a new year...almost

We held our first pre-k "Meet and Greet" event last night and it was such a success! I want to upload a few of the documents we handed out for parents. I hope this might be helpful to our parents, just in case your folder goes missing over the summer and potentially helpful for other educators out there in the blog world. It has taken me a few years to figure out just what I want to say to parents and it's always been helpful for me to see what other teachers are doing. So maybe this will help a few. For all of the images below, if you click on them they will open in a new window and appear larger.



This is the inside portion of a "Welcome to Pre-k" brochure I made. It has some important details about our program...like don't send your child in to school in clothes you don't want to see paint on.




We are doing a summer family project for the first time. This was inspired by Beginnings Nursery. We visited their Reggio inspired school and noticed these family-made books in the classrooms. We are very excited to see the books of our own families in September and know it will be a great bridge to building new friendships.







The previous two documents are helpful in understanding more about each child and family in the first days of school. On top of that our program really relies on parent involvement with everything from meal times, projects, and field trips so it's important for families to know that right from the start.

Our current school year still has a few more days left but I am already looking forward to next year...especially after seeing those sweet faces!

the year in reverse

Well I can't fight off the year end reflection any longer. This year was my first year of fully committing to learning more of and implementing the Reggio philosophy in the classroom. This path has lead me to this place of quiet contemplation now.

With any philosophy you study the initial understanding is purely conceptual. It's taking that conceptual knowledge and then putting it into action - making it yours - when true understanding takes place. This year has been incredibly experimental. Every idea I was inspired by, that seemed plausible for our class, I tried. This has been the highlight of the year, letting go of wanting to get it right...and just jumping in. It's been a year of taking chances and even though I still feel like I am a beginner, with no grounding, I know that is a good thing. I meditate and I liken this experience to Suzuki Roshi's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. The beginners mind is always preferred in meditation, it's flexible, open, and intentional.

True reflection means looking at all sides and this is where the sense of groundlessness really reveals itself. I know there were missed opportunities. Conversations that I didn't feel were ripe with potential for projects, questions I never thought to ask, observations that I didn't really understand, and so much more. This realization is difficult to sit with now. I think of unborn projects or directions I never thought of taking and it's a reminder of how essential it is to be present, truly listening and making connections every moment of the day. Looking at my photos from the year, this is the sentiment on my mind.







I am excited for next year, as I now realize that a good deal of the missed opportunities occurred because I was practicing in isolation. Several teachers at school are now planning to share our documentation and help each other in moving forward with projects. I have a value for collaboration that I have never had before - I have seen the limits of myself this year and know I need my peers next year to continue to grow. In addition to that as this blog has become a tool for reflection as well I have felt so lucky that fellow educators are beginning to stop by and offer feedback, insight, and ideas. I hope this continues - I've already been spurred forward by the comments.

families wear hats

The end of the year - well almost. It's a whirlwind and as my mind drifts to thoughts of cleaning the closet and packing up the room the children are reminding me each day that we are not done. From the hat shop which appeared with a passion and perseverance that could not be ignored to the beginning of a bedazzled "castle city" that is in need of subways and trains in the days to come. The intentionality, creativity, and sense of community is so ripe at this point in the year...that all tiredness (and packing) aside it's hard for me to imagine we are coming to the end of our year.

The "lucky hats" were produced uniformly by four children in the communication center - all on board with the lucky hat design protocol and distributing the hats to everyone in class. Within the hour each head, including mine, was adorned with a new hat. Reflecting on this now - and taking into consideration the sense of community really coming to a crescendo in class - I wonder if the four hat makers were passing these out as a symbol of our community, our "class family" as we call it. I will have to ask them tomorrow.

Plopped in each head with very little commentary, the hats were simply accepted and play carried on - uninterrupted.