P is for Principal

principal

Function: noun

1 : a person who has controlling authority or is in a leading position: as a : a chief or head man or woman b : the chief or head of an educational institution

That's the official Merriam-Webster definition. But in our school we would define "principal" much differently.

We are very fortunate. We have heard more than once that our principal is the one everyone else in the district wants to work for. We don't need anyone to tell us that. We know it.

Yesterday we were told some news that most of us never expected. OUR principal, OUR Diane, will be retiring at the end of the school year.

When she told us, many of us didn't know how to react. There were tears for sure, as we all looked at each other not really knowing what to say or even if we heard her correctly.

Retiring? Really?

Now I realize this kind of thing happens all the time, but to understand the impact this is having on all of us is to understand exactly who Diane is.

Diane has been a part of our school for 30 years. First and foremost as a kindergarten teacher and for the past 4 years our much loved principal.

She is responsible for the education of hundreds of kindergarten students. Two of my own children were fortunate to land in her kindergarten classroom. It was there they got their real first school experience and I can't thank her enough for that. She loved them both as if they were her own.

She is responsible for the education of many student teachers, myself, and a good number of our current staff included.

Twenty-something years ago I was a student teacher in Diane's K/1 classroom. Coincidentally, in the very same classroom I now call my second home. There I learned exactly what a kindergarten teacher is.

Kind, caring, someone who is not afraid to get down on the floor and laugh with kids and laugh at herself at the same time. Someone who is an expert at her craft, passionate, dedicated, organized, creative, with an unbelievable attention to detail...I could go on and on.

It was intimidating to walk into her classroom as a college student, so unsure and scared. This was someone who meant business, who expected nothing less of me as a future teacher than she expected of herself.

She is what I did then and still aspire to, I'm not sure it's possible to ever become the kind of teacher she is, but I feel so fortunate to have had her as my mentor.

Four years ago when our then principal retired the search began for a new leader. Our school was buzzing. "Will she, or won't she?" We knew how fortunate we were when she did!

It was an easy transition knowing her the way we did. We had no doubts in her ability as our leader. This is no easy job, juggling all she's had to juggle. Staff, children, parents, administration, countless meetings, her own family, but she handled it all, with grace and more often than not, a smile on her face. If she did any crying (and I'm sure she shed a tear or two) it was with her office door shut because we never saw that side of her.

I heard her say today that her favorite times were the ones spent talking with kids in her office, even when she had the not so pleasant task of reprimanding them for some slip up or issue.

That's who Diane is, it's always been about the kids.

After she delivered the news, we all just sat there looking at each other. We knew we needed to talk about it but just didn't know what to say.

With our meeting over, some people lingered, but I had to leave. Not because I had anywhere special to be, I just needed to get out of there to somehow process what I had just heard. It was my last thought before I fell asleep and the first thought when I woke up in the morning.

When I walked into work this morning I knew in order for me to function I had to talk to Diane. I needed to tell her how important she is to me. I told her how sad I was but also that I was happy for her. She deserves this. Time to enjoy her family, her home, travel...SLEEP!

Her patent leather flats are going to be very difficult shoes to fill.

Our school will never be the same. It's not to say it won't still be a great place to work, that we all won't still love our jobs, but there will be something missing. None of us know Horace Mann without Diane.

So how exactly would we define the word?

principal

Function: noun

1: friend.

Yes Patrick, There is a Santa Claus

At 9-years old I know we are on the verge of Santa leaving our house forever. I am grateful and somewhat amazed when we manage one more year. After all, he has two big brothers who have been in on the secret for quite sometime now and when you are in the third grade there is bound to be some non-believers around.

I know eventually the question will come up but now I'll be ready with an answer.

This evening we were running around trying to get some things accomplished. First to the laundromat to dry three loads of laundry because the dryer has decided to stop working, to the grocery store because we are having our holiday staff breakfast tomorrow and I'm in charge of the fruit salad, and lastly to Target to buy a birthday gift and some wrapping paper.

By the time I got to Target all I really wanted to do was go home. It's cold, it's windy and my nice warm house, my couch and my laptop were calling my name.

