If there's a problem- Yo! You'll Solve It!

He came into class with an idea on his mind...

L: "I want to make a Canada flag..."

Student Teacher: "I have a maple leaf here with these other leaves."

L: takes leaf over to his seat, brings over some red paint and paper, and paints over the leaf. He pulls up the leaf, leaving the imprint behind. "A flag!" he exclaims- incredibly proud of his work. He then rolled some paper together to make the flag staff.

But L knew it wasn't quite right. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he set it aside for the day. This morning, he came in, looked at what he had created, and figured out what the problem was- it needed white on the sides. So he "fixed" it. 

Is it an exact replica? No. The colours are a little mixed up. But that's ok. He's figuring things out on his own, and there's a good chance he'll come into class tomorrow and want to redo it. 

This is a student who can be very rigid in his thinking. Things either are or they are not. They are either right or they are wrong. And leaving something not quite right would have really bothered him at the beginning of the year. But, since the beginning of the year we have been working on problem solving. We have been learning to put things aside when we're stuck and not worry over them. We have learned that it's ok to not get it right the first time. It's hard work, this building self-regulation business, this building resilience. Hard work, yes, but it is oh, so worth it! And THIS! This is the work of a Kindergartener. 

Yesterday I was a bit blue, and feeling a tad bit sorry for myself, because I felt a bit alone in my teaching world. But then today happened. And it reaffirms everything I believe about children. I am so grateful to live and work in a place that honours its children through play based learning in kindergarten. 

That's it. That's the blog post...

 Sometimes, when you are a classroom teacher, your administration comes up with an idea that you cannot support. It isn't a bad idea- but it goes against everything you believe about how students learn. So, when that happens, lots of your colleagues will say they agree with you, but they will still go along with what the administrator wants to do. They aren't bad either, and many have some very valid reasons why they won't speak out. But when you are the only one to stand up and say, "I can't support this because..." it is really fucking lonely. 

That's it. That's the blog post. Standing up for what you believe in in education can be very lonely. 

We Can Work It Out

Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.

- Confucius

Yesterday I was able to witness one of the very best moments of my teaching career. I was working on one side of the room while the students were playing. Suddenly, I could hear yelling coming from the other side, and looked up to see two boys yelling at each other. They were obviously having a disagreement about something in their play. I stood back to watch how they would work it out, ready to step in if needed, but knowing they needed their own time and space to problem solve. My instinct proved to be accurate as the two boys went from yelling at each other to talking. It wasn't long before each understood the others' perspective. I thought it might end there, with them going off to finish their play, but I was in for the best treat. All of the sudden, they put their arms around each other and gave a hug. In the span of three minutes they went from yelling, to calmly discussing, to hugging. It was one of those transitions you wish you could have caught on tape. It reminded me of another incident a few years ago. A similar situation- students playing and having a problem with what one was doing. They were discussing the problem, sometimes the voices got loud, but they were working through the problem. I had a substitute Educational Assistant in for the day, and she walked over to interrupt their discussion to ask them if they could find a way to work it out. One of them calmly looked at her and said matter of factly, "We are." And they were. They didn't need another voice in there to tell them how to do things.

And this is the gift we give our students when we step back and let them be instead of swooping in to save the day. 

-We give them the gift of confidence. 

-We give them the gift of problem solving. 

-We give them the gift of maturity. 

Five year olds are capable. They don't need us as much as we may think. They know what the rules of their games are, they know what they are willing to tolerate in their work and play. Stepping aside and allowing them to work through problems, even if they get loud, is the very best we can do for them.

So, the next time it gets a little loud in the block area, the next time you see children arguing on the playground, why not just... let them? Stand by, just in case, but be quiet. Let them work it out. They can do it, and when given the opportunity, they not only will work it out, they may even give each other a hug when it's all said and done.

Teaching is the best job in the world, and even better when you can see that you are not needed. 

Re-Thinking Play Out Loud

It began with an article in Sports Illustrated about Lacrosse (Lacrosse and Canada's Cultural Reckoning) and how that game was colonized in order to subjugate the Indigenous child. Then there was a post about non-white thinkers in Early Childhood Education. It ended where it will begin- with me banging my own head and saying, "Of course! How could I have not even seen that?" 

This post is more of a beginning for me, not a conclusion. It's more of a revisiting what I think I know, and realizing I need to go back and expand on my knowledge. 

Now, anyone who follows me or knows me understands how important I view play in our development. Why did it never occur to me that all of my beliefs in this matter come from the foundation of white Euro/American perspective? Mostly male, though there are some women thrown in there for good measure. Dewey, Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy- these are the thinkers that influence my teaching. I don't believe they are wrong, but I am realizing my thinking is incomplete. Particularly in this world that I live, a world made of many cultures and identities. I need to expand my thinking, and I need to seriously look into thinkers who have been ignored or brushed aside because they didn't fit the 20th Century narrative of psychology and development. 

I want to go back to the basics on the theory of play- what is the purpose of play? I have always had a ready answer for that, but now I question it. I think I need to dig deeper. I need to look beyond my own cultural lens to see what flows underneath it and around it. 

I know that all mammals play- it's how we all learn. It's how humans work out the world around them and figure out where they fit into it. According to the SI article (mentioned above), lacrosse was more than a game, it has a spiritual underpinning that the dominant white culture attempted to take away. A game that was forced to shift from playing to discover something within us, to a game with winners and losers. There was a spiritual element to the game. It was a way for Indigenous children to figure out their universe. I imagine in many other cultures it is the same way. The purpose of play was more than a means to an end, but a way to connect to something bigger than we are, a way to delve further into our spiritual beings. And, isn't that what we really mean when we talk about using play to figure out the world around us?

