Kids in my Life!

When I decided to be the 'reading lady' to a public school third grade, I knew that this was an everyday affair. The school is a fifteen minute drive from my house, so the half hour I spend there each day, an hour all told, has just become my habit.

Here the kids are showing the swans they made in art class because they were so intrigued with e.b. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan".

I love my afternoons reading to these kids! I love how connected they are to the story and how they remember from one day to the next. And I must confess, I love the closeness and the smell and the dimples of them as they draw close to the rocking chair from which I read. I love the brightness of their eyes as they contribute to the discussion of what is happening in the book.  And I love the unexpected things that happen.

 When the kids made the cut out swans, one child, who I think is not yet steady in English, made an origami swan-such a perfect one! He gave this to me and I was honored. The next day, when I took the books back to the library, I checked out a few about origami and brought them to this class along with some squares of good origami paper to give him. 

The next day, Alejandro had taught everyone how to make origami swans! Of course I had to do an uproar of telling them that I knew how to make an origami bumble bee (I learned when I was seven and it is still one of my best skills!) After the reading, the best part, I quickly made an origami bumble bee, crowded around by many sweaty little bodies who should have been doing what is usually expected, and I gave it to their wonderful teacher who puts up with my playfulness.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone in these public schools has time for THE TEACHABLE MOMENT? They are so consumed with the requirements of the Florida Standards or whatever they call it.

But "my" teacher is different. In her quiet, warm, yet authoritarian way, she makes all her kids comfortable. I notice how respectful she is to kids. Without fanfare she made a program so that her students could take home the library books I provide, and I never have to wonder (or pay the fines!) for these books.

One time when I went in to read I was wearing my Tai Chi shirt because I had that class next. One boy said that he was in martial arts also and we chatted a bit. He told me that he had a lot of trophies in Tai Kwan Do and he wanted to show me them. So, today, as promised, he had a box of faux gold trophies! 

Another kid from the Jr. Garden Club has promised to bring his pet snake next Wednesday. Yikes! (He doesn't think it is a python.)

I am loving being a fun, fit old lady - and the kids are the best of it.

Community Quilt

Here is the 'retirement' quilt I made for Cpl. David Hink who has retired from his post at Lacoochee as Officer Friendly.  You have seen the newspaper articles about him. We, who live here in this community know him as the friendly giant- physically and ethically. This is a gentle giant who has made a tremendous difference in our three towns. Like an iceberg, there are so many aspects to this man he never tells.

I first made acquaintance with him in the community development meetings where we hammered out a plan to remake this place. He always had good ideas and stellar connections and he listened to us all and helped us all make the connections  we needed to go forward. I always left those meetings completely energized.

This guy comes from a very different place from me! On Facebook I often take him on (respectfully, of course). And we have discussions.. Dave is a gun guy, has built himself an over the top man cave, doesn't see the need for organic gardening. Probably votes GOP.  O.K. This gentle giant takes his boy scouts to the mountains and to far cities. He works for the Boys and Girls Club in so many ways. He makes sure that the folks who live here in their poverty stricken homes have the chance to improve their lot. He collects bicycles to give away at the Christmas parties and he heads up the Empty Bowls program for the needy.

When I sometimes think that Republicans are generally a mean spirited lot, such folks as Dave Hink and Wilton Simpson come to mind as correctives.

I am humbled. I believe that when communities come together we can achieve anything! We are all colors, from every socioeconomic class, and we can truly make a difference.

Back to Grandma! Who is now reading to kids.

Well. I tried writing something different. Turns out that I am really not interested in my own aging process. Suffice to say that it goes on. So don't look for anymore on Still Spry blog. (How do I get it off Facebook?)

What I am always interested in is the usual stuff: politics, education and life in our nature preserve.
On Common Core! This school year I am doing a daily read aloud to a third grade. This is going very well and the kids love it. At first I was given a ten minute slot and it has now segued into about twenty-five minutes. I have always beaten the drum about how research shows that if you read to kids, especially from when they are very small, it pays more dividends educationally than anything else you can do.

So, I made the promise that I would go in every day and read to kids. We have already finished a Roald Dahl book and we are now about halfway through "The Trumpet of the Swan".  This isn't easy for a lot of the kids in the group. Some of them are unfamiliar with English and struggle every day. Many of them have no background knowledge, no velcro on which to hang new ideas in their minds. They do not know what Canada is, or where it might be located on the globe. There is no map in the classroom, just one pre-school type globe. They have never been to a zoo or listened to an orchestra.
These kids in this particular classroom have a great teacher who keeps order and pays attention.

 When I arrive, the kids are ready, eager and attentive. A few of them are clearly following the story and love my infrequent asides about bird imprinting or how cold it is in Canada. Most of the others are willing to try but they can't always follow.

But this is a process, and before we know it, those kids will all be on board with the read aloud time.
Today, the regular teacher was not there. There was a substitute. (Not going there.) While I was waiting for the few minutes until my group arrived, I observed the training seminar that was going on about Common Core teaching of the standards. My heart sank as I listened to a woman telling the teachers in attendance that they should consider the two cultures, European and Native American and how each group responded. Then, have the kids read the texts in the textbook (courtesy of major publishing houses) and tell in two paragraphs, with evidence! what happened.

I am thinking of the kids I know at this school. They have no idea where Europe is, let alone how Europeans got here, and they see no reason to care about this.

I am thinking that if you give kids mostly experiential education, they will take away a lot of cultural knowledge. I remember how compelling it was for my students to excavate and find Indian artifacts, and then try their hand at chipping stone axes with flint. I remember how compelling it was for my students to try and live like pioneers for a few days.

I think that a one size-fits-all plan such as the Common Core is a misguided notion for our very non-heterogenous society. This is just another panacea and in a few years of more crippling testing, another scheme will appear as the white knight on the horizon.

I take such comfort in growing our school garden. A kid catches and holds in her hands a tiny lizard and we all look at it. What kind of animal is this? It lays eggs- here's one just under the mulch- but clearly it is not a bird. So you take the moment to briefly explain and some kids will retain the science of it and pass it on. We plant bean seeds and come back to see how they have sprouted, marveling at the twin first leaves of a cotyledon. Later, we'll pick our vegetables, cook them, and relish the fresh deliciousness of our hard work. Probably, there is a Common Core textbook with desiccated text about seeds. (test coming up!)

The last hummingbird left right on schedule on September 4th. I miss those busy little creatures who have entertained us all summer. The goldenrod and the blue curls are in abundance, and in the markets there are beautiful chrysanthemums to replace the dwindling pentas and vincas of summer. The moon is full, and if I watched long enough, I would see the fall migration, flying free, drafting each other on their way south.

If only it would cool off!