Are Halloween Parties Becoming Obsolete?

There seems to be a lot of factors that go into the decision of whether to have a Halloween party in the classroom. Most of it depends on the school district and the principal and it's not an easy decision for them to make.

As a kindergartener, my oldest daughter had Halloween parties in her classroom. She was able to dress up in costume and makeup. I, being the room mom, would decorate the classroom with ghosts, streamers, and make gravestones by placing brown paper bags onto the backs of the students chairs. We played games like "pin the wart on the witch" and ate severed fingers and drank vampire blood. It was great fun. However, when my younger daughter hit the elementary years, the rules were changed to no costumes, no ghosts or witches, the food had to be pre-wrapped from the store and the games needed to be academic.

Today, I subbed in a kindergarten classroom that had a pumpkin party. Other teachers were calling it a fall party or a harvest party and I couldn't help but wish for the old days of dressing up and filling the classroom with an imaginary world. This led me to think how I could incorporate both types of parties once I have my own classroom so that everyone could feel included.

You see the main problem with Halloween parties is that now that our society embraces so many different cultures, we need to be respectful of these cultures. There is also the religious factor. Not all religions celebrate a "Day of the Dead" or an "All-Saints Day". There are many religions that don't celebrate anything that may have the word "holiday", "party", or "celebration" in it. So, what happens if a teacher does do a Halloween party is that the student from that religion or culture is not able to attend school... and I definitely don't want that. I want all my students, no matter what their beliefs, to be able to attend school and know that I have created a safe environment for them.

So, that is why today we had a Pumpkin Party. We "estimated" how many seeds were in a pumpkin and the students grabbed a handful of gooeyness from inside and counted what they pulled out, we decorated pumpkin shaped cookies, we colored pumpkin sheets, we weighed pumpkins and sang "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Fence" Everyone was happy and everyone attended school, life was good to a 5 year old.

Although I miss the traditional Halloween Parties I used to do as a room mom, I do understand why we can no longer have them.

Lesson Plan: Show this Movie...

Last Friday I received a call from the secretary of the school I sub at on a regular basis wanting me to sub for the music teacher. I explained to the secretary that I know nothing about music! I don't know instruments, I can't read notes, I can't even carry a tune. But, she assured me that I would probably just show a movie. I don't normally like these type of assignments where I feel I am babysitting instead of teaching but since it was conference week I hadn't worked all week, I was happy to get out of the house for the day.

The movie was actually a puppet show about Peer Gynt, a Norwegian boy who runs away from home and travels the world only to return home in the end because he realizes his mother isn't as bad as he thought. I watched this movie wondering what it had to do with music. It had music in it and if I was a music teacher I would be able to explain to the students what instruments were they were hearing, but I had no idea what they were hearing. When the movie ended I realized that I still had 15 minutes with them. I have nothing in my sub bag that had to do with music. So, I was left with discussing why the music we heard in the movie is important. We talked about how music helps to change the scene, how when the Peer's boat was being flipped by waves the music was louder and that maybe cymbals were used, that when Peer was in Persia we maybe heard flutes when we watched the princess sleeping putting us in a calm mood, and that when he went to Africa we maybe heard drums when the Masked Pygmies danced making us want to dance too.

Although I wasn't completely sure that these were the instruments that were used, I was able to point out how music is a big part of a movie in how it effects the way we view it. I was happy I made it through the day and felt like I had taught a little bit.

A Little Motivation

In the district where I live and where my own children go to school, it is conference week. This year my oldest daughter has entered mid-high, so she doesn't have any conferences. The teachers contact you if they are concerned about your kid. I've never worried about my older daughter, she has always been a straight "A" student who takes honors classes and her conferences in the early years were always very positive. I actually felt like I didn't need to go because the teacher would look at my husband and I and just comment that she is "doing great", "a true leader to her peers", "a pleasure to have in class", "keep doing at home what you are doing", etc... They really had nothing to say.

My younger daughter was always been different. She is a very bright child, but she is someone that never applies herself to the the fullest of her capabilities. I would read a paper that was about to be turned in and comment, "Great idea, but you could add some more detail." I would say this paper is worth a 3 (out of 4). She would smile and be content with that. She had no problem being "at grade level" no matter how hard my husband and I pushed her. She just didn't care about grades.... until she entered middle school this year.

During conference week at the middle school, teachers only want to book an appointment with you if your child needs a little help. While my older daughter never had a conference appointment in middle school, I was prepared to attend one for my younger daughter. There was always something that needed to be worked on during her elementary years. Mostly because teachers knew that she was capable of so much more. But this year, no one wanted an appointment because my younger daughter is pulling straight "A's"

Where did this motivation come from? Why all of a sudden does she care about academics? Believe me when I say she is still a child who will admit that she goes to school strictly for the social life. When I sat down with her last night and we pulled up her grades on-line I told her how proud I was and asked what was motivating her this year. I expected her to answer that it was a certain teacher or maybe that she was just older now and knew she needed to work harder, so I was surprised when she answered, "Because I started with an "A"

When you enter middle school in our district, all of your grades are available for the parents and the student to see on-line. You see missed assignments, grades on all assignments, tests, comments from teachers, etc... But, what my daughter was mentioning was the fact that on day one of the school year, when she went on-line, her grades were all at "A's".

