Teaching is like a pizza. It is shaped like a circle, so it has no beginning and no end, it is continuous. It is easy to slice into as many pieces you need so you can share with everyone, and everyone gets the same thing, some crust, and some center. It is made up of layers, and you can add as many toppings as the class needs, or wants.
First you start with the crust, the bare bones of the curriculum. Crust is good. A strong base to build on, filling, tasty-like bread and you can survive on it. Of course if all you have is bread and water, it starts to feel like you are in prison. You can survive, but it is not very fun.
So you add sauce. You can add tomato sauce (the expected), or you can surprise everyone by putting on a garlic white sauce, or a tomato sauce filled with spices, or with chunks of tomatoes in the sauce. Then you add cheese. Mmmm… cheese. Many kids love just plain cheese pizza. They thrive on it. They could eat it every day and never get tired of it. Of course, they may not know any different. You could add other cheese, maybe sprinkle in some parmesan with the mozzarella cheese, or add some cheddar, just a little bit to see if they like that.
Of course you can add pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, pineapple, tomatoes, chicken, or a variety of other ingredients. Let them try a taste. Maybe they will decide they love it, or hate it. Maybe they will pick everything off, look at it, sniff it, leave it on the plate and just eat the cheese pizza. Maybe next time though, instead of just sniffing it, they may try a taste, or maybe not. Perhaps they will see their friends eating their pizza with anchovies on it and think, if John likes it, maybe I should try it.
Teaching is like making that pizza. You have a plain curriculum you are given. It is good, basic, filling, but can get boring after awhile. You start to add things to your curriculum, and make it more appealing, more nutritionally diverse, and more tasty. You find a program that almost everyone likes and is happy with, like that plain cheese pizza. Then you can try to add more. You don’t have to, but you can. Like the pizza toppings, not everyone will embrace everything you do. They may pick and choose what you offer, look at them, put them aside, and maybe think about them. Sometimes they will learn something new right away and really like it, other times it may take them a couple of times experiencing it, looking at it, trying it out, before they will understand it and learn it. Sometimes they will ignore it until they see a friend enjoying it, then decide they want to try it out too. Sometimes they will never like it, but at least you have opened up the door for them to be able to explore, to experience something new.
Of course it is also possible to pile too many things on a pizza, where it just is overwhelming and looks unappealing, and tastes gross too. If a teacher has too many things piled on, they all get lost in the pile, and the students are overwhelmed and give up on learning anything. While individually or in small groups these toppings may work well together, too many spoil the plan. The trick it to try out different combinations to find the combination that works the best for the group of kids you have, with the realization that what toppings everyone likes this year, may not be the favorites for next years kids. This year’s class might love pizza with pepperoni and olives, while next year’s class is more Canadian bacon and pineapple. You just never know until you let them try it out.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
ugly nappy hair and the wigs
I had intended to write about the second half of You Can't Say You Can't Play this week, and my children's reactions, and their friends' reactions, but something happened this week that I can't seem to get off my mind. So I decided to explore it instead, and try to figure out why it bothers me so much,and if it would have registered as much before these two classes.
Twice a week I work in my son's kindergarten class. I love it. The kid's love it too. It is called readng workbook time. Each child is given a workbook, and they progress through the books at their own pace. It is something that I somewhat rebel against in my anti-kindergarten is the new first grade rants, but the kid's don't have a problem with it. I think in part because they are all working at their own pace. At the end of each page the kids hold up their ruler and the teacher, myself, or the two other mom's come and check how they did, or answer any questions as they come up. Some kids are just figuring out letters, some are coloring in pictures that begin with a certain sound, then they do ending sounds, middle sounds, words and then some kids are reading sentences, some are working on comprehension of what they read, and one little girl is reading chapter books and writing reviews of each chapter. It is a fast paced hour. They really keep us jumping to answer their questions and check their work. Whenever they see me in the halls, or if I drop off my son, or at the bus stop they ask me if it is reading workbook day.
