A Teacher's Heart
11/17/2017
I am so thankful that I am able to teach and learn with your little ones every day. Teaching is more than a career to me; it is a privilege. It is a gift to share so many wonderful moments with my students: the wonder in discovering something interesting about our world, the joy in sharing newly developed reading abilities with others, the engagement in learning how to do something "so awesome and fun", like Stop Motion, the pride taken in work well done. On top of that, there are those little extra things that prove what a special bond teachers have with students, like when your class full of kindergartners chooses lunch with you as their Thanksgiving Blessing reward. (My heart was officially melted.) Thank you for sharing your sweet little ones with me and for letting me be part of all of your lives as their teacher! Creativity Reigns
11/10/2017
"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." -Mary Lou CookOne thing that most of our sweet kindergartners have in spades is imagination. With a little bit of time and a lot of freedom, some leftover cardboard scraps, straws, and caps become a fire-filled ramp and a race car; more cardboard becomes an airport for paper airplane dragons; a box and some paper become houses for beloved stuffies; pattern blocks provide elaborate play that stretches across days. Our students tackle all of the challenges throughout our day, but they devour our weekly Creative Time with a different kind of eagerness. They relish this time where the possibilities are limited only by their own imaginations. They survey the materials we've collected in our project monster during the week, add a little tape here, a tweak there, and before I know it, I'm surrounded by proud students and the impressive products of their imaginations. "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." -Maya AngelouCreativity is a skill, one that can be nurtured and grown--or squelched. Creativity breeds ingenuity and problem solving skills, which are important soft skills. Forbes consistently lists ingenuity and the ability to problem solve in its list of the top 10 skills for which employers are looking. (Initiative, which is likewise connected to creativity, also frequents the list. Individuals who are able to think for themselves, think of a situation in a new way, and problem solve will naturally take initiative.) Unfortunately, we sometimes create the boxes around children's thinking in school. We encourage individuals to "think outside the box," but oftentimes we have drawn the very lines that box in their thinking. Students too often learn that a certain and specific type of product, algorithm, or path to a solution is "right" and everything else is "wrong." School can then become more about making the grade than about making discoveries, taking risks and learning new things, or exploring our world and becoming a good and productive citizen of it. However, this is not the case at PNA. Creativity is encouraged throughout our day, and thankfully, through our curriculum. During math, students are constantly challenged to explore different configurations, look at a problem from different angles, or solve it without a provided formula or algorithm. They are asked and taught to share their thinking, to try to solve the problem in a new and different way, and to listen to and learn from their fellow mathematicians. Writing, reading, and projects provide another opportunity for students to express themselves, explore their own interests, learn from the interests of others, and solve problems, all while learning the appropriate content. Teachers facilitate and guide, rather than dictate, instruction and learning--a bit of information provided here, a leading question there. Students experience the creativity of others through collaboration with peers, by studying mentor texts in both reading and writing, and through their immersion in the arts throughout the week. PNA is truly a place where creativity reigns, and I am so thankful for that. "Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more." -Loris MalaguzziOne of the joys of my job is seeing the world through my students' eyes, sharing in the joy of discovery and limitless options, seeing something in a new way because of my students' perspective and creativity. Because of this, our Creative Time is one of my favorite times of the week. I love to see what they come up with, which materials they choose to use, the little details they choose to add, and the way they solve problems along the way. I have found that when they think the sky is the limit, the sky truly is the limit.
We Are... Writers!
11/3/2017
Squeals of excitement escaped our sweet little ones as I told them that their books would be placed on our special bookshelf, alongside the books of our featured author, Eric Carle. After that, the books will be added into our library book bins in the correct categories, where they will permanently reside with some of our favorite storybooks and informational texts. "You mean OUR BOOKS?" they questioned as their eyes grew wide with excitement. This all came about when I announced that we'd be publishing their books this week. They would each choose the book they were most proud of or that was about something they really wanted to teach, revise it, and read it to the whole class before adding it to our library. This was, by far, my favorite moment of our week. The role of writer was, as a whole, this group of kindergartners hardest identity to accept. They quickly agreed that they are readers and started to devour books. They eagerly jumped at every opportunity to solve problems as scientists and mathematicians, but they did not truly see themselves as writers until very recently. As they proudly placed their books on our shelf with the books we have been reading and studying, they realized that they really are authors, just like Eric Carle, Donald Crews, or Kevin Henkes. They have something important to say, and through writing, they have a means to say it. As I watched them reading their stories and pointing out little details that they had added to their texts, I was reminded of how powerful authenticity is. In our daily writing workshop, they engage in activities that real authors engage in. We collaborate with others, plan our stories across the pages, and ask and answer questions to add details. We study mentor texts to see what real authors do, and we imitate them, learning their craft. And slowly, as we studied the work of skilled authors, and as I continued to treat them as true writers, my class of kindergartners became authors themselves... and, more importantly, believed that they were. Some of our budding authors even write stories outside of writing workshop, co-author books together, and ask to read their books to the class (who always delights in being their audience).
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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
April 2021
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