April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Duck Ponderings: Kindergarten is hard work
You immediately understand why kindergarten classrooms are larger. The language series itself consists of hundreds of materials and the math series is not far behind to help establish a solid foundation. Book cases, cabinets, and closets are extremely helpful. The walls are filled with visuals to help in regard to colors, letters, numbers, words, work, and behavior. Floor space is a great place for learning together while sitting on educational rugs. There are multiple learning centers placed throughout the room for small group exploration and learning, including several related to technology.
Students come in eager to learn and put their backpacks in their respective cubbies. Breakfast is served in the room. It is not particularly easy for them to open or get a straw in a milk and/or juice carton. Now and then, there is an accidental spill which requires clean-up. The sink is extremely handy as well as plenty of paper towels and special cleaning agents. Students eat and work on introductory types of activities. They stay busy, and the teacher is obviously a multitask expert while helping with breakfast, the assigned activities, looking over notes from parents, marking attendance as well as lunch on the computer, and directing them to follow the school announcements.
Then, all students meet on a rug for Family Time. There is a short discussion about learning and behavior expectations for the day. After all, there are multiple standards to cover during the school year! A letter of the alphabet is presented, and all kinds of great thinking and learning continues. The teacher must be a master at preparation and of classroom management while strategically sitting, standing, moving arms and hands, and using her voice in all kinds of interesting ways.
Students then break into small groups for Language Centers. When walking from table to table, you realize the teacher knows to always expect the unexpected, especially in kindergarten. Occasionally, I get on my knees to assist trying to remember when I was that short and small. It doesn't take long to understand why kindergarten rooms are stocked with a large supply of pencils/erasers, crayons, and glue. Before much longer, a boy asks to use the bathroom conveniently located in the classroom. His shoe needs tied on the way back, and you think about the value of the invention of Velcro.
In less than one hour, much has been accomplished! As an already exhausted volunteer, I am thinking it is time to leave! A child walks my way. She smiles and then gives me a hug. The teacher, my daughter, looks at me with those eyes that I have seen often over the years. I think back to the time we would walk together out of Hope Elementary holding hands, how proud I was of her as a student. Then, I think of all of the great teaching skills witnessed and how proud I am of her as a teacher. What possibly could I do in my schedule that would be more important than spending another hour working with her and her students? Before I know it, Mrs. Mize sends a boy my way who is not feeling well and may need help finding the nurse's room. I stay another hour. After returning home, I take a long nap![[In-content Ad]]