She realized that it would be easier for her to work hard to keep the "A" then it would be for her to work toward the "A". That was all she needed, to actually see those "A's" and like the feeling she was receiving from it.

This made me realize that when I have my own classroom, I plan to tell my students on the first day that they are all starting the year with an "A" and lets work together to keep it!  I know that when every student walks into the room on that first day of school, they are already starting with an "A", but they don't know this. It's important to tell them this because you never know who you may be motivating with that type of logic. My daughter is proof of this.

To All the New Teachers

I read many blogs every day. Mostly blogs that teachers write and substitute teachers write. I store away new ideas that I like, everything from bulletin board ideas, to great read-a-louds, to basically just knowing how to survive.

John Spencer who has a website and a blog recently posted this. Although I may not be a teacher with a regular classroom, I still needed to read his letter. It made me feel better...

Click here if you are a new teacher.

A New, and Active, Experience

Yesterday I was called in to sub for a PE class. Of course my first thought was, Yippee! I get to wear sweats, sneakers, hair in a pony tail and minimal makeup! But then I realized that since this was a late night call that maybe the teacher was calling in sick and I wouldn't have any plans as to what I was to do with these students. I quickly researched on-line PE activities and printed out a bunch of ideas, which I placed in my sub bag. I also brought a whistle (amazing the power you feel just by wearing a whistle). However, when I got to the school, the teacher had left me some great plans on what to do with each grade and.... he told me what his quiet signal was to get students to stop!

I quickly set up the gym for the first class, a group of fifth graders. When they walked in I prepared myself for the whispers of, "yippee! It's a sub" but was surprised at how many groans there were instead. As the day went on I realized how much love a PE teacher receives from their students. Of course they do, because a PE teacher, at least in the elementary years, is all about fun and games! Anyway, all went well with the first class, we had fun, they stopped and listened when I gave out the quiet signal, we talked in the end about how much more fun a game is when everyone follows the rules, etc...

But, it was the afternoon classes that brought a little more excitement to my day. By the time the second graders came in, I was exhausted! I had been working out with each class up to this point, running, doing jumping jacks, sit-ups, playing the games, etc and I was realizing that my 44 year old body needed a rest too! But, now all my little ones were arriving for afternoon classes and they are the ones you need to work out with because they need more instruction. So, I bucked up and moved, although a bit slower.

The afternoon classes also brought some trips to the nurse. In the second grade class, it was right after lunch so one boy promptly threw up after jogging his first lap (it was obviously mac-n-cheese day), so the janitor was called in, the boy sent to the nurse, and we resumed play. The next class were first graders and one girl had a terrible headache. I sent her to the nurse and she quickly returned with a note from the nurse that said the girl thought her head was hurting because I had the music on too loud. I forgot that these kids aren't as deaf as I am, so I turned down the music. The last class was kindys and two little boys rammed right into each other during our exciting game of "Fire in the Forest" Both were in tears and one had a bloody nose. There is nothing more exciting to kindys than seeing lots of blood coming out of someones nose!

By the end of the day, I couldn't move! So, my advice is if you ever sub for a PE teacher don't feel you have to play with them the entire time! Working out from 9-3 is hard work and it's OK to instruct from the sidelines once you get them started. I think it's important for them to see you setting the example, but you don't need to do it the entire period. Oh, and I never did have to use that whistle! Mostly because I had the music going and when I stopped the music, they knew to look at me and freeze. Using music is much better than blowing a whistle or trying to yell over the commotion in a gym.

One Month Down

I realized yesterday as I was enjoying my planning time, that I have been subbing for a month now. All those fears in the beginning seem to have disappeared. I've become much more comfortable walking into a classroom and knowing how to set myself up for the day.

I've learned that the first thing I do, after turning on the lights, is to turn on all the computers. I then look for the teacher's lesson plans, which I only read up to the lunch or specialist time. I feel I get overwhelmed if I read everything immediately, breaking it up helps. Plus, when I have my planning time, we all know that subs aren't really needing that time to plan future lessons. I use the time to read about the next lessons that are coming up in the afternnon, grab a quick snack, use the restroom, and check to see if I've been requested for another job somewhere.

If a teacher hasn't given me an idea of their classroom management, I reach into my sub bag and grab a giant sticker or a small sticky dinosaur toy that I purchase in bulk from Oriental Trading, and place it on the front board. I tell the students that this will be given to the "Star _____" (place the school mascot in the box. Star Bulldog, Star Hawk, etc..) and proceed to explain my expectations for the day. Throughout the day I remind them of this star award and it always gets them back on track.

