Video Day

Two Fridays ago, I videoed. However, in my elation of figuring out how to work a video camera, I neglected to make my last post. I'm really not with it this semester.

Anyway, the video went well! The students impressed me fully by giving me ideas about the placement of items and explanations. One thing that I noticed is that my students became extremely vocal about the placement of items in the classroom and it became difficult to please everyone. I quickly realized that I did need to put democratic voting in place to avoid arguments.

The students also amazed me with their ability to think things through. One of my little girls decided that my table needed to be by the bathroom so that I'm close to the clip moving chart and so that I could see if people were going to the bathroom to avoid their work. I about fell over! Who would have thought that a five year old would be this intuitive!

One thing that I did notice was the influence I did have over the students. With the two doors in the classroom, I knew that the only place that the giant rug would fit would be in a specific place and I did put a little push behind the kids for this. It also made me realize how much of a sway we have in their daily lives.... amazing, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm preparing to post the video this morning. Belated Thanksgiving blessings to all!

Part 2: Clean up your classroom!

Well, the plan has been initiated. The kids and I have read Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom, and talked about how we need to clean up our room to make it the very best learning space possible. I may be a very strange teacher because I am brutally honest with my students. When I explained that I had begun to feel like Mrs. McBloom, one of my girls even stated "Maybe this will help you feel better, Miss Kennett!" Gee whiz, I hope so.

To prepare, I've created a scaled map of the room and the contents of the room. I then put it in a center for my AM students to work with. It's amazing to see their awkward room arrangements that they created today (One of the students wants to transfer everything to the ceiling...) and even more amazing to see that some of the ideas that they came up with were right astounding (One little girl who constantly avoids her work stated that my table should be by the bathroom corner so I could be close to the 'clips' should I need to move them, and so I can see who's going to the bathroom to avoid doing their work. I think she's thought this through...). Tomorrow is the big video day and I'm rather nervous. I'm not that great at working cameras so we'll see how it goes! I'm planning on videoing my afternoon class, since their class is smaller in size.

My students and I also opened the classroom library today. It's been open, but I've finally got it the way I have been hoping it to be. We called it the "grand opening". The students and I worked together today to create a set of rules that go in the Library. What they hammered up was the following list:

Classroom Library Rules

1. Use a quiet voice.

2. Put the books back in the correct bucket. Be sure to check and make sure the sticker on the book and the sticker on the basket match!

3. Be careful with the books.

4. Be a librarian. (i.e. Take care of the area, put things away, straighten shelves)

An aspect that seems to amaze me is that the students, with a slight amount of guidance, are coming up with the same rules that I would use.... only now that *they* came up with them, I find them *enforcing* them with each other. My plan is to take these rules and using pictures from google or pictures that I've taken, create picture cues that go along with each rule. The students have decided to place the rules on the heating unit in the library.

As I was preparing for moving day, one thing that is worrying me is the fact that I have 2 classes. How can both classes feel as if the room arrangement is their class' idea?

In addition, I've also been visiting some other classrooms at Goodridge in attempts to steal some ideas from other teachers. As soon as I can, I'll post the pictures from these visits. :)

Until tomorrow....

Starting the War and Revolution

My classroom on a daily basis from the cubby corner. This is from sitting at my table and it's hard to see what all my stinkers are up to!

Kitchen and puzzle center on a daily basis.

"The Book"- Children, when they need to move their clip, have to write why their clip was moved and sign the book. It makes a great record of when each child's clip was moved and why when the parents ask!


The behavior chart.... I've been in a clip moving mood.

This is one of the two "back doors" that I have. On each side of my classroom, there is a door connecting my classroom with the two other kindergarten rooms on either side. I do not like being in the middle classroom because teachers and staff use it as a path between the rooms. This creates massive interruptions for my students and myself as well as makes it hard to stay on task. I've tried to see about locking the doors, but apparently doing that is against the fire code.

My itty-bitty desk. May I once again reiterate that a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind? I really try my best but by the end of the day, I've somehow created many piles of "stuff". Now the question is, how do I dig myself out....?

The other side of my classroom. You can see our bathroom, the hallway door, and four work tables squished together. The bookcases that enclose the carpet are front and center as well (Blue baskets are on top of them!). I feel that this causes a lot of problems with the students- there is no room for them to work and they're all squished together!

The carpet, my rocking chair, and teacher work table/center. The sand table is right behind me, and so are the sink and cubbies which makes for another tight work area.

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The day has come for the big 'O' in my classroom.... organization. I'll be honest- I'm horrid at organizing and planning in advance. My children always know where my coffee cup is because I constantly set it down. My aide always has a clue where that 'one important paper I just had' is, and I'm always frazzled. My desk is a mess. My centers are unorganized. My students can never find anything new to try because centers are just not set up practically (My boys head for the blocks and the girls for the home center.). To be honest, my classroom is a wreck and this week is going a war and a revolution.