The Day I went to Sea!

This is one of the songs that Room 2 began to learn over the summer.

When I was one (hold up one finger)
I sucked my thumb (mock sucking thumb)
Then I went to sea. (hand over eyes)
I climbed aboard a pirate ship (climb a ladder)
And the captain said to me.
This way
That way
Backward
Forward
Over the Irish Sea

other verses
When I was two, I tied my shoe...
When I was three, I scraped my knee...
When I was four, I shut the door...
When I was five, I danced a jive... (or learned to dive)...

This is one of the songs that Room 2 began to learn over the summer.

Too Many Plans

Two and a half weeks. I feel as if I'm barely breathing some of the time. It makes sense. I have several two year olds, several children with separation anxiety (although that's getting better!) and one special needs child. There may be another. I'm starting to watch him.

We've been having conferences with Eric's parents since the summer. I firmly believe the Montessori program is in fact right for him, but I'm concerned that teaching him will be at the cost of the other children. I don't believe that we have the ratio to handle him. It's a difficult situation because the parents so desperately need the child care. I finally came to the conclusion that offering them T/Th mornings only was the right fit for our school. The numbers are much lower, and the class younger. It still makes for a challenging day, but not nearly as difficult. We had an observer from the school district in today as part of his initial assessment. She was informing us that he has no motor planning. I want to understand what that means a bit more, especially since I've offered to teach him. I do wish that training in teaching special education was better grounded into the teaching curriculum. It becomes so prevalent these days.

Mary Katherine is interesting. She can throw an incredible tantrum. Screaming fit for an hour and a half, with nothing calming her down. Hard to get upset with her though when it's because she wants mom. This happened her first day. When I got the rest of the children settled, I took her into my arms and she fell asleep. Then I put her down on a mat. She woke up and continued her fit.

I'm looking at the class structure. We have a lot of boys. The boys want to build. We have a few girls, and they want to do art. I need to think about how I'm going to challenge these children and take their interests and get it into math and language. I'm glad that my thesis is about done, because all my brain is doing is thinking about the gadzillion things that I want to do.

I want to take art- Some of the simple drawings, and abstract pictures that I've found and create art projects with them. I want to work on cutting with symmetry projects. October is coming. I want to cut ghosts, spiders, pumpkins. I found a wonderful pattern for a haunted house that I want to use with numbers- or maybe the bulletin board. We do have so many bulletin boards. I need the pictures.

I'm working on the new language program that I'm bringing into the classroom. That is my current focus. I have to buy more laminate though. That's OK. I'll deal with that. I want the materials to actually last. I need to figure out how to get counters into the classroom. What we have is a gadzillion erasers.

I keep thinking of how to design works that will fascinate the boys. I want a maze with numbers and cars. I want a car track or an airplane track. Maybe I need to actually go by Toys R' Us to look at counter material. Haven't been there in years.

Learning

I've been reading a very interesting book about how people learn. there are some thoughts that I've been wanting to record for a few days now about "Transfer." The ability of learning to transfer to another subject or different context.

One of the first relevant factors is that you actually have to master the initial subject with initial learning before transfer will occur. There is a difference between understanding and memorizing. Often an organizing lecture will help to provide a framework from which to learn. This is particularly true in a school setting when faced with tasks that have no meaning. Understanding when to use new knowledge is enhanced through contrasting cases.

Challenges must be at the proper level of difficulty to remain motivating and prevent frustration.

This leads a lot of things to think about when teaching preschool. In the Montessori classroom there is the opportunity to teach at many different levels, yet I also need to organize and adapt to everyone. This is ideal for the "Needs of Man" unit. It's a good time to think about abstract concepts, finding out what children know to begin with and building connections with their knowledge.

Most days I'm waking up with thoughts of the classroom in my mind. Processing some very useful things in my head.

Summer School is Over

Wow. Today was more of a challenge then the last several days. I'm not used to working the last day of school. Just the way my schedule has been the last few years. I knew that it was coming, and I know exactly what triggered it. I still hate the chaos. It's primarily generated by the structure of the school. It was a combination of excitement, sadness, and changes in the classroom.

It's amazing how much I know them now, and how I know that I will miss them. The classroom will feel so strange when I go in on Monday to prep for the fall. One child had his best day yet- except for pulling over a chair and trying to reach the candles. Sigh. Another girl had a melt-down on a scale that I hadn't seen before. I knew some of the boys would go wild without some guidance so I pulled some new practical life and sensorial works specifically to involve them. It worked incredibly well. I know what they need now. I don't feel as if the classroom was properly prepared before. It's getting better.

