In Remembrance of MLK, Jr...

This week (although I was out Monday for my grandmother's funeral, and Wednesday for my 2nd trip to the emergency room in the past 3 months), our class learned about the historic figure of Martin Luther King, Jr., or so I thought. My sub plans clearly indicated that I wanted my sub to teach the students vocabulary like freedom, equality, and justice, but none of those things were taught nor absorbed as information, as I found out quickly today when my students were having a little MLK quiz. I told them to put their pencil down, take their paper, and find the nearest trash can. They looked at me like I was crazy and thus began a paper shredding celebration that I shouldn't even write about on here.

However, some information was obtained by my little 6-year-old minds, and it was very interesting to hear what they had to say about civils right and Martin Luther King, Jr.

1. MLK Fact Writing

My students were instructed to write either something they learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. after watching a documentary in class, or to write about a dream that THEY have like MLK had a dream.

One of my students wrote, in all caps: I WANT TO GET MIRE AN STAT A NOW LIFE I LOVE YOU DR MARTIN." (I want to get married and start a new life I love you Dr. Martin).

Another wrote: "One day, I will make a BIG carnival."

I guess they kind of got the dream...thing.

2. Monday's Holiday
Kiwi was looking at our school lunch calendar for the day's lunch menu when he continued to look at the days to come. "Hm. Thursday and Friday we have half days! There is no lunch!....Hey! Guess what Miss Leiss? We are off Monday for MILK HOLIDAY!" (The calendar had written on Monday "MLK Holiday.") "No, Kiwi, not milk holiday. MLK stands for Martin Luther King, Jr." "Oh. So no milk holiday?"

3. Well, I didn't talk to him at first...
During our Martin Luther King quiz, before I decided to nix it, my students and I got into a discussion about equality (which, they were supposed to learn this week...it just didn't happen...next week looks good for it). I explained to my kids that in the past, people were not treated equally or the same because of the color of their skin. People were not nice to people with black skin or who were different from them. Kiwi decides to yell out at this time about one of our African American students: "Well, that's why I didn't talk to him at the beginning of the year." Me, startled, paused for a moment, grasping for words. I looked at him and said, "You didn't talk to our friend because of his skin color?" "NO, Miss Leiss, because he was mean. And quiet." "Ohh. Well, that's completely different..."

Foot-in-mouth syndrome occurs frequently in Classroom P104. As do naturally occurring misunderstandings and context errors. But, I think it's pretty cool that my kids don't really understand the concept behind MLK day. They don't get why people didn't love each other before, or why it even mattered what color your skin was. Even if technological America hasn't done that much right in the arena of our upcoming generations, I think that's one thing that we've all done well.

6 Year Old Truth

Today we had a free write. This is one of the papers I got back.

"Dear God,

I love you this much --> (drew a big heart). I'll love you everyday.

God, you are in my haret. I know you will keep the love going. Do you love to eat Kiwi?

Love, Kiwi"

A 6 year old childlike faith has caused me to re-evaluate the way I love God. And that, indeed, He will keep the love going, even when I don't.

Thankful.

Did We Make It?

Did we make it through Christmas week?

Yes, we did.

I can proudly say that despite the butt-kick of a week it was, I made it through my first Christmas Week experience, the week before school gets out for the Christmas holiday, where my students were hyped up on candy, wrapping paper, and ornament making. Oh, and let us not forget the epic Gingerbread house creations we so eloquently put together on Friday morning.

Story 1: The Dreidels

If you know me well, you know that I do enjoy art. I like having art time and doing art things, but I really like art that the students can do independently and on their own. If it turns into something that I am mostly doing-- punching holes, tying string, gluing things-- then to me, it's a teacher's art project and not the student's. It is art like this, however, that exists during Christmas Week. I could barely hold it together.