As we stepped out of the car and headed into the store I heard someone say, "Excuse me." There before us was a woman, without a coat, holding a box of candy canes which she had made into reindeer. She asked very politely if we would like to buy one, "because I'm just trying to buy my kids something for Christmas."

I had no cash on me. I apologized but told her if she was still here when I came out, I would buy one.

I headed into the store thinking Patrick was right behind me. but then I heard,

"Mom, wait!"

I turned around to see Patrick reach into his pocket and take out the three dollars the tooth fairy left him last night. He handed it to the woman and happily took his candy cane reindeer from her.

I teared up. He ran over to me in his happy Patrick way and I hugged him. I told him how very proud I was of him and how he just made Christmas just a little bit better for someone.

He said, "now I'm broke, but it's okay."

So someday when he asks me if there is a Santa I will tell him yes, of course there is and I'll remind him of what he did tonight.

Because tonight Patrick, you were Santa Claus.

On Letting it Go

When you're a teacher, especially a kindergarten teacher you have to know when to let things go. Sometimes letting kids have their way is not such a bad thing, especially when you know they're right!

Recently I've had to move some seats around during circle time. The dynamic wasn't working. Little arguments here, silliness there, it was just time to mix things up a bit. So I moved them around, splitting up best buddies or kids that just seem to not be meshing well these days.

I had them all stand up and hold hands so we could spread out and determine each other's personal space and then I noticed that two kids weren't holding hands.

*names changed to protect the innocent

Me: "Jason you need to hold Katie's hand."

Jason: "I ain't holding her hand."

Me: "It's I'm not holding her hand, and yes you are, you need to hold her hand just like the others are doing. It's just for a minute."

Little Boy: "Mrs. C I'm NOT holding her hand because she had her hand down her pants!"

Yep, let that one go.

With the holidays upon us, we've been talking a lot about families. We talked about how some families are big, and some families are small.

Side note...I have one little girl who is constantly shouting out answers when she's not supposed to. The one who just can't hold it in. If it's in her head it has to come out. We work on this a lot. I tell her to raise her hand, but she just can't help herself. Usually it makes me crazy, but today I was very grateful!

I asked the kids to hold up their fingers to show how many people live in their house. We have some 5 people families, some 4 people families and some 2 people families. One little boy, who I know has no siblings was holding up too many fingers.

Me: "David, I thought it's just you and your mommy in your house."

David: "Well, for now it is. How does a baby get in the mommy's tummy anyway?"

Allison: "Babies are a gift from God!"

Me: "Thank you Allison!!!"

Did I care at that moment that she didn't raise her hand?

Nope. Let that go too!

We have a little bit of free choice everyday. On Fridays if they've had a good week I give them some extra free choice sometime during the day. Today, with no specialist to go to I decided a little bit of free choice to start the day would be a good thing.

I pretty much try to stay out of their play, I think kids need to work out their own issues of sharing and negotiating all by themselves without adult intervention.

Sometimes little arguments break out and unless they get too big or physical I just watch and let them figure it out, which they usually do.

This morning I was watching an argument that was becoming quite heated. I was ready to jump in there and "fix" it. I walked over a bit closer just to listen.

Jennifer: "No, If I have the pointer then it's my turn!"

Laura: "It was your turn last time."

Jennifer: "But I really want a turn."

Laura: "It's not fair, give me the pointer."

Jennifer: "I got it first."

I was just about to take the pointer from Jennifer before she decided to use it as a weapon when I heard...

Laura: But I NEVER get to be Mrs Collins, it's my turn to be her!"

I smiled, walked away, they figured it out and I let it go.

Tis the season

It's here. The time of year when things both at home and school start to get really busy. It started two weeks ago as we began to prepare for our school's annual Harvest Fair. It's our staff's way to make a little extra money for our students. We have a white elephant room, craft room, and jewelry table. The kids come in with fists full of dollars ready to be spent on little treasures. They shop til they drop or run out of money which ever comes first.

My son usually comes home with some little "treasure" from the jewelry table that makes its way under the Christmas tree, usually with my name

on it. Since I've had children at my school since 1996, I have quite a collection of trinkets!

