Oh my students never cease to amaze me.  Calvin did something today that has to rank as one of the sweetest gestures I’ve ever seen.

Well today, Calvin hadn’t even walked into the classroom, and he handed me a book.  It was Whistle for Willie.

Now we’ve read many Ezra Jack Keats books and I’ve talked about how he’s one of my favorite authors.  I wasn’t sure why Calvin was handing me the book.  Did he want me to read it to the class? Was he just sharing a favorite book with me?

“Calvin, oh I love this book!” I began.

“For you,” he replied.

“Do you want me to read it to the class?” I asked.

“No, it’s for you – for birthday,” he corrected me.

Suddenly I understood the book.

A few days ago, as we began the new month of May, as we always do, we took a closer look at the calendar.  We look at special days, including any birthdays in the month.  Well guess whose birthday is in May?  Mine!  Of course, the class was super excited about their teacher’s birthday, but I assured them we had while to wait, as it’s not until almost the end of May.

Quite simply, Calvin heard my birthday was coming up and wanted to give me a present.  What do you give your kindergarten teacher who appears to love nothing more than reading?  A book, of course.

I had a dilemma.  I didn’t want to take this book, clearly from his own collection, but I didn’t want to offend him either.

I knelt down so we could chat eye to eye.

“Oh Calvin, thank you!  I really love this book, what a perfect present for me,” I said.

He beamed.

“You know what would make this present even better?  If you would hold on to the book for me after I read it to the class,” I suggested.

He looked confused.

“I’ll read it to the class and then you take it home, and then every time you read it, think of me,” I continued.

He smiled and took the book back.

Oh.  Seriously, what a brilliant gift.  My birthday is three weeks away and I’m feeling the love already.

Joey has an older brother.  In fact, his older brother goes to our school.  Sam is in fifth grade so the age difference is pretty big, but the way he takes care of his little brother is something to be admired.

Last week, the book fair started in our school’s library.  The day it began, Sam popped in to see me.

“Hey, Mr. _____, I have some money… can I bring Joey to the book fair this afternoon?” He asked.

After we agreed on a time, he went on his way.

Later that afternoon, right on time, Sam showed up to bring Joey to the book fair.  As they walked down the hallway, Sam took Joey’s hand.  Our school is small and Joey knows where the library is, but brothers can be sweet sometimes.

Afterwards, Joey, in his usual frantic manner, wanted to show me what he’d bought.  The books he’d picked out were surely too difficult for him to read himself, so I asked, “Wow, these look amazing!  Is there someone at home who can read them to you?”

Before Joey could jump in, Sam interjected, “Oh, I try to read to him every night.”

Really?  This was the kind of brotherly love I wanted to promote.

“That’s awesome.  Joey is lucky to have such a great big brother,” I said.

They both flashed the same smile at me and Sam started to walk back to class.

He then turned around and called back to me, “Oh I bought these two posters too.”

In his hands were two rolled up posters and he was raising them to show me.

“One for me and the other for Joey,” he said.

With that, Joey gave me a quick hug and ran back into the classroom.

Sam is a fifth grader and fifth graders are all about trying to be cool.  I admire that he isn’t ever above being kind or loving to his little brother… as I have told him many times, being a good brother is the ultimate in coolness.

Small schools and brothers are an amazing mix.

Well today starts my school break.  I’m going away.  Far away.  There may be WiFi, but I’m not bringing my computer.  As teachers, we put our heart, sweat, and sometimes, yes, even tears into our jobs.  Teaching is the most rewarding job I could ever imagine having… it’s also really hard.  Folks expect the world from us.  Funny thing is, we usually deliver.  We need time to recharge our batteries.  Plain and simple – we need a break.

So, I bid you farewell and I’ll return…eventually.  Adiós.

As anyone who reads here regularly knows, I’m a big proponent of the Responsive Classroom approach to classroom management.  There is something inherent in it, just the name ‘Responsive’ always guides me back to the children.  What do they need at this particular moment?  Maybe it isn’t in the lesson plan or on our schedule for the day, but my job as a teacher is to ‘be responsive’ to the class.  It’s all about building community and relationships and years of experience has shown me, plain and simple, it works.

In addition, the folks over at Responsive Classroom publish books!  I love books!  When I tell my students I’m an avid reader, it’s no joke.  Of course, I don’t explain that about half of the books I read are professional teaching books, but they don’t need to know the gory details of my reading life.

Like many teachers I know, I start every school year by reviewing The First Six Weeks of School.  It’s a true teachers primer to starting the year off right and it’s always a wonderful refresher before heading back.

