Kindergarten has been quite the year. We watched Collin grow from a timid first timer, to an expert school-attender. It was wonderful to get to volunteer in class and get some first hand glimpses of how Kindergarteners think and behave. The budding independence and confidence is precious. An example of what Kindergarten thinking is like:
Mrs. Fields sent this via email:
Mrs. Fields: we're going to talk about how chickens develop!
Collin: I know. The hen lays an egg, the rooster poops on it and rubs it around with its feet, and thats how a chick is made (said mater of factly to the whole class).
Mrs. Fields: Really Collin, I had no idea!
Ha. Oh the ridiculous logic they dream up.
He's ready for first grade, but desperately wishes he could still have Mrs. Fields for 1st grade because she is such a great teacher. Its very true. She is an amazing teacher. This is the letter I wrote to the principal this week to remind them of what a gem they have in her:
Mr. Koland,
As the year comes to an end I wanted to
take the time to write you to tell you about Mrs. Fields. As an
educator, I realize that our teachers spend far too many days in the
trenches with 26(!) kindergartners, and not nearly enough time
surrounded by the praise they deserve.
First, I
want to set a little context. I'm an educational psychologist by
training and, admittedly, a pretty critical analyst of teachers. I've
been trained to be data-driven in my work, and my research focuses on
the early years (K-7 years old) and parenting. I work at the U of M as a
researcher. As a result I'm a very strong advocate for under-served,
low income and minority parents and their families, and I know well the
literature and best practices within early childhood and kindergarten
literacy and numeracy standards. I've seen you at generation NEXT
meetings, in cradle to K cabinet briefings and among other educator
crowds. I say all this to let you know that I don't give out praise of
this variety often because the lenses I use to examine context and
content have breadth and depth that make it easy for me to find more
flaws than strengths.
Yet, even with the
grueling layers of my critical eye, I have been exceptionally impressed
by Mrs. Fields. My son, Collin, is wonderfully compassionate and excels
in reading and academic generally. But he also has challenges with focus
and attention. Mrs. Fields was careful to support him in ways that were
constructive and helpful throughout the year. I never once received an
email from her that talked about challenges as being part of Collin's
traits or character, she always carefully crafted notes to reflect
behaviors or contexts. That is such and important and admirable skill in
teachers and Mrs. Fields has it down. She knows to recognize the
strengths in the students first, which offers so many opportunities to
build a collaborative home-school partnership, the type that is sorely
needed in many other kindergarten classrooms across the state. Consider
yourself lucky to have such a skilled teacher interacting with these
kindergartners. I contribute much of Collin's success in the end of the
year to her careful attention to his needs and her problem solving
solutions that help him focus. The ball-chair has made a big difference
as has some of the other check ins we do to keep him aligned with
expectations for work. I'm confident he'll do well in 1st grade, and a
big portion of that confidence came from skills directly attributed to
Mrs. Fields working with Collin.
Of course,
that's not her only strength. Her commitment to routine and her kind and
compassionate way with the class is steadfast and wonderful. I can
barely believe the amazing success she's had with 26 students. 26 is
huge for K. I just observed in a K at Sheridan in Minneapolis and they
were capped at 18 with a para and a lead teacher. At Hall Elementary, a
north Minneapolis school (MPS) again, they capped at 23, next year it
will be 20. I offer these figures to note that I'd challenge any one of
them to compare their students outcomes to her student's outcomes- she
managed the class exceptionally well and made strides with the students.
(With that said, please though, don't give her 26 next year! It really
is too many!)
Because I do drop offs everyday
(we open enrolled to EDW), I get to see her days start quite often.
There was only 1 day this entire years that I entered the room and
didn't think she was glowing with ambition and excitement to contribute
the Kindergartners learning environment. She was totally sick that day. I
felt awful for her; even with a miserable cold, she was still there.
Lately there has been a new student in class who I can see is struggling
to assimilate to the routines and practices, and Mrs. Fields is so warm
and caring, almost parental to this student. Its heart-warming to know
that no matter the student, she operates in a way that shows compassion
and care to build relationships first. This student has only been in
class a few days, but already she immediately connects with Mrs. Fields
when she comes in, so its evident that those warm caring relationship
skills are really doing their job quite well.
Mrs.
Fields is also masterful in differentiating instruction. I volunteered
once a month, so I got to see little glimpses of this, but she knows all
26 students abilities, strengths and challenges. That's no small feat! I
often ran small group interventions/centers for her and her post it
notes were specific and tailored to each student. I appreciated very
much her attention to detail regarding where each student is and how to
push them into their zone of proximal development. She's also done an
excellent job of fostering non-fiction interests in the Kindergartners.
Collin's interest in all things living has grown tremendously and its
great to see his enthusiasm to explore the other side of the library.
Because
I got to volunteer I also got to see, on occasions, students who were
probably candidates for Tier 3 interventions or a referral. I really
believe its these students who showcase a teacher's true skill. Its one
thing to teach to students who can gather the information easily,
process it and move through a lesson. Its quite another to scaffold
every part of the lesson with multiple opportunities to respond in ways
that are at or just above the student's current level. I think sometimes
you can see the success or failure of such approaches on the kids
faces. Five or more rounds of interventions that are just too hard make
failure a pattern and sink a child's motivation and confidence. I
worried about this with some of the kids who were Tier 3 intervention or
referral candidates early in the year (just based on my observation).
But as we reach the end of the year, I found my worries were unnecessary
as these same students still have an enthusiasm for class, still are
smiling and excited to learn.They might have had a referral or qualified
for special ed, but its not noticeable. There was no sinking of
confidence, no lack of enthusiasm on the student's part. This speaks
volumes about Mrs. Fields skills. She is able to preserve that
confidence and motivation by carefully offering interventions that
support success, and I hope if I ever have a child in the same position,
they come out feeling confident, as those in her classes appear to
have, rather than defeated (which is all too often the case when we move
to special ed referrals).
As the year comes to
an end I've talked to Collin about 1st grade. He's anxious about it
because he doesn't want to leave Mrs. Fields. I worry that the bar has
been set very very high. I want a Mrs. Field replica for 1st grade.
Collin needs the structure she has, complemented by the warm caring
relationship aspect. I need the strong partnership that I've been able
to have with her over the year, so I hope your 1st grade teachers are up
to the task!
In sum, I'm sending this note to
let you know that she really is a gem. If you get a moment to thank her
for all she does, I encourage you to do so. She's made a difference this
year in 26 young lives that really has sparked a love of learning for
the rest of their lives. They'll never forget her, and we're so grateful
she contributed to Collin's success.
Thanks for listening.
Best,
Alisha
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