For just a second, I want you to close your eyes and remember your kindergarten experience...
Really, close your eyes... :)
I'm hoping you pictured all of the fun and excitement you had. There were probably many colorful objects and posters in the classroom setting, you were remembering many of the songs you sang, and my guess is that you don't have many memories of sitting in your seat for very long.
Now, quickly scan through your experiences in grades 1-6. If your experiences were like mine, all of the colors, songs, and out-of-seat activities started dwindling down very quickly throughout those 6 grades. As I gain understanding through my field experiences, I'm beginning to understand that teachers are pressured to teach sooooo many skills to their students, AND teach them to be good test-takers. What I see to be lost, however, are the hidden lessons and the love for learning that we find in hands-on activities.
I was surfing the web a couple of days ago and came across this blog (which I of course pinned on pinterest.com!). Mall-ard's "Incredible" Kindergarten Happenings 2011-2012 is a blog where two looped teachers, Mrs. Mallon and Mrs. Dillard, post pictures and videos of the activities their students do in the classroom. As I was skimming through some of the stories, I found myself questioning why this classroom "fun" has to stop after the early education years. Then, I began wondering what education would be like for grades 3-6 if we continued the rich, hands-on experiences. Would our students still be excited to get up and go to school in the morning? Would it increase test scores? How much more effort would it be to plan out more engaging activities for our students, rather than struggling to keep students still and in their seats for lecture and worksheet lessons? I understand that the above mentioned blog is based in a classroom with two teachers as opposed to one, but they have their class for kindergarten and first grade. This means they have to keep things interesting for the same group of students for two school years. The pictures show the students having fun and engaged in what they're learning. I also saw many diverse lessons; one that stuck out to me was the Korean culture lesson. The teachers posted a slideshow of the lesson, and underneath the slideshow were comments that parents and blog visitors left. One said,
"Lourdes said...
What a blessing to be in this class. The children have had so
many cultural experiences. Within the classroom walls, they have
traveled so much already. Oh, the places we go!
Thank you Ms. Hanna for sharing Korean traditions with the class.
Happy New Year!
This one comment expresses the experiences that these students have when they come to school. I find these two teachers, and their blog, to be quite inspiring in my education of becoming a good, effective teacher.
What I gained from visiting this blog is inspiration to make education come to life, regardless of the age group/grade level.
