NewsletterA little about what is on the horizon and in our wake!
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NewsletterA little about what is on the horizon and in our wake!
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Life is busy at Troop Tischler headquarters. Our little elves have been busy working on our doors to welcome you to our room on Thursday. They have been busy in Santa's Workshop too; there will be a surprise for you under the tree! Mostly we have been busy, busy learning. We are almost at mid year and looking back, I am so amazed at quickly they are learning and how much every student is progressing. Thursday we are inviting parents in for our academic centers followed by our Holiday Party. Our centers are so much fun, you'll have trouble telling where the work ends and the party begins! Please join us! It means so much to your student. 1:00 in P6. Come a bit early to check in at the office. Good things: Each day two or three students get up in front of the class to "tell us something good." Our prompt is a few seconds of the Chaka Khan song, "Tell Me Something Good." At the start of the year, we could barely get them to stand up there. And most of the students would give us, at most, a single word. It is so amazing to see that they now have the context. They know what we're doing. They listen to each other. They feed off each other. Before they come up, you can see them thinking hard about what they are going to say. I wish I had also videotaped the audience. The whole class sits quietly and respectfully to hear what their peers have to say. It is truly an accomplishment. You may have noticed in the video that after each child speaks, Ms. Celia says, "What do you want?" That is our shorthand for "How do you want us to acknowledge you?" We taught them a number of acknowledgements, "cheese grater" for instance, but as time has gone on they've made up some too. Our first made up one came from Derek, who cracked us all up just before Halloween. He came up for good things and stood there for a long quiet , moment then got a huge smile on his face. He said, "Well, I want to tell you . . . BOO!" We all laughed. Since then, "Boo!" has been one of our favorite acknowledgements. Recently, Noah added, "Ho, ho, ho" to our repertoire. The whole process has been quite organic and all have contributed. This little 5 minute segment of our day serves so many purposes for our students. It teaches them how to stand in front of a group and speak. It makes them address an abstract concept. It helps them focus on the positive. Perhaps most importantly, it lets them feel a part of our community. They know they are loved. In case you're having trouble accessing it from your text message, here is the link to our super amazing students telling us their "good things." (click on the blue words!) I hope to see you Thursday but if you are unable to make it, please know that I love teaching your students and feel so honored to be a part of their lives. Each and every one is a treasure and a blessing. Thank you!
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AuthorDreena Tischler, Teacher, FAC Archives
September 2019
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