Their latest offering, Teasing, Tattling, Defiance, and More: Positive Approaches to 10 Common Classroom Behaviors by Margaret Berry Wilson.  Like most of the Responsive Classroom books, you don’t have to start at the beginning and read it straight through.  It’s truly a toolbox any teacher can quickly pickup, head over to the section you’re looking for some guidance on, and read in a half hour or so.

With a simple style that is relaxing to read, my copy is now moving from my coffee table at home to my desk at school.  You can pick it up during lunch for some ideas and bring them right into your classroom.

In all fairness, I haven’t read the entire book yet, because I haven’t needed to. I have, however, read the chapters titled: Listening and Attention Challenges, Teasing, Tattling, and (probably my favorite) Too Much Physical Contact. Each chapter is short (about twenty pages or so) and offer the developmental reasoning behind each behavior to help you, the teacher, understand and then help your students.

Wilson offers specific scenarios and ideas, including specific language, to use. It’s concise and to the point and I’m so grateful to have it in my arsenal.

As luck would have it, as I was reading my copy, I received a sweet email from the amazing folks at Responsive Classroom asking if I’d like to giveaway the book.  Of course I would!

I can say with all confidence, I bought this book on my own and have found it beyond helpful.  I did not receive a review copy, I purchaed it because I believe in Responsive Classroom and have seen first hand how powerful it is with students.

So, I am offering three copies of Teasing, Tattling, Defiance, and More: Positive Approaches to 10 Common Classroom Behaviors by Margaret Berry Wilson.  This giveaway will end on Thursday, April 11th and because of shipping costs is open to U.S. residents only.

Use the form below to enter and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today during Sharing, Joey decided to tell the class what he was doing over our Spring Break, which doesn’t happen for another week.

“I’m going campin’ on the ‘cation,” he blurted out.

Now, during Sharing, it’s common for me to comment or ask clarifying questions.

“Joey, where are you going camping?” I wondered.  This wasn’t a place I knew.

“The ‘cation, I’m going on the ‘cation!” He exclaimed.

Baffled.

“You know, after next week, when we have off, on the ‘cation,” he rambled.

“Ah, on vacation… you’re going camping?” I asked for clarification.

“Yeah, on the ‘cation,” he replied.

So there you have it.  Call it what you like, I’m stoked for the ‘cation.

Love really is all you need.  I know, I know, it’s much easier said than done. Trust me, I know.  This year, I have one little guy, William that has really challenged me.  I have tried every trick in the book: preferential seating, behavior charts, positive feedback, and, well, I ‘ve thought about duct tape, but figured I better not.

Here’s the thing, while I feel like I’m throwing spaghetti at the wall and nothing is sticking, not much is working.  Sure, things might work for a little bit - maybe the morning, maybe a day, maybe two days, but invariably, they get bad again.  William was seeking our attention and he was determined to get it anyway possible.

Without going into detail, let’s just say, William has a difficult home life.  I know this, I am working with other staff to try and do whatever I can to help him, but at the end of the day, when he’s lashing out and it’s affecting him, other kids, and me, it’s not good.  I know in my head none of this is his fault. He’s five.  But I still get frustrated.  I felt like I’d used every tool in my toolbox and I didn’t know what to do.

Then, last week, Mrs. C., my amazing, wonderful, enlightened Ed Tech said to me, “You know, I think he just needs to be loved on.”

I know, I know, it couldn’t be that simple.  It was.

We both started having him seat closer to us.  We started using more physical contact.  An arm on his shoulder, a hand on his back, more hugs, more cuddling.  Today during calendar, he just stood in front of me with my arm draped around his chest.  Well, bit by bit, day by day, things started getting better.

To be clear, the situation isn’t perfect, but above all else, I think William is feeling more successful and I know I am feeling much less frustrated.  All it took was affection.

We had an assembly today.  It was a good one, but it was on the loooong side. Like over an hour long.  Which is never good for my sprouts.  Sitting more than fifteen minutes is hard.  Well today, to help out, I ended up with a drum set.  Let me explain.

If I notice a kid getting restless (usually a boy), I motion for them to come sit next to me (we’re on the floor).  I then rub or pat their back and that seems to help.  Well today, after one, another came on his own… then another, and another, and two more.  By the time I was done, I had six, yes, six backs in front of me to pat or rub.  Well, unfortunately, I only have two hands (really, if I could have a few more, teaching would be so much easier), so I just decided, I would play their backs like a drum set.

