This evening, I had this short Twitter conversation with a fellow educator, Kristi.
When I read Kristi’s reply to my initial tweet, I couldn’t help but nod along. We’re in the midst of reorganization, and as classrooms change and students get ready to move, I sit back and realize that it has been an exhausting week. I wonder though, have I taken the time to just slow down and enjoy the “little things”: those small, wonderful classroom moments?
- Sharing a snack with a student.
- Listening to a funny story and enjoying a good laugh.
- Cutting, painting, gluing, creating, and getting completely immersed in some messy problem solving.
- Putting on a puppet show.
- Building a tower together. Watching it fall, and trying again.
- Enjoying a good book together.
- Dancing, singing, and being just a little bit silly.
- Playing a game of hopscotch.
- Running, jumping, skipping … moving in all kinds of different ways.
Kristi’s tweet, whether intentional or not, was a good reminder for me to slow down and truly enjoy these little, wonderful things. I wonder how doing so may allow us to connect even more with students, and what the impact of that may be. What do you think? How do you find the time to enjoy your list of “little things?”
Aviva
How often I would come home from a busy day in kindergarten and wonder how come I didn’t have time to really enjoy my time with my kinders. There were days with so much to do: Daily 5 rotations, reading/writing workshop, math and on and on. Then there were the specialists. But the days I cut loose and could be silly with finger paint, play dough and playing board games, giggling at their antics and mine let the kinders know how much I valued this time with them. I miss that since retirement. And I think you just figured it out Aviva! You do it!
Thanks for the comment, Faige! I really think that it’s these time that can truly change the feel of the room. Not only can they still allow us to meet curriculum expectations, but they give us the chance to really connect with our students. That matters. I wonder how others take time to truly enjoy these “little things.”
Aviva
Aviva,
It sure is a busy time! The day flies by and it often feels like I am not sure what was accomplished. When I sit down at think about it at night I realize I have acomplished a lot, but there is always so much more on the list that hasn’t gotten done. Taking the time to recall the amazing little things is really important. Enjoy your day today! Cherrish the “little things” – starting my day off with your blog will keep this in my mind all day – thanks!
Sarah
Thanks Sarah! I hope that you had many great “little things” to enjoy today. I know that I did. I think that taking the time to blog last night, helped me keep these positive moments in mind today, and it truly was a wonderful day. I wonder how many others find that this thinking/reflecting time helps with recalling all of the terrific “little things” that make our day special.
Aviva
Every day at school always brings me many things to smile, laugh or think about. That’s what keeps me coming each day, despite the less enjoyable parts of the day. I may go home exhausted but if I remind myself of the smiles, I feel like it was worth it. We all need the reminder from time to time, so thank you for that, Aviva. Your post made me wonder about our students, though; especially those who struggle with school (academically, behaviourally, socially). I wonder how we are doing as a system to teach these students reflection skills to celebrate the little things and be proud of their accomplishments, no matter how small? If we need reminders to reflect on the good, how are they getting by? Hmm. Something for me to think about – how can I better support our school strugglers? Thanks for the nudge!
Thanks for the comment, Kristi, and for helping me have an a-ha moment. I never really thought of this in connection with the students, but now I’m wondering about how we can work this “reflection time” into even small group discussions, to help the students find those wonderful “little things” that make school special. Maybe helping them focus on these positive parts will help the more difficult times become that much more manageable. I’d be curious to know the different ways that educators help students celebrate these “little things,” and how all members of the school community (from parents to administrators) can support this kind of celebration.
Aviva
Aviva and Kristi – having a community circle or small group discussion about something positive that happened is a great way to help our students see that they can change their outlook. I didn’t do this everyday, but did do it first thing Monday morning when we were coming back together from thr eeekend. We always shared our activitites and then talked about something positive or something that made us feel happy/loved/appreciated. They loved talking about it. When I would conference with my students we would talk about their goals and I wiuld ask them to tell me something that they had done well in order to make progress towards their goals. Some found this hard at first, but with help got there. I am always amazed by the negativite thinking I see in such young kids – “I can’t to this.” ” I am stupid” it is heart breaking! Helping them see some positives can help.
Sarah
Thanks for the comment, Sarah, and sharing what you did! I do like the idea of a community circle. I’m thinking about what this may look like in Kindergarten (even as a small group option), and how we can use this time to celebrate the positives. Kristi’s comment (and now yours) reminded me about how important this is.
Aviva