Day 30: Unexpected Beginnings

I'm not going to lie.
It's been a tough start.
I had been spoiled by being in a classroom with 4 adults
for the past 7 years,
and now,
I was alone
a lot of the time
with 24 4-year-olds.

It's Day 30 today.
I missed about 1/3 of those days.

Never been out that long,
but what can you do 
when you suddenly get a fever and body aches
and test positive at 4:00 in the morning on Monday.

I didn't expect things to be perfect when I got back,
after all, I only had 10 days to get 4 year olds into routines
and then I suddenly disappeared for two weeks.

But sometimes
things surprise you,
and they did.

It hasn't been a perfect 2 weeks since my return,
but it hasn't been too bad either.

Circle time can go for 30 minutes now.
I'm not the only one singing now.
More friends are dancing now.
There is less hitting, pushing, bumping, crying, screaming, and tattling now.
(Don't get me wrong, there is still hitting, pushing, bumping, crying, screaming, 
and plenty of tattling... just less of it).

They can recognize the first letter of their names now.
They follow routines, can put together compound words, and identify rhymes.
They are beginning to build relationships, show compassion, and be more independent.
And although we have a long way to go
I see us constantly in motion
and moving forward.
It's why I teach.
I crave learning and witnessing growth.

Two of my favorite classroom moments in September...

Tree Walk last Friday.
ME: "Look at this tree. What do you see? Look at the leaves."

E (one of my favorite nemesis) "It's a deciduous tree!" 

How can you not love when a 4 year old uses the word deciduous?!

We have been filling buckets each day.
We empty them too,
but we try to keep them full.
I say "I love you," a lot.

I just do.
I want them to hear that daily.

Today while E was working next to me,

she nonchalantly blurted out to me,

"Teacher, I love you more."

This school year may have started off with an unexpected glitch,
but it looks like everything will be alright.
My month long cough is finally gone,

A's cries and screams in the morning are now a few seconds of whimper,
we are going on our first field trip next week,

and E loves me more.

My bucket is full.

Day 1

There's no tired like preschool first day with students tired.

I guess I won't be going to Zumba today.

No breaks,

No lunch,

No potty accidents,

Lots of tears,

Nosebleeds,

Sweat and "Where's my mom?"

But all in all a good first day.

Preschool is no joke!

Have a great school year everyone!

Five years ago, I decided to wear the same dress the first day of school.

Different glasses, but same dress!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Kindergarten Here They Come!

Counting down to 180...

5! 

Rehearsing for a Culmination on Zoom. 

Hopefully, our last culmination on Zoom.

4!

It was different,

but the excitement of the day remains the same.

Balloons, Graduation Leis, Candy Baskets, and Teddy Bears too!

It's not a graduation,

but a celebrating of completing a year.

So happy that every child had someone show up for them,

and lots of photos of a special event in their lives and mine.

3!

If they only knew,

that I learn just as much,

if not more,

than they learn from me.

Today my teen had to leave his "game" room.

He agreed to work this summer.

He wasn't happy about it,

but he committed.

Ironically,

it's at an Early Childhood Education Center,

working with young children with special needs.

#justlikeme

He survived,

and maybe even liked it a little.

2!

When you make a chore a part of play.

End of the year cleaning and organization is no joke.

1! Last Day of 2021-2022

I thought last year was tough,

but this year was probably tougher.

Teaching from behind a mask,

weekly covid testing,

quarantine,

closed campus, 

and students performance webinars,

it was different.

But we still managed to establish routines,

laugh, sing, dance, and play everyday,

identify letters and numbers,

go on six field trips,

makes friends,

build relationships,

and find the joy in learning.

Off to Kindergarten!

My last photo collage for parents of the year

is probably my favorite.

It's a side by side from the first day to the last day.

Amazed at how they have grown!

Privileged to be a part of their lives,

honored to watch them grow.

#dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo

After 6 years in ETK-PCC,

I decided to make a change.

I love teaming,

but wanted to go back to a self-contained class model

so that I could teach in a more systematic way again.

UTK offered that opportunity.

I'm excited,

and a little sad

that I won't have the best TA's to work along side me.

Change is growth.

I want to keep growing.

One of the first people I met at my current school was Gabriel.

I was pushing a carpet up the ramp and 

asked him if he could open my room.

He didn't know me,

and he was busy,

but he helped me out.

Then he told Bryce to make good choices.

Bryce still remembers him.

He will retire officially in August,

but we celebrated him today.

There are good people in the world.

He is one of them.