Anyway - some of the pictures they have are difficult to interpret, even for us parents. Some of these pictures we ponder over and wonder what on earth they want the kids to see-- is it a cap or a hat? a rug or a mat? wheat or grass( and how on earth are these city kids supposed to know what wheat looks like? or if it grass why it has seeds at the top?) ? A whip -- why would a kindergartener know what a whip is? And they often interchange the same pictures, but want the kids to identify it as something else, is this picture supposed to be show a boat, a wave or a sail?. I have to say that these books are odd. When I am checking their work and I see something that I think should be colored, or not, I ask the kids what that picture is then go from there.
This past week I was checking a little girls W page. She is African-American, and the only one in the class. When I was going through her page, there was a picture of a head, no face, with long hair flipped up at the ends. I asked her what she thought it was. "Hair" She was right, which is why she didn't color it, it looked like hair and hair doesn't start with a W. I told her I thought they meant for it to be a wig, and did she know what a wig was. She shook her head. I told her it was fake hair, or pretend hair, that people put on when they wanted to dress up, or play pretend, and that it is called a wig. Her face lit up and she said, I know what those are, I wear them all the time.
I asked her if she wore them to play dress up or pretend. She told me no, her mom put them on her when her grandma came over because she needed to cover up her short, ugly, nappy hair. I was stunned. I had no idea what to say. Luckily I didn't need to say anything at the moment, because she just went on. She told me how her mom told her she had the ugliest hair around, and couldn't figure out why it didn't grow, and how she wished it was straighter. She told me how her hair was too short to straigten or braid, except for this part on the back. Then she proceeded to tell me about her three wigs her mom put on her head, depending on who was coming over.
I finally told her that I thought she looked beautiful just the way she was, and that her hair was part of her, so it was beautiful too.
It has bothered me all week. She was so matter of fact about it, cheerful even. Maybe her mom says it to her in a joking, teasing way and so it really isn't that bad. I've tried to think of things we say to our kids in a teasing manner that wouldn't sound that way to an outsider. But then, even if she does mean it in a joking way, there is still the matter of the wigs. It obviously didn't bother Damoneisha, but it bothered me. Why does it bother me more than her? I know virtually nothing about African American hair. Perhaps wearing wigs in very normal, no big deal.
Am I bothered more by the fact that someone doesn't like this little girl's hair, that they told her, that they cover it up, or that she doesn't seem bothered by it. Or am I more bothered by the fact that I don't know how to handle the situation, and that I will probably be faced with many situations that I have no answers to in the future. Or am overreacting, trying to be ultra sensitive to racial differences? Did I handle it ok? Am I showing racial prejudice because I never would have dreamed about putting a wig on a 5 year old to hide her hair?
I have been dwelling on this, and wondering how I should have handled it, or maybe not handled it at all. We talked about cultural differences and accepting those differences, being aware of those differences. I have been thinking this week how little I know about other cultures, other people of different skin colors. We touched on it, in both classes, how there are differences, how not to assume that everyone learns the same, has the same backround, thoughts feelings about things. How to learn. I have always had a hard time asking people personal questions. When do you know it is a big enough matter to ask parents about, or when to let it drop.
This wig thing obviously bothers me more than Damoneisha, so I will let it go, but how do I tell in the future when it is serious enough to pursue. Do I just judge by whether it bothers the child? I think about the recent Mormon issues in Texas, the sect that still practices polygamy and marries off girls at a young age. They don't think there is anything wrong with it. For them it is culturaly acceptable, but for me, it is not. How do I determine the difference between what just bothers me, and what is cultrally acceptable to them, and what is really wrong and needs to be addressed.
I guess wig is a small dilemna compared to facing polygamy and young girls, but the question of when it becomes a teacers job to figure stuff out is going to happen more often I'm sure.
Twice a week I work in my son's kindergarten class. I love it. The kid's love it too. It is called readng workbook time. Each child is given a workbook, and they progress through the books at their own pace. It is something that I somewhat rebel against in my anti-kindergarten is the new first grade rants, but the kid's don't have a problem with it. I think in part because they are all working at their own pace. At the end of each page the kids hold up their ruler and the teacher, myself, or the two other mom's come and check how they did, or answer any questions as they come up. Some kids are just figuring out letters, some are coloring in pictures that begin with a certain sound, then they do ending sounds, middle sounds, words and then some kids are reading sentences, some are working on comprehension of what they read, and one little girl is reading chapter books and writing reviews of each chapter. It is a fast paced hour. They really keep us jumping to answer their questions and check their work. Whenever they see me in the halls, or if I drop off my son, or at the bus stop they ask me if it is reading workbook day.
