The Beginning!

It all started when I had a practicum experience in a kindergarten classroom during undergrad. The joyful chaotic learning of kindergarten grabbed me and never let go. I taught a small group lesson to six boys and girls and was observed by my college mentor. It was the first real lesson I had ever taught and I passed out whiteboards and markers and wrote “at” on my board. “What rhymes with –at?” The children were to rhyme and write down words in the “at family” on their boards. “Hat! Bat! Cat!” “My cat lost a tooth!!!” And so it derailed into an at least five minute conversation on teeth. Losing teeth, brushing teeth, how many teeth do you have? The enthusiasm was catching. Although I was reprimanded for letting the students go off on a tangent like that in the middle of a lesson, I still knew I had found my calling. There isn’t any therapy like a room full of 27 five year olds growing and learning. And now I know that the conversation was aiding their oral language and social skills, so I’m not too worried if my students take a few minutes to have a conversation.

I am so lucky to have a career that I look forward to going to every day. From digging up worms to writing letters in shaving cream, there is never a dull moment in kindergarten. Teaching is hard. It is always different and usually challenging, but every day is full of joy, laughter, and love. Here I will share my insights, lessons, stories and joys from my kindergarten classroom.