Blog Post #3 Foley-Miller Section 1: Not This: Is There Enough Time? And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading?

Although Miller’s text is not geared towards 4K, I found the information in section one applicable to my classroom.  Like the teachers Miller wrote about, I too struggle with making all the things I need to teach as well as “do” fit into my daily schedule. Between breakfast, hand washing, late arrivals, and the length of time I am supposed to engage the students in interest areas, I struggle with making sure that my students’ time with me is meaningful. 

At the beginning of the year, my time is consumed with building routines and engaging my students in procedural lessons, like teaching my students to engage in centers and using material appropriately. It is my hope, that by "training" my students, they will build the  classroom strategies necessary to move forward towards learning concepts, like letter identification, sound/symbol correspondence, etc.  

Blog Post # 2 Foley- Routman Chapter 12: You Only Have So Much Time

After reading chapter 12 of Routman, I wondered how purposeful my Creative Curriculum is for my students. When considering my students development at a 4K level, I wonder how the curriculum I have been given best meets their needs.  I feel this way because, Routman strongly believes that student work should be connected to their lives, should be valuable to them, and should provide opportunities to expand their skills, knowledge and thinking. Based on Routman, I wonder if all the activities and assessments I am asked to do with my students are in their best interest as learners.

Blog Post #1 Foley-Routman Chapter 4: Teach with a Sense of Urgency

I agree with Regie Routman that I should be teaching with a sense of urgency and, thus, making every moment count for my students. To do this at a 4K level I would first have to consider each students zone of proximal development. Then I would need to use Routman’s Optimal Learning Model to engage my students in learning across all subjects.  This would involve explicitly demonstrating for my students what I want them to learn. Next, the students and I would engage in a share demonstration of what I taught them after I would provide many guided opportunities for the students to practice. Finally, if learning has occurred students should independently be able to practice what I have taught them.

Blog #3 Cleland Routman Ch. 3 ‘Share Your Reading Life’

So, I will be totally honest….the first chapter of this book kind of frustrated me.  Yes, she wanted to bring the joy back into teaching but she was preaching to the choir, so to speak.  Chapter 3 however, I totally loved!  I love to read…all kinds of books.  My mom taught Kindergarten and Second Grade for almost 30 years.  She has a love for children’s books like no other.  I have tons of access to books as a child and loved them.  She has a personal library, just like Routman, in her home.  When she retired she brought all her books home and they are arranged by category and author in her den.  

When we are there with my kids and something comes up, she says “I have a book for that!” and she does!  The Relatives Came, The Doorbell Rang (she makes my kids chocolate chip cookies and says ‘No one makes cookies like Grandma’) and on and on ….

I guess I inherited that love and when I get to share special books that are my favorites I get excited!  I instilled it in my own children at an early age and now as 7^th and 3^rd graders they are avid readers.  

When I introduce a favorite book to my students I love to talk about when I read it as a child, the memories, the experiences and what were my favorite parts of the book and why.  I tell them all about the books I have at home.  Which ones are my favorites and how I got them.  When we had library time last year the kids would be so proud if they found a book in the library that I had shared with them in the classroom.  I LOVED that!  

When my students parents ask me how they can help with at home with their education I tell them to read with their child.  It is valuable one on one time but it is the single greatest way to help them grow.  More than flashcards and learning games on electronics, reading together can help a student have a great foundation in their educational career.  I loved some of her practical suggestions for getting students excited about reading.   Some are not appropriate for my students but there are few that I hope to use.

Blog #2 Christina Cleland Miller “Is There Enough Time?”

That is a question I think every teacher asks every day.  In our environment the things that challenge out time are many times things out of our control.  With a young student population of 4 and 5 year olds at any given moment we may be dealing with someone who got sick, someone who didn’t quite make it to the bathroom, another student with inconsistent attendance or a student who speaks very little because they do not speak or understand English.  Time is like gold! 

So, we are constantly evaluating our time and how we can make each moment count.  For my students, they can look at books of their choosing during transition times.  We have a reading center and as the year goes on it is great to sit down with a student one on one and read books together.  As the chapter said, we can learn a lot about our students, their abilities and their interests when we are able to take the time to do so. 

The story about the soldier guarding the bench was a great illustration and definitely food for thought.  What benches am I guarding?  And why do I not want to let go of them?  Is the reason for me or is it for me or the student?

Blog Post #1 Christina Cleland -Children’s Success as Readers and Writers: It’s the Teacher’s Beliefs That Make the Difference By Heidi Mills and Jean Anne Clyde

This article was a case study of a student who reacted and responded in two completely different ways in two very different classrooms.  He transferred from the first classroom and moved to the one at a Child Development Center that was based on the whole language philosophy.  When Matt was given the freedom to create and write in a way that made sense to him. 

When his former teacher was approached about his promotion to first grade her description of Matt was the polar opposite of the child they had experienced in the past seven months.  She refused to agree that he could move on to first grade and be successful.  Her structure of how she relayed information in her classroom was very ‘old school’.  The article states ‘What a teacher believes about teaching, learning, and the nature of children will expand or limit the opportunities for his or her children to achieve their potential.’

I agree that each student deserves an individual and integrated approach to learning.  They can grow from so many different ways to approach learning. The challenge as teachers is having the freedom and the time to differentiate instruction and learning for each student.   It was encouraging to see how Matt responded to the whole language approach.  I feel like I give my students many different ways to express themselves but this article definitely encourages me to strive to find more  ways to give each and every student those opportunities.

McKenzie Blanton blog #3 Routman, “You Only Have So Much Time”

               This chapter was a very affirming one. At times I have felt like I am the only one who feels like I just can’t leave work at work. I am constantly thinking about work and how things could be done differently. I bring work home at night and on the weekends. I feel like I do try to have a separate “real” life but it just doesn’t seem like there is enough time in the day for all of the must do items. Time has always been an issue but the past couple of years my to-do list of teacher items just seems to be growing. Although I know it everyone feels similarly it is nice to see it in print.

               The chapter also gave a different take than I have heard in a while on teacher guides. I have most recently heard people explaining that sticking to a teacher guide is what is best. Her view was quite different. She explained that these are resources. This was so encouraging to hear. I feel like she was giving the power back to the teacher as far as decision making within the classroom. She totally understood that the classroom teacher has a reason why she is doing the lessons that she is. Teachers that were doing things differently than what she would do she made gentle suggestions to try new ideas. She told them to just try it and not worry about the outcome the first time. This is a concept that is hard to do because people do seem to only think about the lessons that didn’t go as planned. I think this is a free pass to try a new strategy and not think about if it failed, just keep trying.