Here is the person he drew.

He should have been in preschool last year, his parents should have done more, but I can’t go back and change those things.  I can change his path though.  Last week he did something amazing which made me forget about the anger and understand that I gave him just what he needed.   He was drawing on the iPad during naptime.  I was scoring some writing samples next to him occasionally giving him a reassuring smile when I saw him do something unbelievable.  He was drawing a person with some funny lines coming from the arms.  I wasn’t sure what he was doing until I saw him count the fingers on his own hand then double check that he drew the correct number of fingers on his drawing.

I wanted to stop everything and take him around the school to show everyone.  Instead I gave him a quiet high five, but inside I was doing the most ecstatic touchdown dance imaginable.  He made the connection that what he puts on paper means something, he demonstrated 1-1 correspondence, and most of all he concentrated on a task until completion.

Sometimes the amazing stories of students making years of progress to graduate on time or go to college can be difficult to hear when you are an early childhood teacher.  Our students are 13 or more years away from these milestones and being promoted to first grade is an achievement most people take for granted.   The areas in which they are farthest behind, social/emotional skills and vocabulary, aren’t measured by standardized tests and their importance to long-term academic success are just now being recognized.  Even my mom occasionally asks if I would be happier teaching high school.

As I looked at that student’s 10-fingered drawing I realized that, while he doesn’t know all of his letters, his name is shaky at best, and his people don’t always have bodies, I still know he will be ready for kindergarten next year. I know that his year with me was important.

Luckily, you can read a lot more about how to run effective transitions in a million great instructional books out there. Some our favorites over at Together Teacher: Teach Like A Champion, Guiding Readers and Writers, and The First Days of School.

In the meantime, we’ll revisit Jenny C.’s Kindergarten classroom to see how she organizes herself, her co-teacher, and her students for efficient transitions. While this post may mostly appeal to lower elementary teachers, secondary folks can easily modify for inquiry groups with one group of students on computers researching, another group drafting, and yet another editing with the teacher.

The Facts: Jenny’s classroom has three 25-minute guided reading rotations. There are 30 students in total, split across five different groups.

Here’s a guide for reading Jenny’s awesome Guided Reading Chart:

Left side: Group name and color

Top: Numbered rotation

Stations: Pictures of Jenny and co-teacher, computers, red, yellow, or purple table.

Follow the Purple Parrots on the chart: they see Jenny for guided reading in rotation #1, the computers for rotation #2, and then they go back to the purple table for independent work time for rotation #3.

I asked Jenny about the benefits of setting up the chart with this level of detail and pictorial representation. She noted how her young students have learned to independently use this chart as a visual tool:

 “Rotations at the beginning of the year took about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.  Now, students are prompted to look at the chart and transition.  They take 20 seconds to get to their center with their book baggies. Transitions are highly successful– quick, silent, and allowing for more teaching and learning to get done! The chart also helps empower student independence in the classroom.  The column all the way to the right has nothing to do with guided reading — it’s a rotation of picture icons for our indoor centers on the days that we have to stay inside for P.E.  Since the tables are already organized on this chart, it made sense to add the indoor P.E. center pictures to it as well!”

Bonus Student Independence Alert: The big number in the upper-left corner (4) represents the student in each group who gets to pass out papers at the independent work tables for the week.  This week, student #4 in each group passes out the papers at the red and yellow tables during GR time.

Together Teacher Discussion Question: What ideas do you have for promoting independence and maximizing learning time during classroom transitions?

jjtorres1: There once was a proud MTLD…who had teachers as great as can be….#wingman #teachforamerica #bestcohortever #america #oneday #tfadfw

(From “Depression Part Two,” Hyperbole and a Half)

Depression can be hard to understand if you haven’t personally experienced it. In fact, even if you have experienced it, it can be hard to know and accept that your thoughts and feelings are the result of a real condition. Understanding depression is important. A lack of understanding can hinder individuals from seeking help and can contribute to the type of stigma around mental illness that we addressed in our previous post.

This blog post from Hyperbole and a Half  does a great job of depicting depression. (Warning: The post does include some curse words.) Despite the serious nature of the post, the author is able to put a spin on the topic that will make you think and laugh. Also, if you find yourself relating to a number of the thoughts and feelings presented in the post, reaching out to seek the help of a mental health professional is always an option to talk about your concerns and learn other coping strategies. See our previous post about how to find a clinician.

ballet shoes by Tom Medwell (Photo credit: Delaina Haslam)

Most of my students want to be professional athletes. I know that the odds are slim that they will fulfill that dream. However, I try not to deter them with my rational point of view. I simply say that even a professional football player needs to be able to read his contract and manage his money.

When I was their age, I was going to be a dancer and an actor and live in a house on the beach. Since then, I’ve made more practical choices for my future. Maybe I have a hard time seeing their dreams as possible because I don’t see mine as being possible anymore.

Recently, I had lunch with my 41-year-old cousin who dropped out of high school in his senior year. Now, he wants to earn his GED. As we ate, he talked about how he thought it was too late for him to achieve this dream.

“Who does this in their 40s? I wish I wasn’t such an idiot in high school.”

Later that day, not by coincidence, a dated article crossed my path. It was about a 99-year-old man who graduated from college. I smiled as I emailed the link to my cousin. I knew it would inspire him. Then, I realized that there was a lesson in it for me too.

How is me giving up my dream of dancing or acting any different than my cousin giving up on his GED? Sure, the odds are better for him than they are for me. However, if I believed my dreams were no longer possible, how did that affect how I approached my students’ dreams?

My job is to help my students reach their highest potential. I get them to do that by using their dreams to motivate them. I need them to have dreams because they are the fuel that drives them to navigate through their obstacles. Dreams breed desire, which turns into ambition and drive. My students are going to need that to succeed. I can’t put limits on them, and I can’t put limits on myself either if I’m going to get them there.

This past week, my cousin finally earned his GED. It inspired me to create a unique research project for my students. One of them is researching the life of a professional football player. I figure if I can use this to get him excited about writing, math, and creating a plan for his own life, then the dream has already proven useful.

So, tonight, I’m planning my goals for the summer. First on the list: Sign up for dance class.