Anyway - some of the pictures they have are difficult to interpret, even for us parents. Some of these pictures we ponder over and wonder what on earth they want the kids to see-- is it a cap or a hat? a rug or a mat? wheat or grass( and how on earth are these city kids supposed to know what wheat looks like? or if it grass why it has seeds at the top?) ? A whip -- why would a kindergartener know what a whip is? And they often interchange the same pictures, but want the kids to identify it as something else, is this picture supposed to be show a boat, a wave or a sail?. I have to say that these books are odd. When I am checking their work and I see something that I think should be colored, or not, I ask the kids what that picture is then go from there.
This past week I was checking a little girls W page. She is African-American, and the only one in the class. When I was going through her page, there was a picture of a head, no face, with long hair flipped up at the ends. I asked her what she thought it was. "Hair" She was right, which is why she didn't color it, it looked like hair and hair doesn't start with a W. I told her I thought they meant for it to be a wig, and did she know what a wig was. She shook her head. I told her it was fake hair, or pretend hair, that people put on when they wanted to dress up, or play pretend, and that it is called a wig. Her face lit up and she said, I know what those are, I wear them all the time.
I asked her if she wore them to play dress up or pretend. She told me no, her mom put them on her when her grandma came over because she needed to cover up her short, ugly, nappy hair. I was stunned. I had no idea what to say. Luckily I didn't need to say anything at the moment, because she just went on. She told me how her mom told her she had the ugliest hair around, and couldn't figure out why it didn't grow, and how she wished it was straighter. She told me how her hair was too short to straigten or braid, except for this part on the back. Then she proceeded to tell me about her three wigs her mom put on her head, depending on who was coming over.
I finally told her that I thought she looked beautiful just the way she was, and that her hair was part of her, so it was beautiful too.
It has bothered me all week. She was so matter of fact about it, cheerful even. Maybe her mom says it to her in a joking, teasing way and so it really isn't that bad. I've tried to think of things we say to our kids in a teasing manner that wouldn't sound that way to an outsider. But then, even if she does mean it in a joking way, there is still the matter of the wigs. It obviously didn't bother Damoneisha, but it bothered me. Why does it bother me more than her? I know virtually nothing about African American hair. Perhaps wearing wigs in very normal, no big deal.
Am I bothered more by the fact that someone doesn't like this little girl's hair, that they told her, that they cover it up, or that she doesn't seem bothered by it. Or am I more bothered by the fact that I don't know how to handle the situation, and that I will probably be faced with many situations that I have no answers to in the future. Or am overreacting, trying to be ultra sensitive to racial differences? Did I handle it ok? Am I showing racial prejudice because I never would have dreamed about putting a wig on a 5 year old to hide her hair?
I have been dwelling on this, and wondering how I should have handled it, or maybe not handled it at all. We talked about cultural differences and accepting those differences, being aware of those differences. I have been thinking this week how little I know about other cultures, other people of different skin colors. We touched on it, in both classes, how there are differences, how not to assume that everyone learns the same, has the same backround, thoughts feelings about things. How to learn. I have always had a hard time asking people personal questions. When do you know it is a big enough matter to ask parents about, or when to let it drop.
This wig thing obviously bothers me more than Damoneisha, so I will let it go, but how do I tell in the future when it is serious enough to pursue. Do I just judge by whether it bothers the child? I think about the recent Mormon issues in Texas, the sect that still practices polygamy and marries off girls at a young age. They don't think there is anything wrong with it. For them it is culturaly acceptable, but for me, it is not. How do I determine the difference between what just bothers me, and what is cultrally acceptable to them, and what is really wrong and needs to be addressed.
I guess wig is a small dilemna compared to facing polygamy and young girls, but the question of when it becomes a teacers job to figure stuff out is going to happen more often I'm sure.
Monday, May 12, 2008
You can't say you can't play~
We started reading "You Can't Say You Can't Play" by Vivian Gussin Paley. It is an in depth look at something that happens in playgrounds, classrooms and neighborhoods every day. How do you handle it when one child is excluded, when someone says"you can't play with us". Paley discusses with her class, and then approaches the older classes, the feasibility of making a rule saying "you can't say that you can't play". The kids themselves are torn about how well this would work.
