Classroom Blog
This page will be dedicated to our classroom. Here is where I will include things we are learning as well as pictures from the classroom. You can expect monthly and the occasional weekly updates.
We had another great week of learning and exploring. Here are some of moments I was able to capture from the week. We practiced recognizing quantities up to 5, sorting, and grouping by numerals. We had a trial run of making play-doh. We celebrated Sophia's birthday. At the end of the week we went to explore the garden boxes and decided which box we will use for Monday. We spotted an interesting bug which I told the children I would research and let them know what it is. I also found a really neat moth yesterday to share with the students. I love learning about new things and being able to share with the children!! We had such a busy and eventful week that I almost forgot to share some of the great things I was able to capture. During this week, we finished reading Zen Shorts, and we created our own version of "Stillwater." The children practiced being patient by drawing the outline using water, a q-tip, paper and their fingers to tear the paper. They were challenged at first by having to draw an outline on white paper with water, but they were too determined to stop. As you can tell by some of their expressions, they were definitely focused. Look for the completed product next week. We also had a fire drill that I warned the children about, but as you can see they were excited to see "real" firemen as a few of them stated. They were so brave and even though the alarm went off at the end of our rest time they remained calm. They were very quick to get up and to the door safely. I was so impressed at how calm they stayed. Bread baking and handwork went great this week. I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy the Huck-a-buck bread at home. The children were very successful at creating yarn balls. It takes a lot of practice at first, but they were all able to make one. Our intern, Ms. Susie was determined herself to conquer our plethora of tangled yarns. Thank you to all of the parents that came and helped us in the classroom. We appreciate all of your support. We loving sharing our classroom. Thank you! We have been busy learning and exploring these past two weeks. We've made rainbow bubbles, enjoyed music class with Mr. Reedy, baked bread using honey I harvested from my home beehive, collected things we've found and nature and so much more. If only I could capture every moment I get to share with your children. Thank you for sharing them with me. I am thankful everyday for being a part of SCCS. What an amazing first two days of school! Our first day was definitely the best first day of school in my four years of teaching. The children were so eager and happy to meet new friends. They really enjoyed outdoor and indoor play as you can see from the pictures. One of the highlights for me from the first day was towards the end of the day, after we had finished our math lesson. I'm not sure what the reason was, but four of the children came to me as I was standing to hug me. Then slowly all of the children began to join in until all of them were hugging me at once, "group hug" as a few of the students said. I am so happy to be their teacher. They are learning so much already. I look forward to watching them learn and grow this year. I am so thankful to be at SCCS and honored to be their teacher! The Waldorf Approach for Public Schools, Reflection from Miss Bagsic
I really enjoyed my experience at the Waldorf Approach for Public Schools conference. It was by far the most meaningful training experience I have had in my career as a teacher. I am very thankful and appreciative to have had the opportunity to grow as an educator. My day was gracefully started in Singing Games with Anna Rainville, who was also one of my teachers for the pre-k and kindergarten demonstration class. It was the best way to start each day of the conference. During this class we learned and practiced different singing games that can be incorporated into every day class routines. Anna taught the importance of connecting the upper and lower body movements and how beneficial it is to brain development. Through these movements mid-line movements are strengthened. She demonstrated how to modify and adapt the games for each appropriate age group. I have to admit, I enjoyed all of the singing games. I look forward to incorporating many of the singing games in my daily rhythm. During the week, I was fortunate to listen to lectures from George Hoffecker, Liz Beaven, and Dr. Susan Johnson. The first lecture I enjoyed was from George Hoffecker about “Strengthening the Inner Life of the Teacher.” George’s lecture discussed the strategies that can be used to help with classroom management. He also spoke on techniques we can use to help us refocus and lead students instead of trying to manage them. He stressed that you have to connect the behavior with language before you can act or correct a student’s behavior. Students’ behaviors are directly related to language (Their behavior is trying to tell you something, be it positive or negative.) He gave examples