Allowing Yourself To Be A Beginner

For the past six years, I have worked a second job at our church as the Director of Children's Ministry. It has been joyful and uplifting, but with my youngest child entering the confirmation years, it is time to move on.  I was looking forward to only having one job to prep and more time for myself and my family--until I saw a Facebook post for a company called VIPKID.

VIPKID is a company that employs teachers as independent contractors to teach English to children in China. Teachers can choose the number of days and hours they work each month, and the curriculum is already developed for them--they simply have to teach the slides presented.

When I first saw the post, I was intrigued, but I didn't give it to much thought. The second time I saw the post, I was intrigued and I began to research the company a bit more. Something ignited in me and I decided to give it a try. The first step was submitting my resume, which consisted of listing my credentials and experience. I was soon contacted for an initial interview and demo lesson. 

After watching numerous YouTube videos and reading countless forum posts, I was equal parts prepared and petrified. I was required to teach a 10 minute lesson to a mentor in Beijing who was posing as a five year old child. I literally almost quit about a dozen times. But then, I remembered what I always tell my students: "Don't be afraid to try difficult things. The worst thing that can happen is that you might fail. But, failing is how we learn." So, I gave it a try.

I passed the initial interview and was asked to teach one or two mock classes--each which consisted of teaching a 25 minute lesson to a mentor in the United States, again posing as a child. Just like with the initial demo class,  I went to YouTube and watched everything I could about teaching the mock classes. And just like with the initial demo class, I was nervous and wanted to quit, especially when I found out the company only interviews about 10% of the people who submit their resumes, that many people fail their mock lessons and that only around 30% of those who do the first mock lesson are hired without having to do a second lesson. Yikes!

I decided to do the only thing I could conceivably allow myself to do: I prepared and prepared and prepared for the mock lesson and I went for it. As luck may have it, I was hired after the first mock lesson and did not have to teach second lesson. Little did I know, this was only the beginning.

I soon discovered the true challenge was not getting hired by this company. The true challenge was allowing myself to become a beginner again. Teaching on an online platform was totally new for me. Teaching English to a student who speaks little or none themselves was totally new for me. Putting myself out there for parents (who often watch in the wings) to critique and rate (yes, that is part of the process) was totally new for me. The reality was, I had to get over myself and allow myself to be a beginner.

I am currently three weeks into this new adventure. I get up at 4:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and teach 3-4 classes before heading off to school to teach kindergarten all day. If you think this sounds exhausting, think again. Being a beginner has opened my eyes to a whole new world--literally. When I arrive at school for my full-time job, I am invigorated, I am ready to face the day like a teacher just coming off a week-long vacation or returning from a teacher's conference. I can't explain it, but it is true!

In addition to the excitement this new adventure has stirred in me, I have also discovered it has enhanced my classroom teaching in other ways. It has reminded me that students who struggle need directions simplified and modeled. Also, as I listen to my Chinese students respond to questions with complete sentences, I am reminded to make sure my own students do the same. Mostly, however, it has taught me that children are the same all over. They want to be validated, noticed, challenged, appreciated, encouraged and loved. They want someone to believe in them so they will not quit, so they will try something even if they might fail, so they will never be afraid to begin again.

If you are interested in trying VIPKID yourself, please use the following referral link: https://t.vipkidteachers.com/?refereeId=4222866

Reasons to Smile

The school year is winding down. In six short weeks the little angels who have graced my classroom will be moving out and moving on. That means six weeks of panic while I review curriculum, assess progress and hope that I have given my students everything they need to be successful in first grade. 

In the midst of the craziness that is the end of the school year, my wonderful students have given me many reasons to smile this week.  Some smiles were inspired by snippets of overheard conversation, some by the antics and actions of individual children, some by the evidence of student learning and some by the sheer pleasure of watching children learn, explore and play. Let me share a few...

First, how can you not smile when looking at that adorable face? Second, my heart swelled with pride when I heard, months after our study of American symbols, "Look, Mrs. Zeidler, I'm Lady Liberty!"

After spending their afternoon discovery time at the take apart station, two girls brought me the circuit board from a dvd player. The first girl said, "Mrs. Zeidler, look at this. It looks like a city. The green part looks like grass and the black things look like trees. The bigger black things are like buildings." The second girl said, "It is like a bird's eye view." And yes, we did talk about that expression during our geography unit. You guessed it--big smile!

After setting out some donated shoe boxes at the makerspace area with a sign saying, "Can you make a diorama?" my face was in permanent smile mode after seeing these creative results. Keep in mind, there were no directions provided or examples modeled by the teacher.

