Tuesday August 15 Book Idea

Thank you Kathleen from Kidpeople Classroom for the opportunity to link and share.

Last week, I mentioned that I was reading for personal fun and escape:
The Horse Dancer a novel by Jojo Moyes.

Well, I finished it and need to say YOU SHOULD read this!  It is a fictional story about yes a 'dancing horse' and owner, Sarah. 
But it was so much more about the human spirit of determination.  There was a speech made by a teacher who was called to testify in a divorce.  If I may..

"...when a child goes quiet they are suffering...they don't trust us enough to tell us.  They don't tell teachers, and they don't tell parents because they can't trust them not to get cross when they say something they don't want to hear...they don't tell us because half the time nobody listens to them anyway....It's a betrayal... .... it's just life..." 

wow and she went on.  This was a side story apart from the main character but it touched me.  Many of our little kids act out in aggressive ways when under stress.  Some talk a lot and tell us more than we think we should know.

I hope this new year, we can take a little time and allow our children the chance to talk and work as little kids. Sadly, I know I have lost part of that these past few years in an effort to get through our curriculum requirements. 

My goal is to give a little more time to listen to our kids.  I have maintained weekly Show and Tell but I know I need to allow more time to listen and expose them to positive experiences. 

Heartprints by P.K. Hallinan is about telling others kind things and doing good deeds which leave 'heartprints'.  For students' birthdays, we fill in a simple story of what the birthday child's favorite color, food and what they like to do in kindergarten.  Some years I just have the students write their name next to a heart on the back, other years I ask for a word to describe the birthday child.  At first they use simple words, such as kind, nice, good and throughout the year they begin to use other describing words and good character descriptors, honest, friendly, uses good effort, etc.

I have enjoyed ideas from many other bloggers, Kathleen from Kidpeople Classroom, Carolyn Kisolski from Holding Hands and Sticking Together and Dr Jean Feldman.  The newest is Happies for Teachers by Carolyn and Dr Jean. Comment and share because...

Hand-in-hand we grow.

Janet