Thursday, February 25, 2010

Ss is for...soft snake

 


My teaching staff is made up of some of the most incredible and talented women I have ever had the pleasure of working with.  I am in awe of them...truly. Over the past seven years they have made their classes completely their own.  Every one of them have talents and attributes that they share with their students.  Today in the 3-year old classroom something incredible happened...

Ms. Nancy has a little guy in her class who, in the past 6 months has made incredible strides.  She affectionately calls him "Monk."  For those of you who know this very funny TV show, you know Mr. Monk is only slightly obsessive-compulsive (ha ha!).  At the beginning of the school year, this little guy's mom warned told us "good luck, he's stubborn."  Well, he is one of the brightest little boys we've seen through our school, and yes, he is stubborn.  It took him a while to get on board with socializing, sharing, and playing with the other kiddos.  And now?  He is an absolute delight!  His mind is an amazing maze of wheels always observing and thinking and inquiring.

This week is "Ss" week -- everything Ss!  To encourage proper cutting skills, the 3-year old class was cutting snakes.  You remember, right?  Holding a piece of paper with your left hand and cutting a spiral shape with scissors in your right hand (or vice versa).  And then sticking googly-eyes on the Silly Snake...totally fun and cute!  Well, "Monk" finished his spiral cutting and then proceeded to cut snips all around his snake.  Listen to this...he told his teachers that he was making a "soft snake" (the fringe he was cutting around his snake was fur).  He was so proud and happy with his snake, and I just wanted to grab him and hug him, but that would have just pushed him over the edge, so I "high fived" him instead. 

It still blows me away...he made that connection -- he thought about what he wanted and acted upon it, all the while pulling from what he had learned during the week.  Nancy gives all the credit to him, and yes of course, children do grow and mature, but not without gentle guidance, teaching, love, and a whole lot of patience from dedicated teachers and parents. 
 


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2 comments:

  1. Ms. Nancy rocks and so do you! - our fearless leader! The reason the team works so well is that it is so well led. Can't wait to see "Monk" bloom and grow in my class next year!

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  2. This is a VERY cool post! I love reading about successful child development. It makes me so happy :).
    I agree w/ My Lipstick Life, you and Ms. Nancy rock!
    Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

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