Starting on April Fool's Day I've had the opportunity to head down the road to a nearby Mankato elementary school and help out from 8-10am. I'm going every Tuesday and Thursday until May 1st. While I eventually hope to teach third or fourth grade, kindergarten is showing itself to actually be more fun than I expected.
Ok, yes. Five year olds are adorable. But in the past, the thought of having to keep 25+ snotty nosed youngsters in check has given me a headache (well, not really a headache. A virtual headache?) When I learned that I would be helping out in not fourth grade...not second grade...but kindergarten, my excitement level went down a notch. My misconceptions started popping up: They can't read. They're not well-behaved. They run screaming all over the place. They're so young! How can I teach them??
But...I like it. Yes. They are indeed snotty-nosed. They tattle on one another. They fake their reading so I can't actually tell if they can read or not. Yet...there's something endearing about that age.
One thing I've worried about is how I am going to manage to teach kids that don't understand simple math. However, I've noticed that in a young age like kindergarten, kids can learn things without knowing they're learning them! Here's some creative ways!
--Attendance Addition: Count the number of boys, count the number of girls. How many "friends" are in class today?
--Alphabet Association: Going around the circle and saying one thing that starts with a particular letter. It really gets them to think.
--Musical Memorization: Some people have a high musical intelligence and music can speak to them. It's also been proven that music aids memorization. They're learning fun songs about our country by singing one a day after the Pledge of Allegiance.
Just some thoughts as I prepare for my future career. Oh and by the way! I passed my basic skills MTLEs! (teacher tests) 3 tests down, 6 more to go!! (I think? Maybe 5.) ;)
Madelaine
Ok, yes. Five year olds are adorable. But in the past, the thought of having to keep 25+ snotty nosed youngsters in check has given me a headache (well, not really a headache. A virtual headache?) When I learned that I would be helping out in not fourth grade...not second grade...but kindergarten, my excitement level went down a notch. My misconceptions started popping up: They can't read. They're not well-behaved. They run screaming all over the place. They're so young! How can I teach them??
But...I like it. Yes. They are indeed snotty-nosed. They tattle on one another. They fake their reading so I can't actually tell if they can read or not. Yet...there's something endearing about that age.
One thing I've worried about is how I am going to manage to teach kids that don't understand simple math. However, I've noticed that in a young age like kindergarten, kids can learn things without knowing they're learning them! Here's some creative ways!
--Attendance Addition: Count the number of boys, count the number of girls. How many "friends" are in class today?
--Alphabet Association: Going around the circle and saying one thing that starts with a particular letter. It really gets them to think.
--Musical Memorization: Some people have a high musical intelligence and music can speak to them. It's also been proven that music aids memorization. They're learning fun songs about our country by singing one a day after the Pledge of Allegiance.
Just some thoughts as I prepare for my future career. Oh and by the way! I passed my basic skills MTLEs! (teacher tests) 3 tests down, 6 more to go!! (I think? Maybe 5.) ;)
Madelaine
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