Thus, for our Christmas Around the World rotations, I opted for a game instead of a craft. Each first grade teacher was assigned a country/holiday to represent, and our classes rotated to each room for 45 minutes each. I couldn't handle another mostly-teacher-created-art-project, so I decided that for Israel/Hanukkah, I would have the classes play Dreidel. What a good idea! Dreidel! And that way, at the end, I can let them have a piece of candy or two and they will enjoy that.

The night before I was creating Israeli culture in my classroom, around 11:00 pm, I was talking to my dear roommate about the ongoings of Christmas Week. I told her that I was proudly having my students learn and play the Dreidel game when it suddenly hit me-- I do not have any dreidels. I grab my purse and rush out the door and begin my search at Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, to end up empty-handed and without dreidels for the next day, where I would have four classes full of eager first graders reading to do something Hanukkah-esque.

I looked up Party City online and discovered that they had dreidels, so in desperation at about midnight that evening I call my sister to ask her a huge favor-- to go and get the dreidels at Party City in the morning and bring them to me at school. She was reluctant but agreed.

However, the next morning, she calls and tells me that there are no more dreidels left in Party City (apparently Hanukkah is over...) and that she was sorry. I pace over next door to my neighbor first grade teacher and tell her my dilemma and how I embarked on a massive search the night previous and how my sister was out of luck with the small wooden spinning tops. And my neighbor simply tells me, "I have dreidels." and goes into her room to get them.

I stood there with the dumbest look on my face, ever, as she handed me 6 wooden dreidels and sent me back into my classroom.

---

There was a lot to be joyful about this past week, despite the craziness and holiday cheer abounding in our little jungle. I helped assist our music teacher with putting on our school's Christmas show, where the 4th and 5th grades put on a Christmas concert and play for parents and teachers on Thursday night. I wasn't sure if we would be able to pull it together by then, but the kids did fantastically, and I couldn't believe how great it went. I was so proud of them and how precious and great they were. It's been really fun to get to know the older kids in the school too. Three of them brought me a card and present on Friday morning, even. It makes me wonder sometimes if I could teach the older grades, but then I look at my babies and think, nah...not yet. :)

Friday was our best day of the week, surprisingly. Maybe it was because I had 4 sets of extra hands, eyes, and ears, as I had some parent helpers assist with the snowman making, Gingerbread house creating and decorating, and class Christmas party. I have a great group of parents, who are very supportive and helpful and giving. I couldn't be more blessed with that. I really enjoyed Friday and being able to just indulge in the Christmas joy, as I hadn't allowed myself to really do all week. It was too jaded with the stress and activities and art projects that I forgot to really just enjoy it all. Friday I was able to see that and fix it, and really pass the short half day well with my students. I was glad that God allowed our final day to be smooth and a beautiful one.

The topper of the entire week was this: One of my students, whose mother is a 2nd grade teacher at FVE and my closest friend at school, decided what he wanted to get me early on in the Christmas season. He took his mother to the store and went straight to this gift.

"That's what I want to get her, mom."

"Oh...well, I mean, are you sure that's your only option? You don't want to look for anything else?"

"No, mom, this is what I want to get her."

She went on and told me there was no other option for her son, that he was dead set on getting me this gift, and that she attached the gift receipt just in case I found it as strange as she did.

On Friday morning, this child excitedly watches as I unwrap a bright, royal TCU purple Snuggie. His eyes lit up and a smile spread wide across his face as I exclaimed, "oh, YEAH!" and went in for a high five.

My joy was made complete. And now, as I type this post to you readers out there who find my humorous 1st grade teaching life entertaining, I am wearing this bright purple Snuggie and thanking God for a great first semester of teaching. Until January 4th...

Thanks for reading.

Day of Boredom

For the past few weeks, I had a few students who seemed to be constantly complaining.

"Miss Leiss, I'm hungry."

"Miss Leiss, I'm thirsty."

"Miss Leiss, school is so boring."