There I sat, surrounded by backs, patting this one, then that one, a trill on another, and you over there, you’re my cymbals.  Well, as crazy as it sounds, it worked.  They sat still and with me playing away, they were just fine.

We even got a compliment from the principal afterwards on how well behaved we were!  I dont’ know if she noticed my drumming, but I gave myself a little pat on the back for it anyway.

Yes, you read that correctly, Chickerella.  She showed me just how important and powerful our Fairy Tale unit has been.

We started with Cinderella and ready many versions… even Dogerella, but I had never heard of Chickerella.  Until yesterday, when Maria, a little girl who is just learning English, came running over to me during Library.  Waving the book in her hand, her smile was glowing.  She had something to show me and it was clearly important.

When she arrived next to me, she said, “Look!”

Maria started kindergarten with almost no English and her acquisition has been slower than some of her peers. She is a good student who tries really hard and something about Cinderella just struck a chord with her.

When we watched the movie version to compare to the books, she was positively beaming.  Clearly she’d never seen it before and after talking with her cousin in first grade, I learned the family doesn’t even own a television.  Watching Cinderella, on the large SmartBoard screen was a totally new experience for her.

Back to Chickerella.  Without being able to read, she knew this was a familiar story.  Together we flipped through the book and she told me the words she remembered and knew from the story: Cinderella, Prince, Stepmother, Fairy Godmother, Ball, and Slipper were all in her repertoire.  Now in all our work, I’d never heard her say these words, in fact, come to think of it, I dont’ think I’d heard her talk so much all year.  Chickerella just brought it out.

She was so excited to check the book out and I encouraged her to retell the story to her family at home.  I also told her when she brings the book back, before we return it to the Library, I’ll share it with the class.

Chickerella – thank you.

That being said, my friend Mrs. R. who teaches another grade, is expecting. She’s due in a few weeks and well, there is no doubt about how pregnant she is.  Of course she is glowing, but every kid knows what’s going on… or so I thought.

This afternoon, Mrs. R. popped in during Center Time (I was dancing along with the Wii), and Joey, who she knows because she had his older brother, was looking at her tummy rather funny.

“Joey, do you know why Mrs. R.’s belly is so big?” I asked.

(this clipart is not meant to be a representation of Mrs. R. or any pregnant lady… I have no idea why her dress is so short, but Mrs. R. would never dress this way!)

Without hesitation, he blurted out, “Baby!  There’s a baby in there!”

Well Fiona, also at the Wii, had been watching me talk to Mrs. R. the entire time.  When she heard Joey say the word ‘baby’, her eyes almost popped out of her head.

She walked over to where we were standing and I asked her the same question, “Do you know why her belly is so big?”

Fiona shook her head.

Joey chimed in again, “Baby!  There’s a baby in there!”

Now most kindergartners know – in some fashion – that they came from their mother’s belly.  They don’t know how the baby got in or how it’s going to get out (like a second grader who once assured me she know both), but they don’t really care about those details.

Fiona hadn’t a clue.

She looked at me for confirmation.

“Really, she has a baby in there… and it’s almost done growing, that’s why her belly is so big,” I assured her.

“Feel your belly, feel how it’s mushy,” Mrs. R. directed.

Fiona felt her belly.

“Mine is hard because the baby is taking up so much room,” Mrs. R. said, touching her belly.

Without asking, or a second thought, Fiona reached out and poked Mrs. R.’s belly in disbelief.

She then ran back to her dancing.

We teach it all in kindergarten.  All of it.

The other day, we were reviewing shapes.  For some reason, most of the shape names aren’t too tricky.  Circle – well we all know that.  Square and Triangle too. Rectangle can be challenging, but a little explanation of the two short and two long sides usually does the trick. It’s the darn Rhombus that gets us every time.  Back when I was a kid, we just called it a ‘diamond’ and that was good enough, but not anymore.  Kids look at it and say ‘diamond’ without hesitation, but what in the world is a Rhombus?

Kids know music.  Popular music and often songs that aren’t really appropriate for them.  If I can utilize this knowledge to help me help them, who am I to argue?

During the lesson, when I called on a little girl to name a Rhombus, and she was stuck, I started singing, “Shine bright like a…RHOMBUS!”

Like it or not, that Rihanna song has infiltrated every crevice of popular culture and kids know it.

“So instead of Shine Bright Like a Diamond, sing, Shine Bright Like a Rhombus!” I explained.

Within seconds, the entire class was singing, in unison, ‘Shine Bright Like a Rhombus!’ and they were given a way to (hopefully) help them remember what a Rhombus is… it shines bright like a diamond!