from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, using the Four Breaths to bring calmness and mindfulness to your day. I felt that this lecture was very beneficial, especially for an educator. Another lecture that I appreciated was with Liz Beaven on the overview of grades 4 through 8. Some of the other students were not there for the first week of the conference and Liz was kind enough to give a brief review of grades 1 through 3. Liz gave us an outline of each grade level and how it develops or corresponds to the next grade. We looked at the general curriculum, how the child develops, and what the teacher might be experiencing. I enjoyed the broad view of the grades 1 through 8 and how they each correlate as a child truly grows and develops. It was a very insightful view of how children learn and how teachers can support them as they develop. Liz Beaven also gave a lecture on “Bringing Nature into Schools: The Essential Role of Nature in Childhood”. One of the most memorable quotes that stood out to me from this lecture was from Albert Einstein, “Look deep into nature and you will understand it better.” She gave us many resources we can use and refer to as a guide of how important nature is to the development of a child. Having the opportunity to really experience nature in its natural form is very beneficial. One thing Liz stated was that “the senses are the root of human discovery” which translates to direct experiences, observations, and direct connections to our surroundings. As a teacher I am eager to incorporate and use nature as a way to enrich students’ development and learning. Some of the resources that I look forward to using are www.childrenandnature.org, and www.cincbayarea.org. Dr. Susan Johnson’s lecture on Brain Development: Learn and Reading was definitely one of the most meaningful lectures of the week. Her lecture focused on her research on the foundations of neurological pathways and how our higher capacities for learning are developed through senses. We looked at the tactile and vestibular systems and the characteristics of dysfunction to look for. One of the topics discussed, was proprioception (the sense of where the body is in space) and how it relates to development or the lack of development. There is a direct connection between poor proprioception and how the body reacts. For instance, one of the symptoms of poor proprioception is a weakness or irregularity in the movement of muscles and joints. This weakness can cause a child to be clumsy in gross motor movement, have difficulty with ordinary tasks such as dressing, or they may have an unusual need for physical contact. This lecture with Dr. Johnson gave me a lot of information and tools that I can use to help me better address the needs of students. Some of the techniques and strategies she suggested, simply made sense. Having students perform simple movements and gestures are ways to assess students brain development. For example, having a student stand on one foot and then stand on the other foot for several seconds can tell you whether or not the child can deeply hear and understand. There are many strategies I learned from Dr. Johnson that I will keep in my practice as a teacher. What I enjoyed the most during my week at the conference, was my demonstration class with teachers and cousins, Anna Rainville and Doris Rainville. During the week we learned to use things in nature and our imagination, just as if we were children learning for the first time. This class encouraged me to think out of the box and be creative, something I have never experienced at a teaching conference. One of our first tasks was to use a piece of thread and go out into the garden and create a scene for a nursery rhyme. We were instructed to use anything we could find in nature, as long as it wasn’t the last (flower, leaf, etc.) I paired up with another teacher to create a scene for “Little Boy Blue.” We created a little boy using one of our threads to fashion a dried out lime for a head, and some pieces of mulch for limbs and a body. Then we used our other thread to tie some pieces of straw together to make the haystack. It was amazing to see how each group put together a magical nursery rhyme scene, with only a piece of thread to start with. Some of the other highlights from this class were making and decorating beeswax candles, making puppets using sheep’s wool, felt and other fabrics, and also creating a puppet show using silks and other puppet friends. This class was also enriched with the stories and experiences shared by both veteran Waldorf teachers, Anna and Doris. Anna and Doris alone, have inspired me to be a better teacher and to simply be the teacher that I am. Overall, my experience at the Waldorf Approach for Public Schools conference was life changing. My vision as a teacher has been enriched and invigorated by the information I was lucky to take away from the conference. I look forward to putting this new knowledge into practice and utilizing the resources given to me to be successful. I am forever grateful to the great teachers that presented throughout the conference as well as the SCCS board for the wonderful opportunity. |
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