It was the last one that really got to me, because I will tell you this now and stand strongly by it-- school is not boring, because my class is not boring. I am worn out day in and day out by the way that I run my classroom. My students do not sit in desks all day and do worksheets and seat work. Actually, they rarely sit in desks at all. My kids are usually on the floor, able to use pillows and cushions and little seats to sit on. They have lap boards that they can do work on anywhere in the room. They have a huge smart board that features a Daily Routine powerpoint presentation that runs our entire class from start to finish, with interactive games, songs, and activities. My kids have access to more technology than I do-- 3 iPod touches with instructional games on them, a smart board with abilities to use for learning web sites and games, and a computer in the back of the room to do the same. All of our learning is hands-on and interactive. My students do not have to keep their mouths closed all day-- I want to have them talking! I want to hear their voices, let them sing and chant things, and have them learn how to effectively discuss ideas, communicate with others, and socialize. Music is a constant in my room. We are either singing songs, chanting, or playing Pandora radio overhead as we work. All of our activities have game components, spelling activities include play-dough and stamps and pipe cleaners, even math is done in game-format with addition and subtraction games out the whazoo. We never rest. I never sit. I don't even have a desk in my room--I told them to remove it before school started because I knew that the way things would be in my room, I would never be sitting there. I would constantly be with my kids and running activities and teaching.

Needless to say, when my kids said that school was boring, I began to take notice of such comments happening more often. This generation truly is affected by our world full of technology and devices and their attention spans are so increasingly short. It's insane. I finally decided to show my kids what a boring day at school really is like. Hence, the name: Day of Boredom.

Day of Boredom occurred on Thursday. I pushed my smart board to the side of the room and turned it off. I turned off my TV-- no powerpoint presentation today. No Pandora radio or music. No iPod touches, no computer in the back. I xed out any and all technology possible. No math games. No stamps and playdough. Nothing fun.

I started the day off by making the kids go to their desks and do their morning work page. When they walked in, I was less enthusiastic and joyful than usual, mundanely telling them to only do the top morning work on their desk and then get their book bags and read to self AT THEIR DESK. Usually I let them read to self anywhere in the room, get comfortable on pillows and such. So this was different to them. "In our desks?" they would say. They were so confused.

I then announced that we would be having a Day of Boredom and that there was no talking allowed all day. Absolutely none, or I would change their colors. (Remember days of changing your color? They still exist.) My kids started to argue and ask questions but I would throw out warnings to them. It was utterly and completely silent. It was so eerie...I couldn't believe that some teachers actually operate their rooms that way.

I made them stay in their desks following morning work. Usually we have a routine of singing a Welcome song or two on the carpet, and me going around in a circle telling each friend Good Morning and I love you. None of that on Day of Boredom! No "Welcome to School??!" they all cried. My kids were devastated. "No Welcome to School, no songs...because those are fun, and we can't have fun on our day of boredom!"

Other such comments:

"No pillows today?" "No, no pillows today, because pillows are fun. And we can't have fun on our day of boredom!"

"No math games today?!" "No, no math games, because math games are fun. And we can't have fun on our day of boredom!"

"Are you not giving out good choice sticks today Miss Leiss?" "No, no good choice sticks, because good choice sticks can be exchanged for fun THINGS, and we can't have anything fun on our day of boredom!"

Oh, they were so aggrivated. Heh.

Calendar time was the same way. No songs, no games, no activities. Usually we do calendar on the smart board where they can interact with the weather graph, write money amounts, etc. Not this time. Calendar time was the most boring thing I may have ever taught-- simple, unenthusiastic, to the point, and fleeting. I sent my kids back to their desks and told them we would be taking our math assessment, and when they were finished they had 3 math worksheets to complete. Their eyes googled over the stack of worksheets and seat work on their desks. "We have to do ALL of this TODAY?!" They were beside themselves. "Yes, all of it. You said school was boring so I decided to show you a truly boring day today."

I felt so bad, let me tell you. I also didn't know what to do with myself. I was doing random organization things around the room, checking my emails constantly (something I never do during the day usually because I'm always engaged with my students)...I was so bored too! I had 2 kids crying (trust me, I did not expect that! I felt AWFUL.) They did not want Day of Boredom to continue.