So, my new objective- to look at the power of play, but from other perspectives that have been ignored. Play is big, and the thinking around it is bigger than we understand.

Literacy Walks, Mapping, and Outdoor Learning- Oh MY!

It started with a story.

Then we found a map!

So, of course we had to follow it!

And while we walked, we read the book

And while we were walking and reading we discovered clothes- just like the lady!

 (and some musical instruments to add some extra sound effects)

Turns out we had a pretty awesome time!

Here's the story, if you've never heard of it:

 The Little Old Lady who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

Sometimes, you've got to take it outside!

Social Emotional Learning More Important Than EVER!

I've seen a theme on Teacher Twitter lately- how the Students are misbehaving, bold, disrespectful, defiant. It's a month or two into school, students have settled in and are feeling comfortable in your class. It may seem as if it's time to taper off on the community building and social emotional learning. Time to hunker down and learn the "real, important" stuff. I want to challenge this notion. Instead of tapering off on it, now is when social emotional learning is the most important! 

It seems counter-intuitive. In any other year, now is when we might really start nudging our students to more academic learning. But this year, especially if your students were online last year, try something different. Try thinking about your classroom expectations from the perspective of your student. They were home, learning through a small screen last year, or they were face to face, socially distanced, in the same room as others, but not sharing the same space. Or, in the case of most kindergarteners, not in school in the first place.

Last year our provincial school board operated face to face all year. What we noticed was the behaviours we started to see taper off at the end of September were still being dealt with, long into the late fall and winter. Six months home, in a very small bubble of people impacted our social skills more than we had anticipated. We spent most of last year really dealing with big emotions from young learners. In a scary world, even if we aren't sure why it's scary, we just "feel" like it's scary, sometimes the only way we know how to react is defiantly. That self-preservation mode is strong, even in little humans.

While this year may seem a little different, our kids are still learning in the middle of a pandemic. If your students were online last year, then they have been in a small bubble for a long time! Things like that take their toll on us. Humans are tribal creatures. We work best when we work in community with other humans. Even the most introverted of us needs other people. Add this stress to seeing adults around them losing their minds over things like vaccination mandates and mask mandates. They see the anger, they hear parents and other adults talking, kids are observant. They know things we think they don't. And no one is asking them what they think. How many students have truly been asked their opinion of wearing a mask in school? The entire conversation has been around adults feelings and opinions, not on the actual ones who are directly affected.

Are your students talking back to you? Ask yourself what that motivation is. Are they getting up and walking around? Remember last year they could do that whenever they wanted. Maybe build that into your day (confession: if you were to ask my opinion, chances are they are sitting way too long in the first place. Not a slight against any individual teacher, but against a system that expects children to sit still for hours while adults are up walking around). 

Think about their behaviour from an out of body perspective. Whatever the reason for their actions, it's probably not even about you as the teacher, but about their reaction to living in an unpredictable world where too many adults aren't doing their job protecting the children. 

So, instead of blaming the kids, find ways to work with them. Be the adult leader they so desperately need. Smile with them. Laugh. Play games. Have FUN! Even when- especially when- they may seem like they are coming apart at the seams. The only way to stitch them back together is through love and understanding.

The world is a harsh and scary place right about now. Don't you think it's time we lead with love?

A Thank You Note to My EA Before the Year Has Even Started

 Dear Educational Assistant,

You might think it's strange, me writing you a thank you note even before I know who you are, even before our year has begun. I know, normally we say thank you for a wonderful year, we say thank you for being there for each other. But I want to say thank you, now. Thank you for coming into this school year ready to help me help these students have the best year. In case you don't know me (you must be new to this school in that case), I absolutely, 100% love kindergarten. It has my heart and my soul. I hope, by the end of this year, it will have captured yours as well. In order to start you off on this year of wonder, I wanted to share this gift with you!

First off is a box of KD-Kraft Dinner as they call it in Canada. Welcome to KD! I got you a box of Sharp Cheddar KD because we are going to have to stay sharp this year. These students may be new to school, but they are going to keep us on our toes. I also got you a box of Spiral KD- because sometimes things are going to get all topsy turvy and we're going to need to be flexible.

I got you some Lime Bubly- lime to match the room, and Bubly because some days we're going to have to depend on someones bubbles to keep us going!

Some rose coloured glasses, because we are going to need to see the bright side of so much this year.

There are some glow sticks, because even if we can't always shine, we can at least glow! 

And chocolate. We all need chocolate at one time or another.

And then there are a few other things: a shiny silver necklace, a microphone, some play dough, a magical kaleidoscope, and bubbles. Why these things? Because the best part of kindergarten is Play. 

We are going to play this year. Play is not a way to teach, nor is it a way to learn. Play is life, and in kindergarten it is what we do. The other day I was at the beach and listening to a group of children as they dug moats in order to protect the sandbar they were on from the encroaching tide. What they were doing was as real as anyone in New Orleans as they struggled to keep Hurricane Ida at bay. They weren't pretending to be civil engineers, they were civil engineers.

In my class we will play. We will all play. Some teachers in some schools may ask you to take the child with "special needs" out of the room to learn. In my class, as far as can be, we stay. We learn together. That child doesn't have special needs, but special rights in KD. And we will defend those rights this year.

And, finally, there is a journal, and some fancy markers and a really super fancy pencil case. When we aren't playing (and when we are) we are going to be telling stories. While they are telling their stories, we will be their scribes. We will be the keepers of their words until they get to the point where they can be the keepers of their own words. 

So, my EA, thank you. Thank you for buying into this crazy experiment called Kindergarten. We may not know what the future holds, but we know what we can do. We can do our part to create the classroom community these young learners need in order to grow and develop.

Thank you for being here on this crazy ride. Now, let's make that box of spiral KD! 

Carrie