I read a book to my class yesterday called In November by Cynthia Rylant. It has beautiful language that describes the things that happen in November. Time has flown by as it always does once school starts. It's November . I love that it is fall and it is finally getting chilly. I like the cold weather. I love taking out my sweaters and jackets. I love drinking hot chocolate and snuggling in the blankets when it gets cold in the house.
I love that by November in my classroom things have pretty much normalized. There are always off days but for the most part things go according to our set routine that the children are used to. In November I don't feel as stressed at work. This year has been especially difficult because I have changed curriculum's. I have been teaching 5 year old traditional kindergarten for 3 years and this year I am teaching a 3-5 year old multi-age primary Montessori class. I began the training for Montessori last summer not really knowing anything about it. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the classes. I found it very interesting and developmentally appropriate for young children. I was excited about teaching this new way. However, this year has been hard. It feels like my first year teaching again - which it basically is. I have felt like I know nothing and am not doing anything right or teaching these kids anything. I have cried many days after work asking Ray if I could quit. The 3 year olds are so much different than the 5's I was used to. But it is now November. The other day I thought about how I come home much less stressed than I have the last few years. I enjoy watching my children choose their own lessons during our morning work time. I enjoy observing them try new things with the materials and I enjoy teaching individual lessons rather than planning tons of large group lessons. I love sitting on the floor with a book and allowing children to come gather around me to listen, just if they want to, without forcing them to. I still make lesson plans for each day and I still plan what I need to teach to make sure that each child is growing and learning but it's just different than past years. I don't feel chained to the standards. I feel freedom to teach each child from where they are and I'm enjoying it more and more each day. Last week I was walking around the room during work time and I watched two boys sitting together with the world globe. They were singing the continent song together and pointing to each continent on the globe. We had been singing this song together at line time (group time) and talking about the globe and the continents and these 4 adn 5 year old boys were choosing to do this on their own together. I just love watching their little minds learn things.
So this year, In November, I am very thankful for my job where I can see young minds learning every day.
this post was so filled with love.
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