Day 22

Today I worked with 4 and 5 year olds. It was a very fun and busy day. Here's a break down of it:

8:30am-9:30am: Had normal intern meeting with Sean. Then went upstairs and greeted and signed in students.

9:30am-11:00am: Started my first class. (The time is different than what I have been used to. I have been doing full day classes which start at 9am and go until 4pm...with lunch from 12pm-1pm). My first class was called "Onstage" and it was with a wonderful man named Matt. Before class started he did a "check in" with us and got to know us interns and asked us what our objectives were. I love when the teachers actually care to get to know us. :) We had less then 10 students in the class. There were 4 adults in it (1 teacher, 2 interns, and 1 assistant...so lots of help). We did a name game and some warm ups. Then Matt asked me to help him act out the rules in the classroom, which was very fun to do. Then Matt told us a story. He is a great story teller. Then he asked the students to create a new story like the one he just told them. So the story they created was about a family of T-Rexes who were making Mac n Cheese when they decided to quickly go over to Fairy Land while they waited for their food to cook. While they were away, a group of superheros came and tried to steal the Mac n Cheese. They were unsuccessful because the T-Rexes lived in a haunted house, so the ghosts scared the superheros away. Cute, huh? Then we took 5 minutes at the end of the class to show the parents what the students had worked on so far. Then they were allowed to go home.

11:00am-12:00pm: Did random things for Sean like getting ready for lunch.

12:00pm-1:00pm: Ate lunch with the students then played/colored with the students.

1:00pm-2:30pm: My next class didn't start until 2:30! So Sean let me go help with the 4th-6th graders in the Clowning class. Yeah, you read me right, a CLOWNING CLASS. It is so frickin' awesome. I want to take the class myself. I feel so fortunate to be able to be in the class for the hour and a half that I am.

2:30pm-4:00pm: The next class was called 'Monster Tales". Which we will be reading the books by Mercer Mayer. (You know the "Little Critter" books! Look him up, and you will know.) The teacher was named Chris. She has been a teacher I have been wanting to work with since I met her at the orientation meeting. She greeted me about the same way! That she was so excited to be finally working with me! She had books laid out at the top of the class for students to read with their parents on the rug. She said that this will happen everyday 15 minutes before class starts. She felt a lot like a kindergarten teacher to me. Very kind and loves to hear the students' ideas about things. We played a name game (or rather with this age, just went around and asked for their name and a certain thing about them, for Chris' class, we asked what their favorite color was, for Matt's it was what is their favorite art activity). Then Chris read the book There's An Alligator Under My Bed. After the book she asked the students what happened, then asked the students if they could re-enact the story. Half the class were alligators and the other half were the kids (There are only 6 students in this class). Chris really helped them act out the scene by telling them where to go and what to do. But by the 2nd or 3rd time they did it, they didn't need as much help from Chris. Then Chris had them make Alligator hats/masks. It was a pretty cool craft. We used those form visors, with puff balls and googly eyes for the eyes, and triangle form pieces for the teeth. Then at the last 10 minutes of class, the parents came back so the students could show them their scene with their new costume pieces.

4:00pm-4:15pm: I said goodbye and checked out students for the day.

4:15pm-4:30pm: I waited with a student (who was in my high school class from the first week) for her mom. She said I didn't have to, but I know how sucky it can be waiting for a parent to pick you up. She seemed to appreciate it. So we chatted for a while until her mom came. They offered me a ride home, but I preferred to walk. I am really enjoying my walk to CTC and back.

It was overall a good, but busy day. I am of course tired. :)