I discover on that...

Children and Unstructured Play

A facebook friend recently posted an article about how some schools are looking at removing recess breaks from their school days and completely rethinking their schedules.  Rather than provide a break (or breaks) mid-morning or mid-afternoon, they were going to provide their "recess" right at the start of the day.  Lunch time was also reduced, making for a shorter day in the classroom.

At first glance, this seems completely nuts.  Why on earth would anyone think it is a good idea to take breaks away from young children?  Comments said things like "this is cruel" and "how can we expect young children to sit in their desks for hours on end" and other similar sentiments.

My first instinct was the same...this couldn't be a good idea.  Could it?

Then I thought about my own classroom.  I teach Kindergarten.  My students do not get recess.  Where I live and teach Kindergarten is usually a half-day program (except in designated high-needs areas, where it is full-day).  Does the fact that my students do not have "recess" mean they are sitting still all morning?  Absolutely not!!!

At this point in the school year (almost finished!) my students are definitely capable of sitting and attending to something for a longer period of time than in the fall.  By "longer" I mean....like 12 minutes instead of 5....*if* I make sure I keep it engaging and interesting.  All morning?  All through a lesson?  Nope.  Not a chance.
Movement breaks are built in to my teaching times.  Sometimes my actual lesson objectives are delivered or enhanced with movement activities.  If the kids seem particularly wiggly I will throw in an extra movement break of some kind even if I didn't plan to.  We stretch, we dance, we stand up and sing action songs, we do jumping jacks....

This is just good teaching practice...you can tell when your young learners are fading...their eyes start to glaze over, their little bodies start wiggling...and you know it is time to get up and move.  The suggestion that kids are sitting for every minute they spend in the classroom seems absurd, at least to me.  I suppose I can only speak for what I do in my own classroom.

So, now that we have established that the children in my room (and in most primary classrooms, I think) do, in fact get opportunities to move, there is another thing I started to think about.
I think about the many times when my students are engaged in a lesson or activity...concentrating, enjoying, learning, communicating...little light bulbs going on all over the room...it is awesome!  It is exciting!  All I want to do is keep it going.  But then I glance at my watch and realize that we are going to be late for gym (or any other non-flexible scheduled activity).  As great as gym or library or any other activity is, it is disheartening to have to stop the learning that is taking place.  Once they have been taken out of that groove, it might not be so easy to just jump back in.  With my Kindergarten schedule I do have a bit more flexibility than some of my colleagues, simply because we do not have recess.  We have "centre time", which is play-based learning time. This is one less interruption for us.  We can have more fluidity, more flow to our time.

My understanding of the reasoning behind removing "recess" is that they wouldn't be removing breaks.  Rather, the teachers would be free to determine the best time for the breaks, to allow more flow and flexibility to keep something going if it is going really well, or cut something shorter if it is not going so great.  This would be beneficial to learning in the classroom in many ways.  It would also have some definite downsides.

The first thing that comes to mind is that this would be difficult on children who rely on routine.  All children like routine to an extent, but for certain learners it is crucial.  A change in routine can throw these children off completely.  This year I have a student who has had full-scale meltdowns (kicking, screaming, crying, rolling around on the floor, etc.) because he didn't bring his communication folder to school.  Part of the morning routine is to bring the folder in and place it in the bin to be checked by the teacher.  The fact that he couldn't start his day the way he did every other day was incredibly distressing to him.  He also had a meltdown at the end of those days when I couldn't hand his folder back to him.  I imagine students like this trying to function in an environment where recess or a break could potentially be at a different time each day.

Another downside would be the increased likelihood that students are only interacting and building relationships with children from their own class, rather than having the opportunity to get to know many different students from other classes and other grades.  Having the opportunity to make friends and build relationships with children from other classes is important to the development of the school community.

Finally, I got to thinking about unstructured play itself.  I began to think back to my own childhood.  When I think of truly "unstructured" play, I do not think of recess at school.  Yes, children are playing, and yes they are usually able to play as they please.  However, it is heavily supervised (as it needs to be) and likely often influenced by adults, either because the adult is stepping in to referee what is happening or because a child is seeking out assistance unnecessarily.

Truly unstructured play occurred in my life when I went outside, often for the majority of the day and roamed the neighbourhood freely.  Sometimes I roamed alone.  Other times I roamed with a pack.  We would play at the playground, roll down the hill, ride our bikes, climb trees... or in the winter we were skating, tobogganing, building forts, and climbing the big snow hills left by ploughs.