I asked my own kids about their experiences, and how they felt, and if they thought this rule would work. I was suprised at their responses.
My oldest daughter, who is 14, was the one I thought would be the most in favor of a rule like that. I can recall many years of watching her wander alone on the playground, sitting outside of a group of girls who were laughing and talking. It always seemed like she was the odd girl out. The one being told that she couldn't play. I remember both the ache in my heart when I watched her being excluded and her tears she cried when she got excluded. I thought she would be in favor of this rule, but she wasn't. She felt like it would be unfair to make people play with someone they didn't like or thought was too "weird". She didn't think it would be a realistic rule.
My sons -- who are 12, 8 and 6 - I didn't think had ever been excluded. I have never seen them be excluded, and they have never come to me upset about being excluded. I thought perhaps it was a girl thing, and that boys just didn't do those mental games. They always seem more physical, being more apt to get into a tussle rather than the angry, mean words that girls seem to get into. I know -- a stereotype, but it is also my own observation of my kids and their friends. My oldest son, who I would have thought would be in favor of this rule, was the most vocal in his belief it was a "dumb" rule that wouldn't work. He felt like no one would follow it, and didn't think it was a big problem anyway.
My eight year old did think it was a problem, and said it happens alot(which makes my heart hurt for him now). He said that he thought it was a good rule, and that while some people wouldn't follow it, the recess teachers could help remind people of it. He felt like most people would follow it if it was made a rule. He felt you should expand it somehow. He used these examples: the same kids are always it in tag, because they are slowest, or the kids who are the worst at tetherball get short turns, or the kids who are picked last for football because they aren't the best. While they aren't told they can't play, they are made to feel bad because they aren't the best. My older kids pointed out that you can't make everyone the best, that there will always be someone who is slower, or not as good. My 8 year old agreed, and then pointed out that everyone has something they are good at, and sometimes they just need it pointed out to them.
My six year didn't think it was a problem in his kindergarten class. He felt everyone always gets along and plays with everyone all the time. I would like to ask the other kindergarteners in his class if they agree with that assessment. Is it because he hasn't experienced it? Or has his teacher really solved the problem of exclusion in her students? If so I really need to find out how she did it. :)
I can recall my own school days, where I felt excluded. There have even been times as an adult where they may not have said"you can't play", but the feeling of exclusion is still the same. Can a teacher eliminate this? Is it right to? Should you interfere? Is this part of their own self-journey of discovering the power, for good and bad, over other people and their feelings? Over their own feelings and actions? Maybe they must experience it first hand to really understand why it is bad, or can they just be told "don't do this". Will they learn if they are just told that it is bad. I am a big believer in learning through hands on experience, learning through play rather than just book learning, or rote learning. Is this just another example of kids being told - do this, learn this, just because.
I have to admit I am torn. I don't like seeing anyone's feelings being hurt, and I don't like seeing any one being excluded or made to feel bad. I feel like this has happened in the past and has helped lead to racism, religious intolerance, sexual intolerance and other practices that should not be acceptable.
On the other hand if kids are given the opportunity to say no, you can't play with me will that give them the empowerment to stand up for themselves later in life? Will they be able to stand up to bullies, or other predators who come along, or will it make them the bullies?
I think I have come up with more questions than answers. I guess I will see if Paley has come up with any of these questions and has any suggestions or answers as I continue her book.
I asked my own kids about their experiences, and how they felt, and if they thought this rule would work. I was suprised at their responses.
My oldest daughter, who is 14, was the one I thought would be the most in favor of a rule like that. I can recall many years of watching her wander alone on the playground, sitting outside of a group of girls who were laughing and talking. It always seemed like she was the odd girl out. The one being told that she couldn't play. I remember both the ache in my heart when I watched her being excluded and her tears she cried when she got excluded. I thought she would be in favor of this rule, but she wasn't. She felt like it would be unfair to make people play with someone they didn't like or thought was too "weird". She didn't think it would be a realistic rule.
