11 Days into the School year

So last night I had a 'dream' about someone telling me I needed to update my blog, that I've been in school for 11 days and there should be PLENTY to write about. Can you tell what has been on my conscious? :-)

I cannot complain about the start of this school year! We have been off to a great start and it was so good to see so many familiar faces return!

The returning PK's and K's and I had an awesome 2 weeks to get back into the groove of school and I was able to teach them some new procedures: using our classroom bathroom, snack routine, where things are located and pushing in chairs on tile & new carpeting without squeaking or getting stuck on the thicker carpeting. One Kindergartener actually got down onto the floor and pushed from there! What a problem solver! Needless to say, the returning children have been a HUGE help to me, Miss Faini and the incoming 3's. I started to reflect on my first year @ Marquette - it was a doozy but I'm happy to say no one got hurt and they have all carried on as wonderful learners - but really it was a doozy!

When you have an individualized curriculum and you start with 24 children you do not know, one had better act fast to determine how you can meet the child and get him/her going so you can figure out what might best fit the next child. As with anything, with more practice come greater results and I'm the first to admit that I'm not perfect but coming into this school year, I felt a little more at ease. AND I have a great group of peer role models who I can count on to show others the "ropes".


Below is a picture of a new PK sweeping fava beans. It's a favorite among many of the children because they get to make a mess on purpose and then clean it up (I know, different story at home, right?). The skill of sweeping has sure come in handy the past three days. As one Kindergartener said, "Miss Knapp, it's like the 3 year olds come and everything just keeps falling!" So true and yet typical as they have yet to gain the coordination that he has grown to master!

The next picture is what I am assuming is a testament to how tired or in need of a rest my group of K's were after the first day of the three year olds joining us. Typically only 1 child is allowed on the bench at a time but they were all so engrossed in their own books and having true conversations about text that I just couldn't 'break it up' until I got this shot.

And finally, this shot was taken this morning. My own amazement and the amazement of others is something that I get to experience on a regular basis and does not come in every profession. This boy was working on 4-digit addition problems (without exchanging) at the end of his 3-year old school year. Today, we picked back up where he left off in June and it was like old news to him! 

The child in the background just started the 100 board - a challenging work at first. It took her most of the morning session but she worked intensely and was so proud of herself when she completed the work.

In closing of this entry, I just want to say how excited I am to see each child grow this year. I promise more timely entries - before my dreams start haunting me again!