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I Implore You

Its not often  that I say this but Im glad its Thursday.

What Im about to say could rub someone the wrong way but I dont care and that could rub someone the wrong way as well. What I am about to say needs to be said,needs to be considered by those coming over,and by some that are already here.Take it for what you will but remember,at the end of the day,its about what works best for kids.

disclaimer:none of this is to say or imply that I have all the answers or even most of them.just my humble opinion,with a little knowledge backing it up :-) . And this is not aimed at one school over another as all schools need a lot of the same things.

There are some things the schools are trying to move toward,some at a faster pace than others. How fast a school moves toward that place has a lot to do with the teachers in the school as well as others in leadership positions. As a teacher, I feel it is my job to stay informed about BEST PRACTICES and implement them to the best of my ability. That may mean buying and/or making material.It may mean spending hours finding,printing,saving websites and resources.This may mean updating myself on the latest research or to update/refresh my memory on how children best learn. I must also recognize that even at home,different groups of children may learn differently and that I have to adjust accordingly.

And now that I think about it,outsiders see the summer as a break for teachers. An unnecessary one at that.To me, summer is time to take a breather from a sometimes hectic,always busy year. It gives me time to reflect on what went well (what I should repeat) and what I should never do again.It gives me time to read, to think,to plan,to bounce ideas off fellow teachers,to prepare mentally for my new kids and (eventually) to start the process all over again.

With that said,I hope that everyone comes to kg with age appropriate activities and lessons. These probably wouldnt include a lot of what we know kg to be at home because the kids are probably better suited for preschool and prek activities if you are searching for ideas while waiting to begin.

If youre wondering what to pack,there are a few things you can leave to make the bag lighter. LOTW activity books,workbooks (the kids are extremely concrete).Also,I know some say bring playdough becauser its not readily available here.Theres a killer recipe that lasts for close to a term if sealed after each use. It would do well for cycle one teachers to use as well.

In closing,I dont think that turned out too bad. I wasnt sure though at first,lol. Today was a long day!


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