And yes.  I scraped my knees more times than I can count.  Other kids were mean to me.  I was mean to other kids.  I got dirty.  I cried.  I argued with the neighbour kids.  I lost toys.  One summer I delighted myself in riding my bike around the boulevard (around the ring...we used to call it) and whispering swear-words.  Once I poked a dead bat with a stick (hey...at least I didn't poke it with my finger!).  I was not a perfect angel.  Somehow I survived and managed to turn myself into a law-abiding, productive member of society.  Imagine that.

Our world has changed.  These days are long gone.  Children do not have this kind of freedom anymore.  Sometimes I think they still should.  Other times I think it is better that they do not.  Regardless of what we believe, things are different.  We live in a world where some children barely see the light of day anymore.   It is daycare - school- daycare - organized sports/clubs/lessons - bed.  Wake up tomorrow and do it all over again.  Or, they spend most of their down time in front of a screen of some kind.

Is it really all up to schools to ensure that children are getting enough unstructured play time?  I don't think it is.  Families need to make sure their children (and adults) have time to breathe and play and imagine.  We may not be able to turn kids loose in the neighbourhood the way it was when I was a kid, growing up in the 80s in Saskatoon.  But my goodness....could we let kids run around with a little freedom, without stepping in and controlling every aspect of their play?  Maybe the shy kid who just let the pushy kid strong-arm their way down the slide prematurely just needs to be frustrated enough to learn to speak up.  But...here comes Mommy or Teacher or Playground Supervisor to rescue him/her....again.  Sometimes we just need to let kids be.  There are definitely moments when someone needs to step in.  Absolutely.  But how many times could the children sort it out on their own if we would just let them?

I don't agree or disagree with the idea of removing recess from schools.  I see the positives and negatives for both sides of the discussion.  I do think that it is worth taking a deeper look.

The Show Must Go On...

I have been teaching at the same school, doing the same thing for 9 years.  I love love love what I do.
Half-time Kindergarten, half-time music.  When I was offered the job, what seems like a hundred years ago, they told me it would be 0.5 Kindergarten, 0.3 Music, and 0.2 ESL support.  I remember that heart-sinking feeling when I heard those words....I wanted a teaching position *SO* bad.  I did not want any of the three positions that were included in what they were offering me.

I had only been working in my school board for about 8 or 9 months.  I had been substitute teaching and had a couple temporary contracts.  During my original interview, I mentioned that I was a musician.  They asked me if I could teach music.  I said that yes, I *could*...but no, I didn't *want* to.  Despite my life-long passion for music, I had no interest in being a music teacher.  I wanted to teach in a primary grade classroom.  Grade 1, 2 or 3.

After I was hired and the subbing calls started coming, I noticed a trend....music...Grade 6...music...Grade 4/5...music...music...high school shop (?!?!)...Grade 3...music...Grade 6...music...music...music...  I kicked myself for telling them I was a musician.  Of course, they put me down as someone who could sub in music.  As in - has the ability to.  I took music subbing jobs because I had bills to pay, not because I really wanted to.

One day I hadn't picked up a job so I was at home, making soap (a hobby that I had for a few years) for an upcoming Christmas sale.  The phone rang and it was a call for an afternoon subbing job.  I needed the money and accepted the job, despite the fact that I really didn't have enough time to get there.  I didn't have a car and had to find my way around the transit system.  I had only been living in the city for a couple months at that point.  I found myself waiting at the train station, looking at my watch, knowing I was going to be late.

Being late for a subbing job was not an option for me.  No way.  If I couldn't make it to a job on time, I wouldn't take it.  It was really important to me to make a good impression.  I didn't know anyone in the system and I wanted to make sure I always put my best foot forward at each job I took.  I was frantic....I called my sister on the off chance that she could come pick me up and drive me to this school.  Thankfully, she was not too far away and she agreed to drive me.

I really enjoyed my afternoon at this school.  It was a warm, welcoming kind of a place and I hoped to be called back to sub there some more.  I was, and after a couple subbing days, they offered me a temporary contract in music while the music teacher was having surgery.  It was only 5 weeks.  5 weeks of steady income in a school I knew I liked?  Absolutely!  I agreed without hesitation.  The one catch was that they wanted me to put on the Grade 3 Celebration of Learning Assembly in my final week.  4 weeks to pull off a giant assembly with a bunch of kids I don't know?  Sure.  Sign me up!  It was like I didn't even know how crazy it was.

