New Bundles of Kindergarten Energies

Summer has ended and the school year has begun. I just finished my third week (I think?) of teaching. This year I have 16 students. (Last year I started with 10 and ended with 8. Yeah. I scare away the children.)

Here's this year's language/culture breakdown:

3 Chinese speakers: 1 is very low in his understanding/speaking of English. The other 2 are medium in speaking/listening.
2 Japanese speakers: Both are very low – one is named YuICHIRO (I know, I heard -- he's gone to the Yankees.)
3 Native English speakers: 1 is high in reading, 1 is middle, and 1 doesn’t yet know his letter names. 1 French speaker: He is still in France and won’t be coming until September 19^th. Last year he was speaking English.When he gets here, we'll see how he's doing.
7 Korean speakers: Most of them are middle to low in their speaking abilities, though some of them can read fairly well.

My goal: SWBAT read, write and speak some (kind) sentences by the end of the year.  
We shall go forward!

Readying ourselves for the BEAR HUNT!

 

Funny side story/sneak peak into my classroom:

The other day I wanted a group of them to come to the floor with their paper and pencil. So, I picked up a pencil, “Get your PENCIL.” And I held up the paper, “And get your PAPER.” And I then began to motion to the floor, “And come SIT,” I began to sit, “on the FLOOR.” I pointed in the direction of the floor with my index finger. 

I repeated myself. “Get your PENCIL, and get your PAPER, and come SIT on the FLOOR.” 

Same words, same charades. Great efforts, yet no one came. Even the native English speakers gave me blank stares. 

“Please come, now.” I said. 

Eventually their bodies began to move in the direction of the floor.

My goal for this year was to have self-control and not sing or dance at random times during class. I was going to make them raise their hands and never speak out and we were going to have STRUCTURED stretching times rather than FREE wiggle/dancing time.

I am not sure that it even lasted two weeks.

I almost died.

They almost exploded.

I cannot deny that the “don’t smile/be silly for the first month” would have been profitable, (it definitely DID help me to clearly define times to raise hands and other expectations,) but I couldn’t last a WHOLE month. I had to hold in too much of my own energy let alone my students’ energies. I was getting annoyed and they were getting discouraged. It’s just not happily feasible for kindergarteners (or a teacher named Miss Martin) to contain their energy ALL day long. 

As a remedy to our troubles, this week I started singing and dancing at random moments and we have been having “free” wiggle/dance time once again. (No running, no flying shoes, and no yelling. Those are our guidelines.)

Our song of choice last year was “High School Musical” – per their request. This year we happened upon “Cotton-eyed Joe” and a bhangra/Bollywood song. They love it. And WOW! Are they dancers, or what?! I have never seen some of the moves these children are bustin’ out. They have skills. (I also wonder what some of them watch at home with their parents.)

When I visit the States for Christmas I will try to post some dancing videos. (I don't have patience for the uploading time here.)