whoever said all you ever need to know you learned in kindergarten is wrong.
i would have to say the past couple of weeks have been the most trying thus far in the year. i have come to a behavioral standstill and regression with a few of my students who had been making steady progress. my school is an RtI school.
basically Rti is a way to stuff more information into a 5 year old's brain and then wonder why she has a breakdown every afternoon.
along with Rti--response to intervention, comes an idea called power-up. power-up though great in theory is not seeming to go over to well with some people. basically all the teachers of the grade, a special education teacher, and 2 pals aides split up all the kindergartners amongst themselves into different groups according to need. i may have 5 of my children in my group. i may have none. some kids need to practice their letter sounds or rhyming (you get the point). these groups are "smaller" with 3-6 kids in them (though so far this year they haven't been that small). there are also enrichment groups that can have up to 20some kids in them. i don't know if you have ever been in a room with 20some 5 and 6 year olds; however, i can tell you--it. is. too. many. so basically what is occurring is there are t00 many kids that need help that still can't get the individualized attention they need because of personnel shortages or because he or she just isn't ready to learn how to read yet.
by the way, if/when you have kids please make sure they are reading by the age of 3. thanks.
another side note--power-up used to be the rest time where even the most off the wall kid in my class would be able to veg out for just a few minutes before our next daily adventure. but rest and recover-what a ridiculous idea.
the other main point of RtI (don't worry there will be more points later) is positive discipline. now i am all for giving rewards for kids who are doing their best in the classroom. i do not agree with public humiliation and do not yell at my students. but, if you touch a stove you are going to get burned. if you break rules there should be some consequence for the choice you make. even a kindergartner can understand that. until you throw in the reward for every choice you make system. it has gotten to the point where kids expect a reward if they sit still, if they raise their hand, if they clean up when they are supposed to. what is going to happen in a few years when they don't get a tangible reward for getting to school on time, well they just won't go to school. i feel so bad for my kids who always do what they are supposed to do because they see me giving stickers to one child who never sits still because he sat this one time. what happened to verbal praise and expectations of students. i'm still trying to come up with something for this one. if you have any ideas holler at me. whatever it is though you can't take anything away you just give--kinda like you give the information...till the brain is done absorbing and implodes into a crumpled mass of a child crying on the floor.
top things you learn in kindergarten that you shouldn't...
1) curse words/or just inappropriate words..."ms. henderson she called me sexy. is that nice?"
2) how to yell at your teacher and not get in trouble...ask me about the story in person
3) it really is ok to eat things off the floor once in awhile
4) sharing's overrated
5) there's no such thing as personal space
6) someone is always going to be telling you what to do your whole life learn to deal with it
&istill lovemyjob
