from coaching teachers to teaching children

For the past many years I have been teaching teachers--wow, is it easy to think of how a teacher might have handled a situation differently when you are just sitting and observing. Now, teaching a group of kindergartners, after 30 years away from direct teaching, it can be challenging to switch gears, respond to the unexpected, and read the needs of the children. I have such admiration for all the teachers I have seen making it look almost effortless.

Last week, I biked to school in the sunshine, within 20 minutes it was pouring! The kids could not play outside before school and came straight into the classroom. During snack time it was clear that they could not go outside. Walking the group back to the classroom after Library time for lunch, the sun is shining and we pass the elementary principal, who tells us "regular recess after lunch". You guessed it, by the time we finished lunch--it was pouring again. Half way through the day I was exhausted, mostly due to mental activity--I had to reach back into that memory bag of tricks to keep the kids engaged, allow some active, gross motor movement, and also help them calm down, relax and take a rest. We did a number of whole group activities when they could not go outside, like freeze dancing and songs with lots of motions. Before rest time, we did some gentle stretches and relaxation breathing.

Two days of the week, in the afternoon, the class is divided into two groups that switch lessons between math and reading, one lead by me and one by Sedi. On this rainy day, we had already done a number of whole group activities. So, I just gave the children an additional choice time, instead of another teacher directed lesson. They were all so engaged in what they were doing, exploring materials in creative ways, and talking with one another about how to build together. One child in the writing area, started a "dictionary"--she would draw a picture and then write the word. She was using the rhyming words we had just used during song time. Sometimes, more is not better and less directions from the teacher, helps the children become more self-directed. I could finally breath a sigh of relief.