"That's my mom sunbathing on the grass." How cute is that?

While sitting at the guided reading table, listening in while students read their story. "Mrs. Zeidler, look---it's a blend!"

I could go on and on, but really, what makes me smile the most is realizing just how much children can do and learn when you simply give them time to play and explore. I am so proud of the students in my classroom. They are creative. They are problem solvers. They are questioners. They are thinkers. They are readers. They are writers. They are mathematicians. They are geographers and economists. They are good friends and good citizens. They are sweet angels and they have found a place in my heart and taken up permanent residence. I am blessed.

Exploring Language Through Poetry

Cat

Skinny whiskers

Thin bodies for you

and me to see

I like the way a cat looks!

~ Clara

Poetry can warm the heart and activate the senses. The language of poetry can make us laugh out loud, cry memory-filled tears or put a smile on our faces--as this poem did for me when I first read it. I can't imagine a world without the beauty of poetry.

That said, it can be difficult for young children to write poetry. They are used to writing in narrative style or writing fact-filled nonfiction sentences. They feel they are "breaking the rules" by abandoning sentence structure in favor of the looser structure of poetry. It is daring. It is challenging. It is completely outside the box for some of our young learners. I love it!

Our writing curriculum, Being a Writer, does a nice job of introducing young children to poetry. The first week, they simply listen to poetry and learn to focus on the words--words that describe how something looks, feels, tastes, smells and sounds. Words that describe how something moves. Words. Words. Words.

Eventually, we use the words we have collected and create poems together. We discuss choosing words that paint a clear image in the reader's mind and experiment with ways to lay the words out on the paper to create a rhythmic flow. Our shared poems are about animals. Children understand animals. They know them, they own them, they love them!

Finally, the students take the plunge and write their first poems. Adjectives and verbs magically appear on their papers. Adjectives and verbs that did not need to be taught through a formal grammar lesson (B.O.R.I.N.G). Adjectives and verbs that come from the minds of children writing about something they know. Isn't it awesome?!

On sharing day, as each child sat down, one by one, in the author's chair to share their first attempts at poetry, my heart swelled and swelled with pride until I thought I would simply burst. It was the pride of facing a struggle together and coming out on top. As I listened, I realized just how far we have come this year. Each and every child tackled this process fearlessly. They have learned to approach challenges not as problems, but as opportunities. They have learned to persevere, to create, to make mistakes and try again. My cup runneth over.

It is a pleasure to share some more of my students' first poems with you.

Puppy

Colorful fur
Black, white, brown,
gray
Sharp paws
Fast

~Hailey

Cat

Skinny whiskers

Fur

Paws

Legs

Sharp teeth, sharp claws

MEOW!

Ears are pointed

~Alli

Dolphins

Swim in the water

Make a sound

Ock, Ock

Whoosh!

~Elsy

Dog

He pees outside,

Has fur

Chases cats

Gives a paw

~Seren

Cheetah

Runs fast

Almost as fast

as a rocket!

Strong legs, too!

~William

Cat

Snuggles with me

It feels good!

It runs fast,

Scattering through the barn

~Cecelya

Cheetah

Fast

Polka dots

Slow

Jump, sleep, roar

Big

Strong

~Rhys

Cat

Skinny whiskers

Fur

Litter box

Sharp teeth, sharp claws

Nap

~Lily

Cat

Nap

Walk

Purr

Meow!

~Maira

Cat

Naps

Whiskers

Climbs on my trampoline

Scratch!

~Maverick

Snake

Slithers underground

Bites with sharp teeth

SSSSSSSSS!

~Jeremiah

Cheetah

Brown spots

Yellow fur

Run fast

Big cat

~Kaleb

Cat

Skinny whiskers

Soft fur

Sleeps with me

Warm

~Bea

Donkey

Long ears

Funny sound

Eee-Aw!

Kicks hard

~Damian

Penguin

Diving

Swimming

Jumping

Waddling

Gray, white fur

~Noah

Keeping Play in Kindergarten

The concept of play in kindergarten has been on my mind a lot lately. Mostly because I am dumbfounded many schools have reduced the amount of time devoted to play, or worse, eliminated it altogether.

While preparing to write this blog post in defense of play in the kindergarten classroom, I came upon an article that says it better than I ever could. Rather than share my words, I have included the link to the article so you can read it yourself. It is long, but I strongly encourage you to read it all the way through. You will not be disappointed. 

After reading the article, talk to your colleagues, talk to your administrators, talk to anyone you need to in order to keep play alive in our kindergarten classrooms. Our nation, and arguably our world, depends on it.

You can read the article here.