I also take pictures of things I like in the classroom, how things are set up, an attractive bulletin board, etc.. and I print it out at home and place in a book of ideas I want to use once I have my own classroom.

But what hit me the most yesterday when I realized I was one month in, is that I have regular work within the two districts but only in 4-5 schools. This is a great thing! I've come to know the students names, I know the teachers style, and the teacher isn't having to leave me as detailed plans or leave her books out because I know what to do and where to find it. I also keep all past plans that the teacher has left me in a binder that I carry everyday. I can refer to things I may have forgotten or even my notes that I have written about a certain lesson or a certain student.

Yep, one month down, eight more to go and I am feeling confident.

The First Job is the Virginal Job

This is what I say to myself when I leave the school parking lot after subbing in a particular class for the first time. It's always emotional for me... I leave reflecting on whether I was a babysitter or if I actually taught something.

I like to think that these emotions are quite normal. When I walk into the classroom, the first thing I always look for in the teacher's plans, is the management piece. I need to know what signal is used to get the students attention, if there is a system for misbehavior, good behavior, etc.. If I know what the teacher does, then I can do that too and then be able to teach. If I don't know any of this, then I have to fumble through what works or doesn't work and then I end up feeling like I was more of a babysitter because I spent so much time dealing with classroom management. Last week was like that...

They were first graders. They weren't terrible, just loud. They interrupted, they talked when I talked, they argued amongst each other, etc... I truly felt that I was struggling just to get through the day and felt that if I just knew the teachers system, things would have gone much better. Toward the end of the day, I had to open my "sub bag"

I quickly looked through it at all the things (bribes) I had. Books they could look at once done with an assignment, candy (many subs do this, I prefer not to), games, stickers, etc..  I decided on the stickers. They were 6 year olds! As I walked through the room I would stop and give an animal or dinosaur sticker to those that were quietly working. Soon, everyone was quiet!! I then announced that I had a very special sticker that would be given out to the one student I chose at the end of the day who was quiet, raised their hand, had a clean desk, etc...  I then placed this giant sticker up on the board so they had a visual reminder. At the end of the day, I chose the ONE student and everyone was OK with that.

So, as I drove home I thought... Ok, I babysat in the beginning but once we established classroom management rules and expectations I was actually able to teach! The next time I sub in that class, I won't have to figure it all out, I'll know what to do and who they are and they in turn will know who I am and what my expectations are.

Note to all you teachers: PLEASE include your classroom management piece in your lesson plans. We can't teach unless we know what the expectations are for your students because as a sub, I want to teach, not babysit.

Special Ed, Resource room and Kindy's...Oh MY!

This was what my week was like:
Subbed 4th grade for half a day for my mentor teacher. It was very easy to me since I knew her routine, her rules, her expectations. The students attempted to snowball me once, but when I used a term I knew my master teacher uses, they KNEW they couldn't get-a-way with nothin'!

Subbed full day for a Lifeskills class. This I was nervous about since I have no special ed credentials. Fortunately for me, the teacher left great lesson plans and I had two paras in there. I had one tough student who we ended up having to call the parent, only to find that he hadn't been on his meds for two days. This made me feel better, since I was feeling terrible that I didn't know how to control his behaivior. I even got desperate and offered candy! In the end I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed teaching them and at how responsive they were to me.

Subbed a full day in the resource room for students who I pulled out of class to work on writing and reading. The morning was with one student at a time and who all had autism. This was challenging but I was able to get them to look at the book and sometimes say a word with me.
In the afternoon I had small groups. I did, however, make one major faux pa: When entering the classroom, I announced that I was subbing for Mrs. - - -  and that I was here for - - -. When I collected the student and we were in the hall, the student was clearly upset with me. When I asked why, the student commented that the class makes fun knowing that this student is being asked to leave for help with reading. I felt terrible that I hadn't been more sensitive. For the remainder of the day, I did not announce who I was in for, just collected the student.
Again, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed subbing for the resource room.

My week ended with subbing for an all day kindergarten class. I loved it!!! Kindy's are definitely my area. I like the quick pace of moving quickly from one subject to another (they don't have  along attention span you know!) and I love to sing songs and dance around and color!! They were all really good, even the three that I was warned about. At the end of the day, I rewarded all of them by placing a glitter star sticker on their hand, saying that they were all shining stars that day.
It's amazing to me how this age, all in the world is perfect when you have a sticker on your hand.

But, I will admit, that when I walked into each classroom, each day the same thoughts went through my head, "What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into? How can I possible teach like this teacher?" Yet, once I sat with the assigned, and perfectly organized, lesson plans, and once those students have entered the room, the day has run quite smoothly. I am amazed that I love this subbing thing!