At the end of Day of Boredom, I asked my kids: "Do you think Miss Leiss's class is boring now?"

"NOOOOO!!!!!!!"

"Do you ever want a Day of Boredom again?"

"NOOOO!!!!!! Never again, Miss Leiss! Please never again! It was so boring! We want our class back!"

The following day was pure as gold. Back to normal, love and learning abounding, relationships building, communication thriving, music and joy returning. Sometimes you have to learn a lesson about appreciating what you have...and I think my kids learned about that on Thursday. :)

The Last Thing I Truly Am...

is a teacher.

It has hit me hard today, that the last thing I really, seriously am to these kids, is a teacher.

Heck, I teach first grade, and they are asking me today to teach them multiplication, please.

I teach first grade, and 13 out of my 18 students are now on 2nd or 3rd grade reading levels at this point in the year.

My kids are supreme. They rock. Really. What am I doing here?

It has occurred to me, that really what I am here to do is love them. That's it. Plain and simple. They would all do fine without me. Academically they would be ready to enter 2nd grade and could hang with it. They don't need me for that. Of course, that's what I am here to DO...but they don't need me for that.

They need me to teach them how to be a friend. They need me to teach them how to love one another. They need me to teach them how to serve others. They need me to give them hugs everyday and tell them "good morning" when they walk in the door. They need me to tell them daily that I love them so they can hear it. They need me to intervene when arguments happen. They need me to put bandaids on the most insignificant and smallest of cuts or scrapes, but the bandaid will cure all in their minds. They need me to laugh with them at silly things. They need me to instill the LOVE of learning in them. They need me to show them that school and education is important. They need me to transfer the desire and excitement of school into their minds and lives.

That's really what I'm doing here. A humbling experience, by far. I got an amazing group of kiddos for my first year of teaching. God chose to bless me in this way, immensely. I know that any group of students would be incredible-- but these kids take the cake. I feel like I'm a mother of 18. I would lay down my life for them.

Ridding myself of pride, embracing a spirit of humility.

Kiwi Eyeball, Jackie...and our dog Lucy

1. The Story and Origination of Kiwi Eyeball

I have a student in my class who, since the first day of school, has bewildered me. Not only is he super, super intelligent-- reading on a 3rd grade level, knowing the most random facts and information ever, and picking up on information and new concepts faster than any child I've ever seen-- he also is extremely gifted, talented, and creative.

This student, however, has insisted for the past 3 weeks that his name is Kiwi. And as of last week, his full name is now...Kiwi Eyeball. Kiwi Eyeball corrects me when I call him his actual name. "No, Miss Leiss. My name is Kiwi. Kiwi Eyeball." He won't let me go on until I formally correct him.

"Miss Leiss, since my name is now Kiwi, I would like for you to change my line leader name tag to Kiwi."

"Miss Leiss, why do you keep forgetting? IT'S KIWI."

Kiwi Eyeball writes, well, Kiwi or Kiwi Eyeball on all of his papers. The kids in our class have begun actually calling him Kiwi, and now also correct me if I call him his regular name. And...sadly enough...I have even begun instinctively calling him Kiwi.

2. The Story and Origination of Jackie

Kiwi Eyeball has a beloved black puffy jacket/coat, affectionately named, Jackie. Yes, our friend Kiwi has named his jacket...appropriately, Jackie. Kiwi gets mad at Jackie from time to time and throws her on the ground in the hallway or on the carpet in our classroom. One particular time he got upset and threw Jackie in the hallway on our way back to the classroom.

"Kiwi, please go and pick up Jackie."

"No, I don't want to."

"Why not? Are you mad at her?"

"No, I just don't want her. I don't need her. It's not cold."

(other student) "Miss Leiss...I'll go get Jackie."

Thus, Jackie has also become a familiar character and part of our classroom community.

3. The Story and Origination of Lucy

One day I was out for a math training, and my substitute left in her note:

"I'm sorry about the dog, Lucy. I wasn't sure how to handle that situation and I told (Kiwi) that you would handle it tomorrow."

