Why in the world do I feel guilty when I do something with my kids that I know is developmentally appropriate but is not what my district expects? I am a professional and know what they SHOULD doing but it's not what the county WANTS them to be doing. They want them to be assessed to death on topics and in ways they are so not ready for. All it does is stress them out. I am all for high expectations and I have them for my students, but they are only 7 and 8 years old for goodness sake! Let them be kids! Some of them can barely write a sentence and they want them to answer an essay question? I don't think so! And why can't we do fun holiday stuff? Those are some of my favorite memories of elementary school. I taught them three Thanksgiving songs and we're having a pie tasting next week and I dare administration to say anything to me about it (of course I've already thought of ways I can connect it all to the curriculum, if asked). I just want to be left alone to teach...I know what I'm doing, please let me do it.
I feel the same way about my fifth graders! I was grading reading tests and looking at the answer key and was blown away by what they expected fifth graders to answer.
My goal this year has been to not forget that they are kids. We still work hard and I have high expectations, but I agree with the fun. I don't think classes should spend a week on holiday celebrations or anything, but a little fun won't hurt!
We had our "fall celebration" today and it was great. My school doesn't do parties, but I went old school and did the whole room parent thing this year. I took my kiddos outside to play and the parents swooped in, set up puzzles and games, brought cupcakes, chips and dip and fruit. It was great! The kids were so excited to celebrate the end of the trimester and play games. It was 45 minutes out of a week and time well spent.
Sometimes I feel like I am just wasting some of my kid's time with what I am trying to teach. So much of the curriculum is so far above their heads they have no clue what is going on and are just floundering. My common sense and experience tell me to do one thing, but my district tells me to do another.
not only requires us to take a state test, but they also require that we take one hour a week to teach chess. I'm not saying a third grader can't learn chess, but it is not the most developmentally appropriate game. They teach them how to move the pieces in 2nd and they learn strategies in third, but then they do nothing further with it!
I always have found it interesting that the publishing companies seem to have all the power because we have to buy our curriculum from them and then, have to follow it to a "T". I agree it is important to have a good curriculum and to use it, but you also have to let kids be kids.
I totally agree with "Cats" message. I have been teaching 27 years and we don't have time for the fun anymore. It is just push, push, push, to get to the next requirement of the day. What happened to the 2 weeks of focusing on the lives of the pilgrims as they traveled to a new land? I used to have complete units with reading, math, language, social studies, spelling words etc. The students did independent research and created books. We did readers' theaters, spun wool, made soap, and churned butter. They were excited to come to school and I was always on my toes trying to keep up with their enthusiasm to learn. AND THEY DID LEARN!
Today as I looked at my curriculum, I am thinking, "Oh, my gosh....I only have 3 days next week and I need to finish this chapter in math and take the test before break, finish this unit in reading, and find time for the students to finish their Thanksgiving stories, (that wasn't part of the required curriculum) and evaluate the students for their fluency and comprehension goals that we had to create in early October.
We haven't even had time to just enjoy all of the Thanksgiving stories that I have in the back of the room. What happened to the days of just slowing down to enjoy a good book?
Remember the old commercials when the mother was surrounded by her screaming chilldren, pots boiling over, dogs barking and she would just stop and say.,"Calgon...take me away!"
That's what I feel everyday in the classroom!
I don't like to complain, but at times it is just sad to see where we have come in education.
What happened to the 2 weeks of focusing on the lives of the pilgrims as they traveled to a new land? I used to have complete units with reading, math, language, social studies, spelling words etc. The students did independent research and created books. We did readers' theaters, spun wool, made soap, and churned butter. They were excited to come to school and I was always on my toes trying to keep up with their enthusiasm to learn.
I would LOVE this! That is how I think the early elementary grades should be. Of course it would never happen now! I know the kids would be so much more excited about school and learning. Maybe I should teach preschool, but I don't think I'd have the patience for those little ones.
Someone on another thread asked me why I was considering homeschooling next year - this is precisely why. I want my kids to learn in depth. My 5th grader told me he was learning about the American colonies this week in SS. I got excited and we went to the library to get The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Johnny Tremaine...only to find out they were just memorizing the colonies on a map and labeling their capitals. Next week they do the midwest.
This really bums me out - as a parent and as a teacher.
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I have to agree with Mama_me. Although I feel that many parents are not qualified to homeschool, there are many who take it seriously. My sister in law did an amazing job with her two boys and they eventually graduated from the public high school and all graduated from college. Their elementary years were full of enriching activities that just can't happen in public schools today.
Well said! So many of us here could probably have posted the same vent! One suggestion if you are so inclined, consider writing a reader's editorial for publishing in your local newspaper. I did that several years ago when I felt that our kindergarten curriculum was completely developmentally inappropriate. Five others, a parent and four other teachers, followed up and wrote letters as well. District personnel came to our schools to chat with us about how things could be changed. They ended up changing report cards, interim reports, the entire math curriculum and science, social studies and health. Now, I do have to admit I tried the same thing about two years ago as the pendulum has swung around again, and it didn't seem to help, but there were no follow ups. You never know though so you might want to at least try.
11-20-2009, 12:53 PM
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