The 5 weeks flew by and I really enjoyed it.  I was starting to like teaching music, but still was not planning to pursue it in the future.  The assembly was awesome and it went really well.  Now I felt very at home in the school, I knew the staff and students, and was called back to sub there on a regular basis over the next little while.

One of the days they had me come back was a fun day - Staff vs. Student Floor Hockey tournament day!  It was this awesome school-wide event that everyone was super excited for.  It was so fun to be a part of, and I almost felt like I was really on staff at this school.  It felt awesome.  I even felt comfortable enough to dress casually, knowing what kind of day it would be.  Little did I know, I would end up wishing I hadn't been quite so casual when I got dressed that morning.

Part-way through the morning I heard my name being called over the speaker system in the school.  "Miss Teacher, please come to the office.".  I wondered why they would need a sub to come, but I went to see what was going on.  They had a phone call for me, and it was a Principal from another school.  She wanted to interview me for a temp contract in a Grade 1 and 2 classroom.
The conversation went like this;

"Sally Teacher?  This is Blah Blah from Blah Blah School.  I was wondering if you would be interested in interviewing for a temporary contract for Grade 1 and 2."

"Yes, I would be very interested, thank you!"

"I know you are subbing for the day, but what time could you get here after school?"

(*how* did you know that??)

"I'm not sure...I would have to check the bus routes and times to see when I could arrive.  Could I call you back and let you know?"

"Oh, I didn't realize you didn't have a car.  Could we just come to you?"

(TODAY?!?!  When I'm dressed like a total SLOB?!?!)

"Oh....yes, of course, as long as that doesn't inconvenience you.  I don't mind taking transit to get to your school at all!"

"No, no...we will come to you.  How about lunch time?  Does that work?"

(LUNCH?!?!?!  Like......in an hour?!?!  Ummmmmm......)

"Sure, that sounds perfect.  Thank you very much."

I was SO nervous.  I couldn't believe it could just happen that quickly....like, we want to interview you RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.  Oh, okay!  Don't mind my jeans, hoodie and scraggly ponytail!  It's Staff vs. Student floor hockey day!  Anyway, they came and interviewed me.  I felt pretty good about it.  The interview ended and I carried on with the afternoon, which were regular music classes for me.

Not far into the first class, the classroom phone rang.  It was the office.  They had a phone call for me, so someone was going to come sit with the class while I took the call.

Um....really??  Two phone calls for a lowly little substitute in the same day?  Too weird.

The call was from another Principal from a different school.  They wanted to interview me for a temporary position in Music.  Good grief.  And here I am, still in my grubby floor hockey day-wear.

"Yes, I was wondering if you would be interested in interviewing for a temporary position in Music at Blah Blee Blah School?"

"Certainly, I would be interested!"

(Because why *wouldn't* I keep my options open??)

"Great.  I know you are subbing today, but what time could you get here after school?"

"Well, I'm not sure...I would have to check the transit schedule and get back to you."

"Oh, you don't drive?  Okay, well how about we come to you?  Right after school?"

(HOLY CRAP.  NOT AGAIN.)

"Sure, that would be great!  Thanks!"

Trying to keep it together, I returned to the music class and carried on.  Not long into the next class, I was interrupted again, this time by a knock at the door.  It was the first Principal that had come to interview me for the Grade 1 and 2 position.  She just wanted to offer me the position.  She had heard that I had a call for another interview and wanted me to know that the job was mine if I wanted it before I was interviewed for this other position.

Sheesh.

So, right after school, the Principal and Assistant Principal from the second school came and interviewed me.  It was awesome.  They were super friendly, warm, and inviting.  I could immediately see myself in this kind of environment.  But....they were looking for a full time music temp for the last four months of the school year.  The first school was looking for a full-time Grade 1&2 temp for the last four months of the school year.

Now, at first glance this seemed like a no-brainer.  I didn't want to be a music teacher.  I had the choice between a music specialist position and a primary classroom.  But, in the end, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work in a school with Administrators who were warm and caring and so positive about their school.  It wasn't that the other school seemed bad, it just didn't seem like the right fit for me.  I accepted the Music position on a Friday afternoon (the day after my double interview madness!) and started Monday morning!

