Thank you as always to our valued volunteers. It is awesome to see our class family come together to cover and help others as needed, great modelling for the kids too! Thank you to those who jumped in or were flexible enough to cancel out depending on the circumstances! We'll see how it goes in the library/computer lab this week. Ms. McGee made all of her visits to us this week as the library carpet needed to dry and the heat has not been working properly...stay tuned! Between the library changes and the weather keeping us indoors, the children are really learning the value of being flexible...that the schedule does have to be changed sometimes, things don't always go the way we want and sometimes we just have to "wait and see!" All such valuable life lessons, way to go guys!
A fun Sharing Assembly this week, thank you for participating and congratulations again to Yann, Lucy and Zachary. The next assembly will be Tuesday, March 24 to celebrate the trait of Honesty.
At this point in the year, 108 days of school later...we see the value of consistency in routines and the expectation of respect, responsibility and growing independence as the class comes together more, the responses of the children become deeper and more thoughtful, and a calmness settles over the room when most of us can follow routines and demonstrate these qualities to others, even in short bursts. With 31 students in our space, the biggest challenge has been sharing the space itself - whether for playtime and using the materials or sitting together on the carpet for lesson and discussion times. Some things I still hear in the room and constantly discuss with the children are...
"He/She's not sharing!" ... Meaning when "He/She" doesn't give "Me" what I want when I say I want it. While it is difficult to wait your turn, that is what I am teaching and expecting the students to learn. When we want something and don't get it first, someone else having a turn does not mean they aren't sharing. They are simply taking a turn. This needs to be pointed out and clarified and the
children will see the benefit when they are having a turn and someone else wants to "share" it away from them.
"He/She pushed me!" ... When 31 children attempt to line up, get dressed, put away lunch bags, tidy up, sit down on the carpet or any number of other instances it IS crowded and bumping does occur. To alleviate this, we try to stagger the coat and line up areas but eventually most of us are in the same area at the same time and those who are particularly sensitive to proximity or touching/bumping inevitably feel indignant about any contact. I do expect manners, and an "I'm sorry" or an "excuse me" should be and is becoming the first response but we are still working on the idea of personal
space - your "space bubble" as I call it - and checking it to see if you are going to bump someone
else's "bubble" or they will bump yours. It is a work in progress and recognizing that these bumps and touches are not the same as someone intentionally being hurtful is part of the process.
"He/She's mean to me" ... When "He/She" doesn't let me play with something or somewhere I want because the quota for participants (that has been established by Ms.I. - for example 4 people in the
home centre or 6 chairs at the snack table are full) has been reached, this is not being mean! Again, we are learning to wait a turn and share the space with 30 others. I use a variety of methods when sending the children off to activities, designed to allow a variety of students first choice of their activity area several times EACH day so that everyone has a chance to choose first rather than last. Younger students typically have shorter attention spans and travel from place to place, finding an area or activity "full" when you get there can be frustrating but is part of the learning curve and is not the same as someone not letting you play out of dislike or meanness.
As parents, depending on our family, routines and activities we may never see any of these behaviours at home...for example an only child doesn't need to share or worry about "full" and neither do those with enough gap between siblings or differing interests to alleviate the need for sharing
space and materials, other than mom and dad! These are typically group generated issues that you can help your child be less sensitive to and overcome by simply clarifying the misconceptions they have about what is going on and providing more of these all-important group experiences such as sports teams, Beavers, Sparks, camps, clubs etc that reinforce these same lessons over and over again. Having said that, it is ALL completely normal and expected behaviour based on the completely egocentric behaviour and thought processes of young children! The Me, Me, Me, Now, Now, Now stage of development is part of growing up and as parents these are often some of the first times we see our children not get what they want. While it can be hard to hear, reassuring your child that this is normal will go a lot farther in helping them develop than over indulging to make up for it.
Something to consider is that a lot of what our children tell us is determined by how we ask the questions and what they surmise we want to hear as answers, even at this age. Asking about your
child's day in a positive way - what did you like the best today, tell me your favourite thing etc can keep the positive going. We are all working towards a positive, nurturing, learning environment where each child can thrive and grow.
This week:
Monday - Pachi visits AM, we make dragons in the PM, Mystery Reader PM
Tuesday - Ms. I. At workshop, Music AM, LIB/IT PM (If we get the go ahead Monday)
Wednesday - "Grow" Presentation AM, Mystery Reader AM, Day of Pink - wear it if you can!
Thursday - LIB/IT (Provided the Lib. Is open)
Friday - Reading Buddies AM, Pizza Lunch
Have a great week! Ms. I.
