Just watching

Spent the morning watching children, and letting them manage themselves.  I had one child watch another child complete an entire map with labels without any assistance.  The one that was observing was silent the entire time.  I also observed that she did absolutely no independent work.  She has trouble picking her work.  Another child wanted only to pick the work that someone else was doing.  Yet a third didn't like it when she had to sit alone until she was able to pick a job that she wouldn't be silly about.

I'm having morning circle less and less often.  I like the results in the morning, but the frustrating part is that I like presenting lessons to the children as a group.  As a consequence, I'm thinking about how to redesign my classroom so that more and more materials are on the shelves without ever needing a formal lesson.  Certain areas just need to have a built in consistent structure so that the lessons can change subtly, but still remain in place and child directed.

Yesterday, a child was determined to be silly by eating the pieces of a job.  On purpose, and with the intent to make other children laugh.  It became an opportunity for me to create a job that will allow the children to wash their own job when they put it in their mouth.  She got to wash all 55 pieces of that math job during outside time.  Then in the afternoon, she got to complete the job.  (Perfectly capable of it.)

I bought bamboo drawer dividers.  Best move ever for the classroom.  There are so many cases where they work better than either baskets or trays.

Rambling today.  I need to work on my writing style and organizing my thoughts more.  Yet, at the moment I don't care.  I write more for myself than anyone.

Quiet Days

A couple of children have left.  They are moving on to kindergarten.  Others will soon.  It's the way of the summer though.  The children start to "check out" and only want to talk.  Whoever said that they are intrinsically interested in work doesn't watch those ready to be with the older kids and "not there yet."  They have turned social at all costs.  As a result, classroom management is both easier and harder.  You know what these kids can do, and you know what lessons you can throw at them!  It is truly amazing how one single child can dramatically impact the playground and the classroom.  This year, it was one in each classroom.  The teachers can talk to each other outside right now instead of constantly trying to eyeball what chaos one child will be creating.

One of my teachers is out on maternity leave.  I miss her deeply, but at least this wasn't a surprise.

Going to remodel the kitchen in a few months.  Lot of money, time, construction and chaos for a dishwasher.  OK Then.