Today was a very fun day. We had Jump Rope for Heart today,
so I got to watch my kiddos do little tricks with their jump ropes and hula
hoops (like jumping two people to one jump rope or spinning the hula hoops
around their arms/necks/etc.). They were so cute, and a TON of parents came to
watch, which was exciting for the children because they got to “show off” their
skills. Then I rearranged the schedule this afternoon so we could go watch the
4th and 5th grades when they did their routines. THEY
WERE AMAZING. Cartwheels into backflips into the moving rope…kids jumping off
of other kids and landing mid-jump in the moving rope…flips and turns and hops
and skips…I was blown away! I’m not entirely sure that I could successfully
jump rope at all right now, and I know I definitely could never do a
backflip
(cartwheels I can handle if I have a wide area to do them in). I can’t even
begin to fathom how you time it so that your backflip lands you inside of the
jump rope at the right time! I was cheering so loud in the stands when they did
their routines. They choreographed them all on their own (I was told) and chose
their own groups, music, costumes, everything. It was so great to see kids
cooperating in such an awesome way. My kids were a little jealous that they
didn’t get to do “cool” things like the big kids, but I told them that
eventually they will be able to do it, too!
I am feeling a little under the weather today. I worry that
it is fifth disease, because a bunch of the kids in my class have had it
recently, and I don’t think I ever had it as a child so I’m not immune to it. I
was doing some research on it and it seems likely that I have it, because it
spreads like wildfire in schools and as an almost-first-year teacher
(basically) I haven’t been exposed to all of these lovely little illnesses yet.
I just have a headache and some cold-like symptoms, so it’s not too bad. The
worst part (if I have it) will be the red cheeks. I checked to make sure I wasn’t
contagious before I went to school today, but Aryn told me that once you start
to show symptoms you’re not contagious anymore. I think that’s why it spreads
so easily -- no one knows they have it until they’ve given it to everyone
around them. Aryn also told me that it is no big deal except for when it
affects pregnant women, so no worries here! I know one of the teachers at the
school who is pregnant has been seeing her doctor to make sure she wasn’t
exposed, and I think it's okay. The next few days will tell in my case…I
might end up with some rosy red cheeks over Spring Break. (Which is in 1 day! 1
day!)One of my biggest issues today was that a child in my class has been self-harming whenever he gets in trouble or is frustrated. It just breaks my heart. Aryn and the counselor and the principal have talked with him about it, and I think they’re making progress…but it is still just a hard thing. At 5 years old…life should not be so hard. I do my best to make it easier wherever I can. I think it’s really important to remember that we don’t know what’s going on in children’s minds or how they’re feeling emotionally. A lot of the time, they tell us. But I think a lot of the time, they don’t. We have to keep this in mind, because we don’t want what we say to make things worse. We should always, always be making things better, especially if we are the only stable adults in their lives that are making things easier and not harder. My entire educational philosophy is based around the idea that home life and other extenuating circumstances dictate how children behave at school and how they deal with problems. One of my greatest fears is that I am going to accidentally make things worse for a child instead of better. However, I think that having the mindset that I do helps to alleviate some of the situations in which I could potentially worsen the situation. I’m always thinking about context, and so I operate within the appropriate context. It’s also helpful that Cushing is kind of small community, because Aryn knows a lot about all of the children and their families, and her insights help me to know what each child needs.
Tomorrow is Moms & Muffins, which I am looking forward to. I am not entirely sure what this entails, but I know that I’m headed to Walmart in a bit to buy some muffins! They didn’t tell us we needed to bring any (“we” being the student teachers) but Christina and I thought it would be nice to bring some anyway. This school and the staff is doing so much for us, so I think the least I can do is give a little back.
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