It’s a Page Turner

I’m always pleasantly surprised when something in my present life tugs on threads from the past. My heart gets full when I see patterns and connections. There is something real in the patterns – something that’s random and wild, yet predictable.  Those tugs feel like little moments of coming home again.

The other night, Little Man and I were talking about what he’s learning at school. He’s getting closer and closer to kindergarten and his preschool teachers are really doing a good job with readiness skills. One of the things they are doing is reading and talking about A LOT of books. [His teacher LOVES the library and talks about books and reading all the time ... heart is singing here!]!

Little Man is excited about the books they are reading – especially one. A chapter book about a little girl in kindergarten – one Miss Junie B. Jones. [Little kids are soooo cute when they say chapter book ... there's awe in every word. I love it!]

The mention of the Junie B. series made me all warm and fuzzy inside.  See, about 15 years ago, I read the Junie B. series to my students and we all fell in love with her – and Barbara Park, the author. My students and I couldn’t get enough of  her books. We bought out the book fair and emptied piggy banks when the Scholastic Book orders went around. It was a reading frenzy. I loved it. We loved it. It was a true reading community – amazing things happened.

About 10 years ago, I had the absolute privilege of meeting Barbara Park in person. She was doing an on-camera appearance in the studios where I worked. She was there to talk to students about reading and writing – her work.

Just before her visit to the studio, it was discovered that many of the folks in our little production group weren’t familiar with her books. So, I spent an hour a day reading them out loud in our cube area. By the time Ms. Park arrived, everyone knew Junie B. and loved her. [Yep, there's a pattern here. If you don't know these books, you should get to know them!]

After the shows, she sat and talked to a few of us about writing and teaching. I didn’t get much work done that day … in fact, maybe none.  She was wonderful and gracious and delightful to talk to. [Grown-ups are sooo cute when they talk about meeting amazing authors who "get it" and are willing to talk about it ... there's awe in every word.]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long since I’ve spent time with Junie B. So, I was excited when Little Man brought her home. And, last night, some 15 years after first meeting Junie B., I passed on my collection of her stories to my Little Man. It was good.

Tonight, he and I read about Junie B., that Grace, Mrs., Lucille, and Meanie Jim. None of them have changed much in all this time. Junie B. is still her silly, honest, ornery old self. She hasn’t aged a bit … not one. And I love that.

Little Man can’t wait to read on! My old friend has captivated my son … I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Open Letter to My Son’s Kindergarten Teacher

I’ve been incubating this post for a little more than a week. OK, maybe procrastinating. Or, maybe avoiding. Quite probably, it’s all of the above!

I’ve been an educator for a long time now. I’ve seen ups and downs, highs and lows. Over the years, I’ve watched, participated in, embraced, and avoided trends. It’s part of growing as a professional and generally working to become better at what I love.

However, about five years ago, something changed. I became a mom and started adding another rich layer of experience. These years have provided teaching experience of a different kind. I now examine and evaluate educational practices from yet another angle.

 So, as you can imagine, it was with great interest that I opened and read a new study from the Alliance of Childhood about a crisis in kindergarten classrooms in the US.

You can get the full report here.
You can get a summary here.

When I opened the report summary I was greeted with this statement. A statement that was carefully crafted, I’m sure. It’s, frankly, a heck of an opening line.

The importance of play to young children’s healthy development and learning has been documented beyond question by research. Yet play is rapidly disappearing from kindergarten and early education as a whole.

I will be honest and tell you that I read the report with some skepticism because the world of educational news reporting has gotten a bit shrill and dramatic for my tastes. This report is also, by the Alliance’s own admission, a call to action. So, it’s written with a certain drama and tension. It’s meant to provoke!

Somewhere in the middle of the second sentence, I stopped reading as a professional educator and began reading as a mom. I can tell you the instant it happened … the niggling concern, the desire to protect.

So, here we are. What follows is an open letter to Little Man’s kindergarten teacher … whoever you are!