Dog? I thought. What dog?

The next day I asked Kiwi about the note. "Who is Lucy?"

"Oh. Lucy is my pet dog. She's with us right now! She's going to take the spelling pretest."

"Kiwi, we are going to put Lucy away for the spelling pretest."

"NO, Miss Leiss! She wants to be here, she wants to take it!"

"Kiwi, we need to put Lucy away for the rest of the day. She needs to rest and I don't want her to distract you or other students."

"She won't distract, I promise. She loves to learn too."

This is my story. This is my life. This...is first grade.

"You know...some days...you just gotta laugh."

This week, I decided to reverse our daily schedule. Mistake #1.

I decided that the kids were a bit more rowdy in the afternoon during English/reading/LA time, and that after lunch they are pretty much spent. Since math is so hands on (not that ELA isn't, but it's just different) I thought that after lunch they could regain their energy if they were doing things like math games, etc.

I've tried this new schedule the past 2 days, and I don't really even care to wait to see if it eventually will work. Kids THRIVE off of a schedule, off of a day that they know exactly how it will work, and after 3-4ish months of following the same schedule everyday, they are COMPLETELY thrown off.

This week, I decided to change our daily calendar songs. Mistake #2.

The kids are used to the same songs in the same order: Months of the Year, Days of the Week, Today/Yesterday/Tomorrow, Weather, How Many Days have we Been in School?, and then one of the following: Money song (Mondays), Time song (Tuesdays), Shapes (Wednesdays), and Patterns (Thursdays). This week I decided that since we were doing math in the afternoon, and they had gotten the months/days/tyt down, we would cut those songs out of our routine.

Today, our high school "pals" came at 12:15, when usually we have ELA, but we have math at that time now...but today, a live podcast was playing online on Scholastic.com and featuring a representation of the early pilgrim settlers and Native Americans. So I decided to let them watch that with their pals instead of going straight into math. Watch the podcast, talk about Native Americans and what they lived in, and create our own tee-pees. Complete schedule upheaval AND an art project. Mistake #3.

So my kids were thrown off already, and now they were even more thrown. The pals left, we scrawled out our tee-pee designs and met back on the carpet. It was 1:15. And we were just now getting to calendar?

Calendar time was a joke. We were pushing through it when finally I just started laughing. My kids were laughing too. Uncontrollably. I started using a lot of humor and trying to make calendar time more engaging. I kind of threw the rulebook out the window today and was extremely real with my kids. Completely me, not someone else, letting my personality and weird sense of humor push through. And they loved it.

We usually make a train and sing one of our skip counting songs (count by 1s, or 2s or 5s or 10s) and today we made our train and started walking around the room counting by 1s. A few friends decided to lay on the floor and be road blocks for our train to jump over. Don't worry, they were still counting and participating...but just adding a new element to our train counting time.

When we came back to the carpet, everyone was laughing. I asked my friends, "Why did you decide to be road blocks today?"

One of my boys spoke up and said, "Miss Leiss, no. We were being dead ants."

The class erupted with laughter.

As did I.

After we had calmed down, I said to the class, "You know, some days...you just gotta laugh. We've had a rough day, and we just need to laugh right now. But normally, on normal days, I want you to remember that rolling on the ground like dead ants is not allowed during counting time. Normally, --"

"WE LEARN!!!!!!!!!!" (interrupted by a friend who yelled this and threw a mighty fist pump into the air). Now, the reason this was so funny was because we had a HUGE talk about how our number one job at school is to learn just a few hours ago. And this little boy was being dead serious, passionately pumping his fist into the air.

I couldn't control myself. We were all laughing so hard, me and my little class full of 6 year olds, who really might not get a chance to laugh much at home, who might not have anything funny or amusing or enjoyable happen outside of school. We got through the rest of the day, and although it was rocky...I'm glad that I just kind of let go and let God do his thing. Because it's not about me anyway, it's about him. And today he told me to laugh with my kids.