Not a week later, my fellow kindergarten teachers and I found ourselves preparing for our annual kindergarten feast. This is a long standing tradition at our school. It takes a solid week of preparation. Making place mats and costumes, designating which class will be Native Americans and which will be Pilgrims, and grocery shopping to buy ingredients for making cranberry sauce, butter, and corn bread.

We ask each child to bring in a salad vegetable so we can make a salad stone soup style!

The day before our feast is spent cooking and inevitably every year at least one of us burns the cranberry sauce, or fails to turn the heavy cream into butter but the kids have a great time.

The morning of our feast we put our salad together, trusting the kids with plastic knives, sometimes the tomatoes are turned to mush and the carrots are responsible for breaking more than one knife, but it's good fine-motor practice!

Then we give the "eating with manners" lecture.

When to say please, when to say thank you, how NOT to say ewwww that's gross and how to just leave it on your plate when it's something you don't like.

"Mrs C what's that stuff?"

"It's cranberry sauce, we made it remember?"

"But it doesn't look like cranberry sauce."

"It is, trust me. Try it you might like it."

"No thanks, I only like the one that looks like the can."

So we lined the miniature Pilgrims and Native Americans in the hallway with their place mats and forks in hand. Mouths were watering as they awaited our principal to deliver her annual thankful speech.

It was then that I realized that maybe I didn't do a very good job teaching the kids about Pilgrims. My little Native Americans were seated first as the Pilgrims from across the hall filed in.

"Mrs. C who are they supposed to be?!?"

And then they dug in. Turkey, Salad, Cornbread...some were more adventurous than others, but when all is said and done, they won't remember who taught them that u always needs to follow q or that 3 apples take away 2 apples equals 1 apple, but they will remember their kindergarten feast.

With Thanksgiving festivities over, it's time to focus on the December holidays. The kids know what's coming and they are already talking about all things Santa.

I let it slip the other day that I knew Santa's phone number.

"How do you know Santa's number?" one little cherub asked.

"Oh Matthew, don't you know, all teachers know Santa's phone number."

"Really?"

"Yes really."

I'm sure he's still pondering that little bit on information.

"Hey Mrs. C, do you know what I want to be when I grow up?"

"I don't know, let me guess. Fire Fighter?"

"Nope."

"Ummm, doctor?"

"Nope."

"I know, a teacher!"

"Nope, I want to be an elf!"

"An excellent career choice just remember me when you're a famous elf."

After all... it's not what you know, it's who you know!

St. Patrick meets Halloween

Living in Salem has it's perks. We are the Halloween capital of the world. Sure we have to deal with crazy traffic through the entire month of October, but our neighborhoods are taken over by witches, ghosts and goblins, hedges are covered with cotton spider webs and pumpkins both with and without faces are perched on just about every front porch. It's an adventure in people watching and there is a certain feel and excitement in the air that trickles into our classrooms. It starts in the beginning of October with our annual Haunted Happenings Parade and won't end until the wee hours of the morning on November 1st, All Saints Day, when Salem's Finest start herding the hobgoblins out of the city.

I try to be a good mom and and raise my kids with some kind of belief system. I am a firm believer in believing in something, so I dutifully brought my youngest to church this morning and then like a good mom dropped him off at Sunday School.

Now Halloween does not go unnoticed at Sunday school either. They are very well aware that because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, children will be showing up to Sunday school with candy hangovers. So to put a little excitement into having to come to Sunday school after a night of reverie and too many peanut butter cups, and double bubble, the children will be allowed to come to Sunday school in costume.

Now keeping in mind that Sunday is All Saints Day the children can not come as Power Rangers, Storm Troopers or Indiana Jones, they must choose a Saint and come dressed as that Saint.

Because my son's name is Patrick his natural choice is, of course, the saint by the same name. Good Old St. P, Patron Saint of Ireland, the Saint of hubby's homeland, the man responsible for the lack of snakes in the land of the leprechaun and the spud.

So in preparation of this, his teacher read a book today about the more common of the saints and the kids had to draw one interesting fact about their chosen saint.

This is Patrick's rendition of his interesting fact...

St. Patrick escapes from the Pirates!!

I'm pretty sure that's Captain Jack Sparrow at the helm.

