One of My Favs To Read

One of my favorite children's book is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  I like this book because my students can relate to it at the beginning of the school year.  In this book a young racoon is going to night school for the first time and he is so scared.  His mother kisses the palm of his hand and tells him whenever he feels lonely press his hand to his cheek and remember mommy loves you.  Right before he goes to school he takes his mothers hand and kisses the palm of hers and tells her the same thing. 
At the beginning of each school year, I read this story to make the children feel more comfortable and then we trace our hands and glue a heart in the middle for the kiss.

My Breakthrough Moment

My first year teaching in a public school was an eye opener.  I was used to great parent support, and kind of a la la world of teaching.  Then I came to the real world, public school.  I had the lowest level kindergarten class of the four, the most behavior problems and one child who only spoke chinese.  This little girl had only been in the US for a couple months before school started.  In the beginning I didn't know what to do.  I couldn't understand her and she couldn't understand me.  Throughout the year she and I started pointing at things to communicate, then I began naming everything she pointed to and I pointed to.  Low and behold my little non english speaking girl began saying words around the middle of the year.  After Chrsitmas break I really started working with her and by the time she left kindergarten, she was at the benchmark level, which is the highest level and she was able to hold a conversation in english.  That situation really made me see how much I really cared for children and this profession.  This was my breakthrough moment.

A Favorite Quote

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression."  Dr. Haim Ginott

As a teacher I take this quote very seriously.  I work with a group of kids who don't have much and when they come to me they only know what they have seen and heard at home.  Most of the time its not good.  These babies really are like wet cement.  They watch and listen to evrything around them and thats what they learn.  When they are in my class, I do my best to make the best impression I can.

Blogging!!!!

This is my first time blogging and this is something I have to get used to.  I am looking forward to learning more about blogging and talking with my group members.