Dear One of the Most Important People in My Son’s Educational Life,

Please know that we value you. You are about to be entrusted with one of the loves of our lives. Along the way, I am sure that we will learn more about each other than we ever intended … the good, the bad, and, perhaps, the ugly.

We also know that you have a difficult job and that the pushes and pulls on your time and focus are intense and immense. We respect that and will support your efforts.

Little Man, like all of the children in your class, is unique and special. We hope we have instilled in him the skills and behaviors that will make him happy and successful in your class … and in life.

I have only a few requests of you as you interact and guide my son through this vital year in his educational career.

1. Celebrate him. Little Man is interested in a great many things. Not all of them translate clearly to the objectives you’ve been asked to tackle with him. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the accountability of benchmarks and testing – things that tend to shift the focus to weaknesses. Please take time celebrate what he knows and can do – his uniqueness, his joys. 
2. Support him. Little Man is one of the most cautious little guys I’ve ever met. He’s sometimes slow to try things because he needs to feel that it’s safe to take risks. He needs to learn to take risks – both interpersonally and academically. Please make it safe for him to practice doing so.
3. Laugh with him. My little guy can be so serious sometimes. He’s got a very clear grasp of real and pretend – and he prefers real. Please help him develop a sense of fun and play! Please provide him time to expand his creative horizons … dare him to dream and be silly. Ask him to tell you all about it. Go along for the ride!
4. Build a strong foundation for him. I firmly believe that what you and Little Man build in this first year of formal schooling will set the tone for years to come. Please show him that learning is one of the most important things he can do for himself – and one of the coolest. Please show him daily that there are many ways to think and learn and do.
5. Cheer with him when he succeeds and help him fail with grace. This is very tough for him. Please let him fail (when necessary) and help him understand that, from failure, sometimes great learning occurs.

It is my hope that we will grow together during this year. It is my hope that we will be true partners in my son’s education. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there is something we can do to support your efforts!

With all of our best wishes and regards,

Us

I have about four months before the reality of kindergarten sets in. Honestly, I’m not ready for it. I’m hoping that I meet with our kindergarten teacher and the contents of this letter – the requests - just fade away because it’s obvious that he or she values creativity, problem solving, play … the very essence of childhood.

However personally I have chosen to react to this report, I do think it’s beyond time we take a closer look at what we value as we educate these youngest of school-aged learners.

Times they are a’changin’ (and have been for some time). Are the changes for the better? Are we doing this the best way we know how? Are the ripple effects clearly understood? Is this reprt reactionary or is playtime getting the short end of the stick? Should we reverse the current conventional wisdom and return kindergarten to the realm of early-childhood education? What are the risks? Are we willing to take them?

I’d love to hear your take on this!

Worth Remembering and Taking a Risk

Almost every teacher I know hopes that they make a difference in a child’s life. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. We go into the profession wide-eyed and idealistic. We’ll change the world one child at a time.

Most of us who stay in the profession for any period of time do touch lives. It’s sort of inevitable – after all, a child spends most of their waking days with their teacher.

In practice, it’s not all roses and sunshine. You lose your temper. You bomb a lesson. Things just don’t go as planned most of the time. In the end, you do the very best you can to make the difference you know you can make.

I have been privileged to work with several remarkable groups of kids. Recently, I found a stack of school stuff (almost 15 years old). In it were school pictures and notes from students that I remember fondly. I was pleased that I could still recall names (without looking) so many years after these students left my class.

When I left the classroom, I never imagined that one day, I’d be cruising around Facebook. I would never have imagined that I’d find the names of so many of my former students … just sitting there waiting for contact. I would never have imagined that I would be so bold as to start a Facebook group to reach out to them.

I never would have imagined how nervous I would be.

It’s been a long time since those students left me (and I left them). I’m reaching out and I’m wondering if they will at all be interested in this crazy lady who cared so much about them so many years ago.

There’s nothing to do now, but wait.

And … so I wait.