A Little Perspective
9/26/2018
Word scientists. Mathematicians. Writers. Readers. Inventors. Explorers. Stop motion movie makers. I refer to our little ones as all of these things throughout the day, and it works a little magic. Suddenly, our kindergartners do not just see themselves as kindergarten students. They start to see themselves as the things I call them, as scientists, explorers, mathematicians, writers, and readers. This week, we studied authors' works from our book bins to get ideas for our own nonfiction work. "Oh, we're authors," one of our sweet little ones said when I told them we would study other authors' stories today. Another excitedly told me that he is an author and that he even wrote a book at home because he's an author. He offered to bring it in and read it to us. Perspective is a powerful thing. If we trust that our students are the things we want them to be and can achieve more than they think, they trust it as well... and they meet (and exceed!) our high standards and expectations. One of my favorite quotes about teaching says, "My teacher thought I was smarter than I was, so I was." I love that. It so perfectly sums up what most teachers aim to do for their students, what high standards and expectations with just the right scaffolding do for students. It transforms them. They are no longer just students or 5 year-olds. They ARE scientists. They are writers. They are explorers, mathematicians, and readers. They are inventors and stop motion moviemakers. When we truly believe it, they truly believe it. And when they believe it, they can do amazing things.
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Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
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