I can't wait till some of the materials that I've ordered arrive. It's how I want to set things up. What we need. It's so nice to have a budget and the ability to spend it as I see fit. I know that I'm going to have to invest in Practical life materials. So much is so small that it's really only fit for more advanced work. No basic pouring, etc. I did make a good start on setting up several of the things that I've had in my mind.

The parents have loved the little notes that I've sent them. I have to find a way to type them though. Handwriting is like hand sewing. Far too slow!

The Needs of Man

The fall curriculum is about Needs of Man. It's been a long time since I actually studied Mazlov's hierarchy. Looking at it briefly- it's much more detailed than I remember. However, the real point at this age is to connect with what they know/think/believe and distinguish between needs and wants. I think it will be interesting. Especially when you look at combining that with Grace & Courtesy and the beginnings of the peace curriculum.

I do wonder though if we should do more to follow up on the Olympics. It's starting now. The need to compete. The need to have fun. It ties in nicely. I'm going to look it up and think about it more.

Two weeks...

Two weeks.
I've been working so hard, but I absolutely love it. I think I've stayed late every day except when I have another commitment. I know all the children in my class, and what they love the most. It's a funny thing that the older children really seem to be "stuck." They have found exactly what they want to do and asking something else of them is just like pulling teeth.

This class loves art and overall has very excellent control of their fine motor skills. I need to build on that. It also combines with my own love of using art to build the child's expression and the curriculum.

I'm working a lot right now on organizing the classroom, figuring out where the children are, and curriculum planning.

I'm not sure when I'm going to write my thesis. I'm behind...

Setting up...

Spent the day setting up the classroom. I love being back in the classroom. I'm excited, and looking forward to the day that I start. I need to spend some time thinking about art. They are so used to markers and crayons, and I want so much more. Right now we are short on some materials, and I need to work around that at the beginning. I'm trying to find the balance in my heart between working with what is currently available and finding out the possibilities of what could be available. It's a challenge when you just don't know yet. I just don't know the materials that the school has, and I wonder how much I can create.

I'm excited because they have a CD player and some CD's with classical music. I may bring some of my other materials. I left my album there, and I'll take more up tomorrow. I need to clean more of the cabinets then.

I'm not happy with my birthday calendar pieces. They don't reflect the seasons the way that I would like them too. I need to look for more artistic pieces there. I love the people that I'm working with though. That makes such a difference.

Classical music lists

Classical Music Everyone Can Enjoy

Track 1: Sprach Zarathustra - Strauss
Famous for: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Track 2: William Tell Overture - Rossini
Famous for: The Lone Ranger, William Tell Opera

Track 3: Hungarian Rhapsody - Liszt
Famous for: Bugs Bunny cartoon, Rhapsody Rabbit(1946), and other animated works

Track 4: Symphony no. 5, mvmt. 1 - Beethoven
Famous for: Extremely popular and widely played

Track 5: Hungarian Dance no. 5 - Brahms
Famous for: Used widely in movie soundtracks including The Cat in the Hat (2003) and Sixteen Candles

Track 6: Rhapsody in Blue - Gershwin
Famous for: Extremely popular jazz/classical work

Track 7: Fanfare for the Common Man - Copland
Famous for: Movie soundtracks, easily recognizable

Track 8: Hoedown - Copland
Famous for: Beef commercials

Track 9: Sabre Dance - Khatchaturian
Famous for: Scrubbing Bubbles commercials, plate spinner acts on the Ed Sullivan show, and other television shows

Track 10: Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner
Famous for: Used extensively in movies and cartoons

Road trip music list from About

Classical Music for Halloween

• Bach - Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV 565
• Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
• Brahms - Piano Quintet in g minor, Op. 25
• Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (mvmt. 3, adagio)
• Mozart - Requiem "Dies Irae"
• Orff - Carmina Burana, O Fortuna
• Ives - Robert Browning Overture
• Brahms - Hungarian Dance No.

• George Crumb - Vox balaenae
• Bela Bartok - Out of Doors, BB 89: No. 3 Musette
• Modest Mussorgsky - The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaba)
• Dmitry Shostakovich Symphony No.10, mvmt. 2
• Dmitry Shostakovich Symphony No. 2, mvmt. 2
• Camille Saint-Saëns - Dance Macabre
• Mark-Anthony Turnage - Three Farewlls - All will be Well
• Allan Pettersson's Symphony No. 6
• Krzysztof Penderecki's Symphony No. 1

List from About