Today, we celebrated the end of my 35th year.

Today, we celebrated his first.

I am ready for summer!

It's been exhausting

and I need the time to 

regroup,

reorganize, 

refresh,

rethink,

repair,

and rebuild my relationship as a parent of a teen.

But first I have to finish my CUMS,

and attend CGI training next week...

#teacherslife

174: I See You

He's come a long way.

This week he went into the bathroom on his own

and wasn't afraid.

And he even flushed!

It was huge.

Yesterday, he sat with his group

and wrote/drew for 20 minutes.

It was huge.

Today, he drew a self portrait.

I don't really know for sure if it was a self portrait,

but we all agreed it looked like it was.

Had to capture it before he erased.

I'm going to miss him next year.

I might have to stop by his new school

just to check in.

I see you L.

Keep moving forward!

When you are presented with a thoughtful teacher gift,

you wear it! 

Today, we did.

Sometimes,

the drive in traffic is worth it.

Today would be one of those times.

#MilkenForum

173: Then and Now

It's hard to have writing workshop when there are small groups.

The time allotted is never enough for some,

and too much for others.

Next year, I want to go back to daily Writing Workshop.

But until then, 

I will celebrate our small successes!

Day 172: Less is More

I am a firm believer that dittos,

worksheets, practice pages, 

adult created,

close-ended,

fill in the blank sheets

don't belong in the early childhood classroom.

There.

I said it.

Here were my directions today:

*Draw 10 butterflies. Count them. Label them if you can.

Look at what happened:

I'm not saying I will never use a worksheet

or send them home for practice and homework,

I'm just saying you can get so much more information from not using one.

#nextyeargoals

Day 171: Farm Fresh Friday

When your 9th grader's last day of freshmen year 

is graduation morning for his high school,

and he's in band,

and band has a 5:30AM call time,

then your call time becomes 4:30AM.

Did I mention it was a field trip day for me too?

We are extremely lucky to have made it to 6.

Six experiences outside of our school.

Six learning opportunities that we didn't have last year.

Six amazing places that students won't soon forget.

Today it was Amy's Farm.

We got to see live farm animals,

turkeys, ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep,

and pet a horse!

Each child got to milk a cow.

How cool is that?

Pretty darn cool!

Something I doubt they will forget.

We got to spend a beautiful day outdoors

in the sunshine,

taking in sights, sounds, touch,

and smells....

I got an added bonus for the day:

My former K-1 student Alexis stopped by

and gifted me fresh eggs from her chickens!

So I got to use my sense of taste as well!

It was a lovely day...

despite having an unexpected lockdown at the end of our school day.

Luckily,

our students were not too effected

but others were understandably.

It had been an emotional week

and the last thing staff, parents, and students needed was the fear of something harmful on campus.

False alarm,

but nevertheless,

not something you ever want to think about,

but we do.

Ten.... (Day 170)

Ten days left.

How can you eat healthy when people bring you treats.

You can't just NOT eat them,

it's a gift!

I'll start summer. 

One more 5 year old arrived today.

19 down, 2 to go.

And there were cupcakes.

It's probably my 15th batch.

I don't want to make anymore cupcakes for awhile!

You know what I love about assessments?

Not the ones mandated by the state,

or the ones where there are test questions on paper.

I love "Show Me, Tell Me" assessments.

Today L showed me he knew what number quantities were

by giving me the number of cubes I asked for.

He doesn't communicate verbally when requested,

but he was able to complete an action.

And today I learned that G could count to 20.

She has 1 to 1 correspondence,

and cardinality.

I was so proud of her

and know how hard she worked.

She only was able to count to 2 for the longest time,

but now,

I think she will be okay.

Tomorrow we go on our last field trip of the year.

It's been challenging,

but we will get in 6 this year.

Just received our class photo from the Skirball.

I can't tell you how many class photos I have just like this one

on the steps of the Skirball Cultural Center.

I've taken students here for over 15 years

and each time, 

just as magical.

Experiences Matter.

Day 169: Finding Joy in the Midst of Sorrow

Some questions are never going to be answered.

We began the day in such sorrow and tremendous loss,

again.

It was fitting that our day began with a school-wide, 

1K Walk 

to highlight

Mental Health Awareness Day.

May we remember to take care of ourselves,

the ones we love,

and the people around us.

It's been a tough year,

and a tough 24 hours,

but there is also joy around us too.

We just need to find it,

even in simple things...

Who would think a sorting tub of "STUFF" could bring excitement?