My sons -- who are 12, 8 and 6 - I didn't think had ever been excluded. I have never seen them be excluded, and they have never come to me upset about being excluded. I thought perhaps it was a girl thing, and that boys just didn't do those mental games. They always seem more physical, being more apt to get into a tussle rather than the angry, mean words that girls seem to get into. I know -- a stereotype, but it is also my own observation of my kids and their friends. My oldest son, who I would have thought would be in favor of this rule, was the most vocal in his belief it was a "dumb" rule that wouldn't work. He felt like no one would follow it, and didn't think it was a big problem anyway.
My eight year old did think it was a problem, and said it happens alot(which makes my heart hurt for him now). He said that he thought it was a good rule, and that while some people wouldn't follow it, the recess teachers could help remind people of it. He felt like most people would follow it if it was made a rule. He felt you should expand it somehow. He used these examples: the same kids are always it in tag, because they are slowest, or the kids who are the worst at tetherball get short turns, or the kids who are picked last for football because they aren't the best. While they aren't told they can't play, they are made to feel bad because they aren't the best. My older kids pointed out that you can't make everyone the best, that there will always be someone who is slower, or not as good. My 8 year old agreed, and then pointed out that everyone has something they are good at, and sometimes they just need it pointed out to them.
My six year didn't think it was a problem in his kindergarten class. He felt everyone always gets along and plays with everyone all the time. I would like to ask the other kindergarteners in his class if they agree with that assessment. Is it because he hasn't experienced it? Or has his teacher really solved the problem of exclusion in her students? If so I really need to find out how she did it. :)
I can recall my own school days, where I felt excluded. There have even been times as an adult where they may not have said"you can't play", but the feeling of exclusion is still the same. Can a teacher eliminate this? Is it right to? Should you interfere? Is this part of their own self-journey of discovering the power, for good and bad, over other people and their feelings? Over their own feelings and actions? Maybe they must experience it first hand to really understand why it is bad, or can they just be told "don't do this". Will they learn if they are just told that it is bad. I am a big believer in learning through hands on experience, learning through play rather than just book learning, or rote learning. Is this just another example of kids being told - do this, learn this, just because.
I have to admit I am torn. I don't like seeing anyone's feelings being hurt, and I don't like seeing any one being excluded or made to feel bad. I feel like this has happened in the past and has helped lead to racism, religious intolerance, sexual intolerance and other practices that should not be acceptable.
On the other hand if kids are given the opportunity to say no, you can't play with me will that give them the empowerment to stand up for themselves later in life? Will they be able to stand up to bullies, or other predators who come along, or will it make them the bullies?
I think I have come up with more questions than answers. I guess I will see if Paley has come up with any of these questions and has any suggestions or answers as I continue her book.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Thinking and Teaching
The article by Mara Sapon-Shevin "Building a Safe Community for Learning" was great. I really enjoyed reading it and thinking back about different teachers I have had and my kids have had and how they made students feel in their classroom. I hope that I will be able to build a safe community in my classroom. I really like some of the ideas that she discussed and would like to incorporate them in the future.
A couple that really hit home for me were the example of the roll call, the singing, the daily "news and goods", and especially the spotlight child book.
Taking the time during roll call making sure everyone knows that someone will be missed, and is an important member of the community is wonderful. I know in my own experience, one of my sons was having a difficult time with nerves and school, and didn't want to go. At first I kept him home thinking his stomach ache was the flu, but after it kept happening, we had to start exploring other options. His teacher letting him know how important he was to the day to day classroom discussions really made him feel good. I think everyone, no matter how young or old, wants to know they are missed.
Singing -- I cannot sing my way out of a bucket. I have worried about becoming a kindergarten teacher because I can't sing worth a darn. However, I see song as a intergral part of learning at that age, at any age really. It helps to ease transitions, helps in remembering things, and just makes things fun. Now I have another reason -"because it builds a sense of community because we sound better together than we would individually"(p101). It is so true. There is nothing like hearing a group of children singing. They may not hit the right notes, but they are having fun and are too young to be embarrassed about singing yet. If they can do it, I figure I can too.
