I'm going to have to show the t shirts from this weekend later, probably tomorrow, because we haven't heat set them yet. We were going to do that Monday night, which got pushed to Tuesday night, which, due to a leaky iron, got pushed to tonight. It doesn't affect the way it looks or anything but I was going to shoot them after they were heat set so that has yet to happen.
Yesterday I observed a kindergarten class and I was beat afterward. It was actually pretty cool because it wasn't just any kindergarten.. I observed the awesome teacher who taught me kindergarten. Just in time too because she retires after this year. It was crazy how many things in that room were exactly the same and how many were incredibly different. The room felt so much smaller now that everything is about knee level to me.
The weirdest part was how advanced kindergarten is now. They were doing things that I wasn't doing until first or second grade! When I left kindergarten, I could read okay, but I think that was mostly due to the fact that I read a ton at home. I could basically write my letters and numbers and maybe some three letter words. These kids had a science lesson on frogs in the morning and in the afternoon they were writing a three sentence story about what they learned! Crazy! Some needed a lot of help with spelling but others were pretty independent. And they were all obsessed with reading. The teacher told one girl who was probably the best reader to show me how well she read so she grabbed her favorite Curious George book and read it flawlessly. Before I knew it there was a whole line of kids behind her waiting for their turn to show me how they could read. They all have such confidence at that age! It's pretty amazing.
So now I've seen kindergarten and 4th grade. I'll be certified to teach K-6 when I'm done. I'm still not sure which end of the age spectrum I'd prefer but I'm getting a good feel for the different capabilities and up/down sides of different ages. As I've been told by many teachers, K-4 is a little harder to engage and keep their attention but they still have that love of learning and like their teachers. 5th and up is easier to manage and get things done with, but they're starting to get a little too cool for school (literally) and with that comes a 'tude and loss of interest in doing work.
I still have much observation ahead of me so I have time to figure it out but at least I don't dread any of it so far. Ideally I want to be okay with the idea of any grade so that I have more job opportunities. I've seen people who only love one grade and then they either struggle with finding an opening or are miserable when they get moved to another grade because of changes in the school.
Hope everyone is having a good week so far! I can't believe it's Wednesday again. I only have a week until finals! Eek! I can't believe my first semester of grad school is almost over. It seems like just yesterday I was having a meltdown over a possible career change. ;)
I know you don't know me, but I'm a recent follower of your blog :-) I went to school for Early Childhood Education as well. I haven't gotten my Master's yet (waiting for the hubby to finish up his engineering degree) but meanwhile I'm teaching preschool and loving it! It's great to meet another blogger who loves children and loves to teach! This was a great post :-)
ReplyDeleteARedEnvelope.blogspot.com
I was hoping I'd find some bloggy teachers! I'm pretty excited to have my own classroom.. observing has been interesting so far. The teachers get worried that I'm bored but it's actually fascinating to to be an adult in an elementary school class. When you're a kid, you don't realize how quick everything moves and the creativity involved in planning an interesting lesson. Glad to know there's more of us out there. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! The classes I observed moved SO QUICKLY, from one subject to the next to the next-- I assumed that it wasn't that way when I was in school, because it definitely didn't seem that way back then! But I'm sure it was the same; being an observer just offers a whole new perspective. And it's amazing what a new perspective can offer, right?
ReplyDeleteI was a kindergarten aide for about two weeks but it was at a high-risk school so the kids could barely read and didn't even know their letters yet. (I assumed parents helped teach their children but I guess they don't do that out here in California.) Anyway, I can't wait to see your t-shirts! I just started screenprinting myself so I can't even imagine how hard it is to do it on shirts!
ReplyDeleteMichelle ..Definitely! The day seemed to drag on when I was a student, but now I completely understand when teachers say that they don't have enough time. Just between assemblies and specials, almost half the time is already gone!
ReplyDeleteM.M.E. ..It's really a shame that not all parents get their kids started before they get to school. They think it's only a teacher's job to educate their kids but they are at a huge disadvantage if everything isn't reinforced at home. Oh well. But yea, screen printing t shirts is a whole different monster! I didn't realize how hard it would be compared to paper! I had to try quite a few methods before it worked consistently but I got the job done and now I know what to do next time. Good luck with your screen printing!
I've only had experience with the younger ages (teaching Sunday School) so I know those ages are super fun to teach. They definitely have a love for their teacher at that age. I didn't find them it too hard to keep their attention, as long as you change activities about every half hour.
ReplyDeleteI would think, with older kids, that you could tap into their sense of growing up and give them more responsibilities around the classroom. Use their independent streak to help you out, instead of fighting against it to reign them in.
Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll do great! And you're right, probably being certified to teach them all would leave the most options open. Good luck with all this!