Apparently, old, used keys brings joy to those who discover them at the bottom.

You know what else brings joy?

Giving flowers

to those that don't expect anything

for showing kindness.

But I see them.

I appreciate them.

Joy is having someone you taught,

nearly 17 years ago,

complete their college degree.

Joy is something I know many families,

in a small town in Texas,

are not experiencing today.

I wish them strength.

I wish them peace.

I wish them love.

I wish them hope that their loss is not in vain.

We mourn too.

Day 168: How Long...

How long?

How long must we sing this song?

Teaching brings me such joy.

I bet it brought Eva joy too.

There has been school shootings for awhile now,

but the one I remember with vivid details 

was SandyHook.

My friend Claudia and I were taking our class on a walking trip to the park.

It was almost our winter break.

Claudia read about the shooting on her cell phone.

The details from that shooting were heartbreaking

and too close to home.

It has happened again,

and again,

and again.

I just don't know what to say.

My heart hurts for the families of the students.

Innocent lives taken

and for their teacher.

Please make it stop.

Just heartbreaking,

again.

This was going to be my post today.

It's the sounds of my kiddos eating breakfast.

I had to tape it because it brought me joy 

listening to them talk to each other.

Happy sounds on such a sad day in education.

#peace

Day 167: Let's Play with Playdough!

Playdough is essential in an early childhood classroom

We have been out for awhile,

so this weekend I remembered to buy the flour and salt.

Koolaid would have been perfect, 

but the 99Cent Store didn't have any, 

and I didn't want to make another stop

with gas being at nearly $6.00 a gallon!

The kids and I made three batches today

in three different colors.

Unfortunately,

two of the batches was too "slimy,"

but it didn't matter,

it's all about sensory play.

Why is sensory play important?

Just watch L explore using his senses.

He actually sat and engaged with the play dough for nearly 20 minutes.

That may not seem long to you,

but for L, who doesn't sit with the group unless he is "forced" to

and usually next to a teacher, 

it was huge!

He smelled, rolled, cut, squished, patted, cut, and snuck a taste too!

Sensory play matters!

Day 166: Friday Thank You Notes

Thank you Mr. Pedroza...

for coming to our rescue and finding our unexpected visitor a new home this morning.

Thank you Gator Skin Foam Balls...

for being strong, soft and safe for students to use to learn ball handling skills and play games with;

even the ones that are afraid to get hit.

Thank you families of J, J, M, D, and L...

for donating more than your share for our field trip to Amy's Farm.

Your generosity and kindness will help fund other students' field trip

and save me for more out of pocket field trip expenses this year.

I am truly grateful!

Thank you San Gabriel Valley Humane Society...

for taking care of "Baby" Burger until I could find him 8years ago.

He's my best buddy and the only one that actually seeks to spend time with me these days!

#NationalRescueDogDay

Day 165: Pomp and Pizza

It has been a tradition that students in PreK and K

have some kind of culmination.

It can be a simple performance of class songs

or an entire program with performances

and costumes.

Then certificates of completion are passed out.

For the past 2 years,

culmination has been different.

Two years ago,

we drove to each students' home

and presented certificates and gifts;

all four teachers.

Last year,

we passed out certificates in front of the school.

This year we will do the same.

Parents are disappointed.

It's been a tough two years,

and although it's not the same,

I still want to make it special...

so today we had a photo shoot for a surprise collage for parents.

My how my kiddos have grown!

We celebrated our classified staff today.

It truly takes a village to raise and educate our kids.

It also takes a village to balance my life as a mom and teacher.

My TA's are truly my heroes.

They keep me focused and sane.

Truly appreciate them.

Part of the celebration of classified staff today

included a yummy brunch.

My TAs brought back a lunch plate for me.

There was a slice of pepperoni pizza on the plate.

M (who rarely eats the school lunch) sees my plate.

M: Miss Fung, what's that?

Me: It's pizza.

M: I like pizza.

Me: Would you like some of my pizza?

M: Yes.

Me: I will cut you 1/2. Don't tell anyone.

The REST of the story:

He had both halves of the pizza.

I ate chilaquiles instead.

#feedingmatthew

Day 164: What's in YOUR Head?

It's Wednesday.
I get to listen and write with kids.
It's one of my favorite things to do.

Today, I wrote about taking Bryce to Urgent Care last night.
Today, Matthew wrote about his head.

There's a lot going on in there.

I love how kids think.
So creative and limitless.

I wish they hold on to that for a long time.

In the meantime,

I'll just enjoy it.