Today was Sam's "Spring Walk" at school. They do a walk in the Fall and in the Spring, typically walking to a local park that has goats the kids can check out and feed. But the weather around here has still been pretty cold so the goats have not been put back outside yet. So, instead the kids did a walk around the neighborhood incorporating a color activity in with the walk. I gave this idea to the teacher, a modified version of our color walk from last summer.
The kids all had a great time. It was neat to see Sam in her school setting but also doing something that we would do (and have done many times) at home.
They even got to take a break from color hunting and roll down a hill!
It was great outside time for all the kids!
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The Nitty Gritty!
Today reaffirmed to me why I could NEVER be a formal early educator. I have patience enough for my own kids, for activities in short spurts and a small amount of patience for keeping a three year old motivated and interested in a task. I saw Sam's preschool teacher go full force on this color walk for almost an HOUR! Every 10 feet she was stopping to point out something, notice a color or ask a question. I was so impressed. Even when the kids started to lose interest she would get excited about another yellow flower or green leaf and they would all jump right back into the activity.
THIS is what teaching should be about. A lot of people seem to think that teaching is an easy job and today I can tell you that it did not look easy. I have always had so much admiration for the people that can be in the classroom with kids everyday. They have one of the hardest jobs, I think, and one of the most important. I could NOT have done, at that same energy level, what Sam's teacher did today. I saw a GOOD teacher today and I am so happy that we are blessed to have her as Sam's teacher.
Please, please, please tell the teacher how you felt about her today. It will mean the world to her. As an educator myself, I know how important those words are to hear, and we don't hear it often enough.
Posted by: Karen Greenberg | 04/25/2011 at 04:41 PM
Ooh! Rolling down hills is such fun. Why do we stop doing things like this when we "grow up"?
Posted by: Janet | 05/01/2011 at 08:55 PM