Teaching

Today was a good day. Let me tell you why.


It was "free centers". This is a time that I allow them to choose what activity they do. (I would let them do this most of the day, but our school has certain requirements that do not allow this). They can move around the room as the please. Of course, as long as they are being safe and kind to their friends. I watched as they were all engaged. Everyone of them was working on a task that they enjoy. Those are the days that I LOVE my job. I watched them work, play and laugh together. I watched them being creative and incredibly focused on their work. They were smiling and enjoying themselves.


Had my principal walked in, she probably would have thought they were simply "playing". Oh no! They were learning so much in this time. This age group learns best through play, I wish more peopled could see this.


She is learning to express herself through art, to concentrate on a task and what happens when colors mix together.
She is learning her alphabet through a puzzle. She is learning the order of the alphabet and how to solve problems.

She is learning to have confidence in herself. She said to me, "Mrs. Meryhew, I did it!"

They are learning to work together, what happens when you stack too many blocks up and a little bit about gravity and balancing things.


And he is learning that he is loved by someone. Sometimes, that is the most important thing I can teach.

I am in love with my job in my classroom. I love these kids and helping them learn to read, write, think, solve problems, make good decisions, understand math, computers and science. But I loathe the politics that run through this school. We are on pins and needles about what we say and who we say it to. Some people will run and tattle at the smallest, unimportant thing. This staff doesn't trust each other because we don't want to get written up for simply venting about our day or making a silly joke to the wrong person.

My ability to be a great teacher and love these kids is stifled because I am not given all the information. I had a student in the hospital and one with family issues. Both were gone from school and I simply thought they were sick. I found out the details through the grapevine two days later. I should be told as soon as it is known to the administration so that I can support them and love on them.

Even my time teaching is taken away by things like paperwork and required programs that I don't believe are developmentally appropriate for my kids. Our counselor is required to have 1.5 hours of lunch duty everyday because it is just more helpful to have more hands in the cafeteria. Forget that she has other responsibilities!

I wish that I could simply focus on my job rather than everything else thrown in. I wonder if it is like this at every school?