Thoughts on week 1-

I am pleased with how smoothly this week went. Your children did wonderful, they really did! For those who are curious, here is a quick run down:
(I wont be putting names of the children on my blog, so if you are interested in individual details, email or call me.)

Separation from parents- Out of all four of my classes, I only had 4 or 5 that had a hard time being dropped off. I told those kids something like this- "Mom loves you. She brought you here so you could have fun learning with me. We're going to have a great time and when we're all done, she'll come back for you."

Relationship with peers- I can see some friendships forming all ready! Most of the kids are playing and interacting well. There are even several sets of little girls that have found their "best friends." It's cute to observe them. At the end of the week I only had 3 students that would hang back and not get involved playing with others. I'm sure their shyness can be worked through with time. We'll gently help them come out of their shells.

Classroom skills- I'm excited to see how many of my students are writing their names! For those who aren't yet, we'll keep working on it. If anyone would like name tracing papers to practice at home, let me know and I'll get you some. I noticed some of the students are having a hard time with cutting skills, we'll keep practicing that. There are several in the 3 year old classes that are holding their pencils/crayons in their fist- we'll practice proper hand placement. I always tell them "One thumb, two fingers." For those who continue to struggle with this, I'll provide pencil grips to use in class, if you'd like one for home, contact me.

Behavior- For the most part, behavior was excellent. I was impressed with how well all my students follow instruction. I have a key phrase I use- "Bodies in control." I say this when I want their attention. When they hear it, they should stop talking, put their hands in their laps and look at me. This is very helpful when I want them all to listen at once. Normally it takes me a couple weeks to get my students used to this phrase, however most of them are all ready starting to get the hang of it. I'm very proud of them! One of my classes had a little difficulty settling down and following instruction- we'll just keep working on that. It is important, because once children can learn to listen and focus, they learn much faster.

Fun- Thanks for bringing your kids, I had a good time with them this week. One of my favorites was the day we painted their feet. As you all know, that's a very ticklish part of the body, so I got them all laughing and smiling. I read some of my favorite funny stories and was delighted that they all loved them too, I had them howling with laughter! (Monster Munchies by Laura Numeroff and Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks.) It was adorable.

Thanks again and lets make next week just as good.