it only takes a spark

Many of the parents of my students are unemployed right now, some because their work is seasonal, some because of this lousy economy.  Probably the only benefit to being unemployed is the ability to be more a part of your child’s life. I’ve been encouraging families to take advantage of this down time and spend time with me in the classroom.

The first week back in school after Christmas, I had a shy mom come into the classroom, her eyes seeking reassurance.  I smiled and invited her to make herself comfortable.  Most parent helpers like to tag along with their own child engaging in their play scenarios.

Marie started out that way, playing in the kitchen area with her daughter.  But I noticed she found ways to support other children too, counting at the whiteboard, modeling how to draw a snowman, joining a table full of children at lunch time. 

numchuks

“I need more numchuks,” Leopoldo told me.  “What do you mean?” I asked, and he proceeded to tell me about the Wii game he is currently playing and how”numchuks” will help him win the game.  (My husband tells me the real word is: “nunchaku.”)

Why am I sharing this conversation?  Because it is what led me to my last entry on my other blog about pride and my present conundrum.

I wish my students didn’t play as many video games as they do.  I wish they were outside, using their bikes to jump puddles, crashing remote control cars into trees, creating dams with sticks and stones in the ditches in their back yards.  I wish they were playing soccer or basketball at Boys and Girls Clubs, following  older siblings into Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, or dreaming of when they will be old enough to play musical instruments or be in the school play.  These are the kinds of experiences I had as a child that challenged me and developed the sense of pride and self regard I believe is crucial for children.

I have a son who plays video games.  I hear him talk about the various levels he has achieved and I know he is proud when he gets to the end of a game – or when he plays with friends and is able to compete successfully.

So I tuned in again to what Leopoldo was telling me and I talk to him about the feelings he has when he plays the game, focusing on the pride part  and the awareness of having steps to go through, and the fact that there is ultimately a goal.

Of course I sneak in analogies about his favorite game of basketball and the skills he’s learning about writing.
After all, deep inside I’m still a teacher born in the middle of the ’50′s.

Matman

The second grade teacher pulled me aside yesterday morning and pointed to the display of my student writing on the wall.  “Are most of your students going to kindergarten next year?  They draw so well.”  She has a son who is almost 4 and she was comparing his work to those of my preschoolers.  “How do you get them to draw people?”

“Well……………(and then I started to sing:)

“Mat Man has one head, one head, one head
Mat Man has one head, so that he can ……think!
Mat Man has two eyes, two eyes, two eyes
Mat Man has two eyes, so that he can….see!”

So begins the song about “Mat Man,” from the curriculum CD that accompanies Handwriting Without Tears.  My children love to sing the song and it helps get everyone drawing a figure successfully.

Of course the children draw other figures in their journals and we talk about how to turn Mat Man into self portraits but every so often we take the time to sing and draw “the original.”