I have been going around to all of the classrooms to read to each class one more time. This is the book I selected to read to the kindergarteners and 1st graders:
It has been fun to have the students close their eyes at the end of the book and think about their dreams. There have been of course been the usual police officer, teacher, fire fighter, and race car driver. And there are always a few who dream of having a million dollars or owning all of the toys in the world. But there were some interesting ones this year. There was the 1st grader who wants to be a YouTube-er. There was the was the kindergartner who wants to be a mom. There was the one who said he wanted to be a programmer and the one who wants to be a doctor, "the chemistry kind, not the hospital kind" she informed me. And there were several who said the wanted to be a principal. I couldn't help but smile every time someone said their dream was to be a principal.
I shared the story of what my daughter pretends to be at home. When I was little, I definitely remember playing teacher. At our house, it looks a little different. Emerson plays principal. She talks about all of her teachers and what they do during the day. And she talks about how as the principal she gets to play with all of the kids. Interesting to see her view of my job...granted she is only three and when she is with me at school it's usually during fun, social events so I can see why she thinks it's all play and no work!
As I have been talking to our youngest learners about their dreams and thinking about my own daughter and her dreams, I continue to think are we doing it the right way for them? Are we remembering that their dreams, their ideas of the future are very different from what ours were? Are we remembering that we have growing leaders in front of us every day and we have to figure out how to help them keep growing? Are we changing to do what's best for them or are we expecting them to change and do what we have always done?
I am diving into the book What School Could Be and beginning to discuss the book with other educators. I shared my recent discussions with young students about their dreams. I really liked how one woman suggested that instead of asking about what their dreams were, maybe we should be asking them about what problem they want to solve. We are growing leaders in our school, and they will absolutely be the problem solvers of tomorrow. We have to think differently about how we are educating them so we should probably be thinking about asking them different questions.
Currently reading:
I finished listening to Hillbilly Elegy; it was a fascinating memoir to listen to on my drive. Amazing to hear how J.D. beat the odds and was a success story, but sad to think of how many children growing up in poor working class America don't have such a happy ending. I started to read a book a picked up after hearing this teacher speak at a conference: I Wish My Teacher Knew.
I need to figure out what my next audio book will be. Any suggestions?
Monday - 4th grade Museum of Science enrichment program @PTYC, Kindergarten concert during music class, Meet the Teacher event for Kindergarten - 3:45-4:15 in K classrooms
Tuesday - 4th grade Museum of Science enrichment program @ PTYC, Kindergarten concert during music class, 4th and 5th grade teachers meet in the afternoon, ELL Dinner 5:30-7:00
Wednesday - Kindergarten concert during music class
Thursday - Kindergarten concert during music class, GPL librarian visits 3rd grade in the afternoon, Principal for the Day!
Friday - Kindergarten concert during music class, FR/SU 4th grade mixer on the back field from 9:30-12:30
Great things I noticed last week:
- I had some kindergarten writers share some amazing collaborative letters with me. They were very persuasive...I too would love a field trip to a water park and a twisty slide on the playground!
- I had fun popping into a 1st grade music class as they were warming up.
- Our final staff meeting for the year was a good one! I loved watching everyone write notes of appreciation to their peers.
- This student was so proud to show off her trophy to me!
Check it out:
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