Another idea that Sapon-Shevin brings up is a variation on show and tell called " News and Goods"(p104). She says the kids go around and take turns telling about something good that happened in their life. Too often in today's society the focus is on the bad. I love that this is a focus on good, on accomplishments, a way to appreciate everyone. While not everyone will have good news everyday, sometimes people will have bad experiences, I like how it is set up to support each other. I hope I can accomplish the environment she talks about, although I think it would sometimes be challenging. I know with my own kids, it is sometimes hard to get them to be supportive of each others accomplishments. When my sixth grade son got his first 100 % on a spelling test, my 3rd grade son's response was "So -- I get those all the time", and my 8th grade daughter's response was " You've never gotten 100% before?!?". It was difficult to get them both to understand it was a huge accomplishment for him, and that everyone has different strengths, is better at different things, and that this was a big achievment for him, and we should be happy for him.
My favorite of her ideas was the Spotlight child book(p108). She gave each child a week - whether it is called Child of the Week, Spotlight Child, Student of the Week, etc., they got to bring in special items to share, maybe have special jobs and tell the class more about themselves. That is pretty standard in many classrooms I have been in. The thing that she did that I think makes this more special was having each child make a page for that student of the week saying"What I like about_________". Then she collects them and turns them into a book to give to each student. I think this is something that kids will cherish for a long time. It is hard sometimes to know what other people like about you, and reading that people like things about you would be a huge boost to anyone's self esteem.
I love reading about great ideas that others have, about things that teachers have tried that have worked well in their classes. I feel like it is better to have examples of good things that have worked, rather than to be constantly faced with things that haven't. I need to start compiling a folder of ideas that I would like to try out.
A couple that really hit home for me were the example of the roll call, the singing, the daily "news and goods", and especially the spotlight child book.
Taking the time during roll call making sure everyone knows that someone will be missed, and is an important member of the community is wonderful. I know in my own experience, one of my sons was having a difficult time with nerves and school, and didn't want to go. At first I kept him home thinking his stomach ache was the flu, but after it kept happening, we had to start exploring other options. His teacher letting him know how important he was to the day to day classroom discussions really made him feel good. I think everyone, no matter how young or old, wants to know they are missed.
Singing -- I cannot sing my way out of a bucket. I have worried about becoming a kindergarten teacher because I can't sing worth a darn. However, I see song as a intergral part of learning at that age, at any age really. It helps to ease transitions, helps in remembering things, and just makes things fun. Now I have another reason -"because it builds a sense of community because we sound better together than we would individually"(p101). It is so true. There is nothing like hearing a group of children singing. They may not hit the right notes, but they are having fun and are too young to be embarrassed about singing yet. If they can do it, I figure I can too.
Another idea that Sapon-Shevin brings up is a variation on show and tell called " News and Goods"(p104). She says the kids go around and take turns telling about something good that happened in their life. Too often in today's society the focus is on the bad. I love that this is a focus on good, on accomplishments, a way to appreciate everyone. While not everyone will have good news everyday, sometimes people will have bad experiences, I like how it is set up to support each other. I hope I can accomplish the environment she talks about, although I think it would sometimes be challenging. I know with my own kids, it is sometimes hard to get them to be supportive of each others accomplishments. When my sixth grade son got his first 100 % on a spelling test, my 3rd grade son's response was "So -- I get those all the time", and my 8th grade daughter's response was " You've never gotten 100% before?!?". It was difficult to get them both to understand it was a huge accomplishment for him, and that everyone has different strengths, is better at different things, and that this was a big achievment for him, and we should be happy for him.
My favorite of her ideas was the Spotlight child book(p108). She gave each child a week - whether it is called Child of the Week, Spotlight Child, Student of the Week, etc., they got to bring in special items to share, maybe have special jobs and tell the class more about themselves. That is pretty standard in many classrooms I have been in. The thing that she did that I think makes this more special was having each child make a page for that student of the week saying"What I like about_________". Then she collects them and turns them into a book to give to each student. I think this is something that kids will cherish for a long time. It is hard sometimes to know what other people like about you, and reading that people like things about you would be a huge boost to anyone's self esteem.
I love reading about great ideas that others have, about things that teachers have tried that have worked well in their classes. I feel like it is better to have examples of good things that have worked, rather than to be constantly faced with things that haven't. I need to start compiling a folder of ideas that I would like to try out.
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