beep

My students go from my class to PE or from PE to my class. The PE teachers really worked the kids hard today. They were jogging. I had a first grader practically fall into my room and say "It was the tiredest day in gym today!" The next kid coming in then says "My heart is BEEPING sooooo hard!"

I had to go and "take attendance" because I could not laugh in the student's face.

loss

Today, everyone remembered 9/11. I did not. I remembered Nancy.
My step-grandmother passed last night and I miss her. I have not seen her in person since my wedding two years ago but, I joined in with my mom on Skype to chat with her and my grandfather on a fairly regular basis. Nancy and my grandfather married not long after I was born and she has been an enormous influence on my life. A strong business woman who stood for so many things. Woman's equality in the workplace being essential to her core.
Nancy suffered from corticobasal degeneration. This is a rare condition that looks like Parkinson's but does not respond to any treatment. It is a life ending neurological disorder. Your nerves atrophy and you cannot control your body.
I cannot write well or in a way that can truly explain losing Nancy to this horrible disease. I love you Nancy and miss you already.

It is very difficult to blink and count on a steady beat at the same time. Try it. Count to 8 and keep a steady beat by blinking. the numbers should be counted on beats. Not easy. I learned this today when singing a beat counting song with first graders and the kids get to decide what action we do to keep the beat. I have never been given the action of blinking before. A new challenge.

I also used rhythm sticks today with first graders. After getting his, one boy asked me "Are these REAL wood?" I say "yes" and then he responds with "WOAH!"

Strange Children

I have 8 classes of first graders I teach in my music classroom. Most act like typical beginning of the year first graders. Young, immature, and adorable. But, I have one class that has what appears to be no squirrels, no screwballs, and no one with a problem with music at the end of the day. In fact, I use a call and response to get the class' attention and this whole class responded on the first time I used it. I should preface this with, I had only seen this class once before and that once was over a week earlier. I told them I was so excited because they were the first class that all responded on the first try. They informed me that they had been practicing. So, I asked their teacher if she used this same call and response in her room (I have heard others using it) and she said no. Apparently, the kids had been practicing music procedures on the playground. I have an extremly well behaved and self motivated group of first graders on my hands. What a buncha weirdos. Don't they want to be silly with the rest of the 6 year olds? No, they would rather practice how to behave in music class. Love it.

I have 4 classes of first grade that are accompanied by small groups of students from self contained special education classes. Typically, other than some extra help occasionally, there is no difference between the participation of any student from either class. I have a student this year who is new to me who screamed all the way through music class number 1. In class number 2 we just sat and made gumpy faces. The teacher and para and I agreed that they were capable of participating in class without much modification and that I would just act as I would with any other student. The next day, they were sent to the time out chair for a short time. The message came through loud and clear, I am the teacher and you are the student and you will participate in class or stay in the time out chair. So, then the stars started. I gave a star for each class completed without tears. This works well with this student. Today after giving the star, I hear this little voice say "I gotta get outta here!" I was crushed. I thought this student was finally enjoying music class. So I tell their teacher and find out, they talk about going to music all day long and "I gotta get outta here!" is just this kid's way of saying "time to go." Thank goodness, I was really sad for a moment.

levels

How do you treat your friends? Are they all given the same amount of care and attention? Do you have an unspoken (possibly unconscious) tier system of friends? There is the best friend(s) who live at level 1 and you can count on for anything, trust with your life, and you communicate with on a regular basis. Then the levels go down from there. Level 2 friends might be those who you speak to a little less or are not as reliable. Maybe a level 3 friend is one that you only hang out with for a good time but don't really want to have at your house. Level 4 is made up of acquaintances from work who you talk to and leave it there.
What if you see a friend as a level 1or 2 and they see you as a 3 or 4?

I see my students struggle with making friends and dealing with acquaintances every day. They have their obvious levels of friends. Their level 1 is the kids you can't let go to the bathroom together or they will just play and talk and their level 2 friends who they play with on the playground and go to birthday parties. Their level 3 friends who they play on the playground with but would never ask mom or dad to have over after school. Level 4 is in your class and you might have to share a glue with them during craft time. Kids overtly show when they desire friends. Feelings get hurt and there are tears when a kid realizes they will never be someone's level 1.

How much of our adult social lives are influenced by our grade school abilities to make level 1 and 2 friends? How many top tier friends are needed to feel cared for or liked. What if we were always the level 3 of the friend chain but wanted to be a higher importance? Do we turn into motivated adults or into adults who strive for attention in the workplace?

I have like a bunch of those

Today, I had a class of second graders who sing like angels. It is beautiful. After I told the class that I thought they had beautiful singing voices, one of the girls says to me. "Well, I make up my own songs at home all the time and that is just one of my singing voices. I have like 14 singing voices."

Another one of those "I need to turn away right now before I laugh in the kid's face" moments because it was too funny to try and stone face or just smile.

It was 90 degrees today and the school is not air conditioned. I was sweating all day. First graders who come to my room at the end of the day were crying for no apparent reason. They were just done. One teacher told me to take it easy on her class because moments earlier there were 4 crying at the same time. It was not that they did not want to go to music, they just did not want to walk there. At bus calls,  little boy A started crying because I told little boy B that he was doing a good job waiting for his bus call. Little boy A was doing a good job, I just hadn't gotten to complimenting him yet. I love first graders but they are not fun when hot and sticky at 3pm.