I love being back in a Kindergarten classroom - the grade I last taught before coming to the university. During this last part of my sabbatical project, I specifically searched for a Kindergarten classroom to visit because I know it's such a special place; one that is unique from the other elementary grades. I was fortunate to find Gina Bennett's classroom where I have been reminded of the balancing act Kindergarten teachers play. Gina, and other Kindergarten teachers like her, must strike a balance between mother, nurse, coach AND teacher. They ease children into the transition of the school world and lay the groundwork for future success. They also button pants, dole out kleenex, calm tears, and listen to endless stories - some true, and some not so true. They are constantly modeling, nudging, and guiding, and for their reward, they receive a hug - from a walking germ box. :) But it's worth it!

Is It Noisy Writing or Music to Our Ears?

Writing time in Kindergarten is a noisy affair. Jubilant enthusiasm becomes apparent as students cheer with delight when the teacher says it's time to write. Young learners are a-buzz as they talk to their neighbor about ideas for writing. Little mouths are puckering and sputtering as they isolate sounds make their wonderful early attempts at spelling.

This week I have the pleasure of witnessing writing time first-hand in Gina Bennett's Kindergarten classroom at Meadows Elementary. Gina's classroom is alive with stimuli for writing - caterpillars in the process of becoming butterflies, sprouting seeds magnifying glasses sit in a tray, maracas await the Cinco de Mayo celebration, and even a classroom pet - Moe the therapy dog - may inspire ideas. Gina's Kindergarten students are at varying levels of writing abilities from dictating ideas to Gina, to filling in a word to a sentence Gina has written, to writing 2, 3, even 4 sentences on their own. Gina patiently meets each student at his/her ability level and gently nudges the student on to the next level. For the entire class, she reminds them that periods are small dots, a sentence starts with an upper case letter, and a pencil jumps over when starting a new word. Gina's persistence and patience is paying off as students have made progress by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year.

What a joy it is to see young writers at work! They remind me of where we all began as writers and that progress involves baby steps and practice. They also remind me that writing is not necessarily a silent act!

Fixing the Economy

Imagine where we would be today if the current economic crisis could have been averted or at least lessened. What if we started, in the middle school, teaching students about the financial responsibilities of home ownership? I watched this teaching occurring at Turning Point Learning Center on a recent visit. The students were learning about mortgages, interest rates, foreclosures – the language of economics. Prior to my visit, the students had selected a career, explored degree requirements, colleges, costs, and salaries. They had each prepared a budget and were now ready to purchase a house. The search began with consideration of their housing needs and then proceeded on to a local realtor company’s website, where each student found a house to meet their needs. Considerations included price, size, value, and location.
On the day of my visit, a local realtor had come to visit and share her expertise about buying a home. Together she helped the students explore a mortgage website, where they calculated the loan payments for their home over 30 years. She talked with the students about principle, interest, and payments while encouraging students to remember they may not want to borrow as much money as the bank is willing to loan them. Part of the research for this project included looking up the property value and property taxes, to be included in the budget.
Definitely the fifth graders at this middle school had glassy eyes by the end of the lesson. Several of the older students were “getting it”. I could tell when one student compared paying off your loan early to eating your cheeseburger more quickly. Another likened it to returning in rented DVD back so you don’t have to pay a late fee. These practical comparisons reflect the depth of knowledge generated by these students.
Hmmm, what would happen if some of the adults in financial difficulties had learned these economic principles earlier in life? Maybe there would have been no crisis at all.