It was not an easy 4 months.  This was a big school, and I had never subbed there before so everything and everyone was new.  Well.....*almost* everyone.  This conversation actually had to happen during the interview...

Me: Would there be any issues with me working at this school while my brother is a student here?

(they misunderstood and thought I was saying my brother worked at the school, not attended....you know, since it was a K - 6 school!)

Oh, who is your brother?

Billy Teachers-Bro.

(They think about it...perplexed...trying to think of a staff member by that name.

Then it dawns on them...)

Oh!  Billy Teachers-Bro???  In Grade 5?!?!

Yes!  He is my brother!  Would that be a problem, since I would be teaching the entire school?

No, that isn't a problem for us, as long as it isn't a problem for you or your brother!

So I called my 10 year-old brother and asked him how he would feel if I became his music teacher.  He was silent for a few long seconds....then said "are you serious???".  It was adorable.  And yes, I was his music teacher!  We had great fun with it!  He always was a good kid.  : )

There were parts of this temp contract that I really enjoyed, and other parts not so much.  One thing I didn't enjoy was that as a temp coming in at the end of a school year, I didn't have any flexibility over what I was teaching.  I had to pick up where the regular music teacher had left off (she had to leave unexpectedly).  All I had to go on was her one-page long range plan chart that pretty much had one word per grade, per month.  For example, grades 3 - 6 for the last 4 months of the school year it said "RECORDERS".  Oh.  Yes. 

I loved being part of a school, getting to know students and staff, and feeling like I belonged.  I would have stayed on the next year, and I had been offered a temporary contract for the full next year.  They told me it would be mine, guaranteed unless I was offered a probationary contract elsewhere.  They couldn't give me one because technically I would have been covering a mat leave.  I was all set to stay there.  I started thinking about what I could do if I was the music teacher for a whole school for a whole year....

On the second last day of school I got a call from someone I had met back where I had my first temp contract...the one that was 5 weeks long and included me putting on a concert.  He had been the Assistant Principal at that school, but was now moving to a different school and becoming the Principal.  He was in need of a 0.5 Kindergarten, 0.3 Music, and 0.2 ESL teacher.  He remembered me from my time at the other school, and wanted to hire me....on a probationary contract. 

He and the Assistant Principal came to "interview" me on the last day of school.  I say "interview" because it was really more of a chat.  It was basically a done deal before the chat even happened.  It was super casual and laid back, and I knew that I was going to a great school.  I figured I would stick with this crazy, rag-tag position as long as I had to, until I could transition into a primary grade classroom.  

Except that I didn't.  I absolutely fell in love with teaching music and running my own program.  I have loved knowing every child in the school, running choirs and clubs, coming up with new and creative ways to teach, writing my own songs to sing with the kids, putting on crazy productions, and sharing my passion and love for music with hundreds and hundreds of children over these last 9 years.

It has not been easy.  Juggling two completely different positions is NOT for the faint of heart.  There have been many times where I don't even know how I have managed to do everything that has needed to get done.  For the last 4 years I have only had one space, and the last 2 years that space has been pretty small.  Cramming in everything that a Kindergarten room needs and everything that a Music room needs has been an organizational nightmare.  But, I have survived and perhaps even excelled (at times).  

This spring when we began talking as a staff and planning for next year, I was offered an opportunity to teach full time Kindergarten!  I would have two classes - one in the morning, one in the afternoon.  I would have a classroom that was only housing one program!  I would have one curriculum to worry about, and about 40 students instead of over 400.  But.....I wouldn't be the music teacher.

The choice was incredibly difficult.  I can't even tell you how hard it was to decide.  I decided to take the plunge and invite change.  I gave up the music program, even though it actually has felt like someone died and I am going through the grieving process.  No joke.  

I am looking forward to next year with great anticipation.  I know that doing one thing will make me a better teacher.  I know that I will have more balance in my life and less stress.  Not that it will be a walk in the park....Kindergarten is not an easy job, despite the popular view that all we do is play and read stories and have nap time (yeah right...).  It is a challenging job, and especially in the fall as the kids are getting to know how things work at school.  But, I am up for the challenge and excited for music to be my hobby again, and not my job.  

I have lots more to say but this post is already a small novel...thanks for sticking with me and reading my story.