Reflection

Reflection

I have learned a great deal in my first year of teaching. I consider all I've learned to be important but there is one lesson that really stands out to me and that is that lessons don't have always go as I'd like or as I planned. For exampl,e in October I planned a lesson for the kindergartners on scarecrows. I had several storybooks about scarecrows. I felt this was a great lesson. It was in keeping with the season, it paralled what the classroom teachers were doing and I planned a fun extension activity for the children. It did not go as I had planned. The book I had selected to read, //Scarecrow Pete//, although a wonderful story, was too long for them. I selected a different book, //The Little Scarecrow Boy//. I thought this was a fun book that the chldren would like until I got to the part where the scarecrow is chased down by crows. This book was too scary. Even the pictures were frightening. Then... I found it! The perfect book. It was simply called //Scarecrow//. The children thought it was great. I had finally found the perfect fit!

Another time I struggled was with poetry and once again it was with the kindergartners. I planned a lesson around Shel Silverstein, a well know children's poet. My lesson would consist of me teaching the children about poetry and then reading some of Shel Silverstein's poems. I had picked out some funny ones I thought they would like. I was then going to read them a few poems from his book //Runny Babbitt//. In Runny Babbitt the consonants are switched around. For example,


 * Way down in the green woods**
 * Where the animals all play**
 * They do things and they say things**
 * In a different sort of way -**
 * Instead of sayin' "purple hat,"**
 * They all say "hurple pat."**
 * Instead of sayin' "feed the cat,"**
 * They just say "ceed the fat."**
 * So if you say, "Let's bead a rook**
 * That's billy as can se,"**
 * You're talkin' Runny Babbit talk,**
 * Just like mim and he.**

In order to help the children understand what was happening with the letters I wrote out a few lines on the white board and wrote the correct letters on sticky notes. I did this so that I could show them how Shel Silverstein wrote his poems in //Runny Babbit// and how the word should really look. I should also state that I spoke with two kindergarten teachers before the lesson to ask if they thought this was too difficult for the children. Their response was no it wasn't, but I should give a through explanation.

Almost from the beginning I could tell that the majority of children did not understand what was happening (a few got it).Their mouths hung open and they just stared at me with blank faces. Uh oh!!! I had to revamp. I switched //Runny Babitt// to the first grade who thought Runny was hysterical and I found simpler, easier poems for the kindergartenrs to understant. The lesson I learned was if a lesson isn't working - **CHANGE IT!** Lessons are always a work in progress. They get better as they go. I get better. I feel more confident and often the children have input which adds to the fun and the learning experience for everyone.