2-12-09

2-12-09
At the end of most days, after my students have lined up in their “bus line,” “van line,” and “car rider line” and headed off school grounds, I check my box in the office, say hello/cya later to the coworkers down the hall, and come back to my room. I have to keep one set of lights off because I discovered this year that I get sensory overload from the florescent lights. I usually turn off all the lights in my room when the day is done and I am alone in the room for the first time in 8 hours. With chairs up off the floor and the calendar board wiped clean by the Star Student, some days it’s hard to tell that students have even come and gone. It is so peaceful and relaxing to sit down at my desk and reflect on the day.

Today was a great day! I am in love with my students. I was blessed with a group that gets along (for the most part, most days), and that I can put into small groups or partners without having to worry about arguments or power struggles.

One of the teachers at Eastern, whom I adore and dream of one day being as wonderful a teacher as she is, lent a book to me this summer called “Morning Meeting.” The author describes a morning routine that is based upon problem solving, listening, teamwork, and other wonderful life skills that students seem to miss out on these days. I immediately adopted this routine into my classroom on Day One of this school year, and will use it until my teaching days are over.
Here’s my interpretation of it:
After the announcements are over and the tardy bell rings, I play a simple song on the CD player that signals the students to stop and turn in their morning work. They stand up, clear their desks, and sit down in a circle together at the front of our classroom. They are encouraged to sit next to someone different each day. On Mondays we introduce a new “Morning Greeting” such as Bonjour, Hola, Good Morning, Top of the Morning, Konnichiwa, etc. My favorite is “Namaste” which in a loose translation means “I see the good in you.” I like to have the Morning Greeting in a different language, so we point out the country on the map, talk about where the language is spoken, and what the word(s) mean. The Star Student (this is the helper of the day) starts Morning Greeting. S/he turns to the person beside him/her and shakes that person’s hand while saying the greeting (for instance, “Namaste, Ms.Logan). The two shake hands and the person says it back to the Star Student. Then the person turns to the next and they exchange the greeting with each other’s names until we get back around the circle to the Start Student (I hope that makes sense!!).
Next, we sing our good morning song with the help of our CD player. After the song, we have our share time. This is basically Show and Tell. Each student has a designated day to have his/her Share Time. There are three to four students per day. The students may bring in an object from home or share important news. The key to this Share Time is that you have to describe the object or news you are sharing. Meanwhile, the classmates listen to the details. When the person who is sharing is finished, s/he asks “Does anyone have any questions.” S/he then picks 3 people to ask a question. The question may not have a yes or no answer. It has to be a thoughtful question based on the information provided. Surprisingly, the entire Share Time only takes about 5 to 8 minutes everyday.
When we have time, we will do an activity after Share Time. The activity is a team building song or game. We started off the year introducing a new “Cheer” from Dr. Jean’s website (Kiss Your Brain, Lookin’ Good, “Round” of Applause, “Micro”wave, etc.). Now we do songs that have to do with student names or a word family.
I cannot express enough how much of a team builder this has been for my class. My favorite parts are the Morning Greeting and Share Time. It is so cute the way the students shake each other’s hands! We discussed what makes a “good” handshake (ie, a firm but gentle grip, looking each other in the eye, and speaking clearly with a smile). Also, during Share Time, their questions have become very in depth. There is almost a competition to have the best question! One day a student was talking about getting a toy from his grandmother. One of the questions asked was “did your grandmother give the toy because she was visiting or was it for a special day like Christmas?” Wow! :o)

--Post made by January - February writer Brenna Logan