I'm not entirely sure if this is a true fact or not, but I'm fairly certain the pirates who may have captured Patrick to begin with, weren't flying the Jolly Roger.

Lesson Plans

One of the great things about kids is the fact that they can hang out with another kid for five minutes and suddenly be the best of friends. This is, or rather was the case for two little girlie girls in my class. They sat together in the circle on the first day of school and have been inseparable ever since. But just like in a family when people spend too much time together little irritating things start to creep in. You love each other just the same, but those little things that you love one day can be like a thorn in your side on others.

I could tell things were not good today between "Lucy and Ethel". They were bickering and arguing from the time they walked in to the room this morning, to lunch and recess, to dismissal. The tattling on each other was relentless and at one point it even got a little physical.

"Lucy" has a way of saying just the right thing to get "Ethel" to seethe. I could see the level of frustration growing in Ethel until I turned just at the right time and saw her get right up into Lucy's face and FLIP HER THE MIDDLE FINGER.

My jaw dropped. I dropped the pencil I was holding in my hand. I stood frozen, and then I reacted.

"Ethel, I think you need to come with me."

I took her hand and calmly walked her to the office sat her down in the chair and let our principal know about the offending obscene gesture.

So off I went back to my classroom.

About 20 minutes or so later we were cleaning up for lunch and Mrs. Principal came in with Ethel in tow. She was chuckling to herself while we both watched Ethel walk up to Lucy to offer the most sincere apology she could manage.

I looked at Mrs. Principal and said, "okay, what's so funny."

Laughing she said, "Well, I told her that it was a really nasty thing to do, that it is really really insulting and disrespectful and she should never do it again."

"And...?"

"I asked her where she learned to do that."

"And...?"

She said, "My teacher taught it to me."

I looked at Mrs. Principal and said, "and I suppose you want to see the lesson plan?"

P is for Personality

Seventeen little personalities to be exact, and all unique. Everyday I learn something new about them. Who to separate, who can work together, and who needs to be watched every second!Like my flower child last year, some have special qualities that I just can't ignore. I'd like to introduce to you...

The Reporter

The eyes and ears of my classroom. If it happens, she knows about it. The who. The what. The when. The how. The why. Nothing gets by her. Strangely enough, she is never involved in anything herself, always the innocent bystander.
"Mrs. C, she has the hiccups. He's being mean to that other boy, he has a lego in his pocket I think he's trying to steal it, she spilled her juice on her shirt and it's picture day her mother is going to be really mad, he needs to go the the nurse I think he has a fever..." You get the picture. I love her to pieces, but because of "The Reporter" I had to break out the tattle jar again.

The Comedian

This one is wiser than her five years would suggest. On week two, her mom came to me and said, "Do we need to have a conversation yet?" I just laughed because I knew what she meant, but in reality I love this kind of kid! I can laugh with her because she "gets" me. I even caught her rolling her eyes at me, but it was not in a way that I found disrespectful, it's was more of a "my teacher is a fruit loop, but I love her anyway" kind of way.

She tries to test me to see just how far she can go before I'll call her on it. She likes to get a laugh so if you could fast forward 12 years she just might be that child who has their picture under the heading "class clown" in the year book.

And one of the best things about her is she's a Red Sox fan, she gets that about me too!

The Mouse

She's a lovely little thing, but rarely speaks above a whisper. She has a lot to say, just chooses to say it very very quietly.

Old Yeller

The flip side to The Mouse. He has a lot to say and says it very very loudly!

The Inquisitor

He's the one that has to be in the know, the reasons behind everything...and I do mean EVERYTHING we do. Why is it snack time? Why won't my shoes stay tied? Why is today gym day? Why are apples red? and green? and yellow? Why? Why? Why?

I love his curiosity and I suppose it's his way of discovering the world around him. I try to answer what I can, but sometimes I just have to refer him to The Reporter.

The Pee-er

There is one in every class. The one child who NEEDS to go to the bathroom because "really Mrs. Collins, this time it's an EMERGENCY!" Well who am I to say no, because it will be the one time I do and...well you know.

I really don't mind so much but I am trying to teach them how to ask correctly. For example, I'd much rather hear, "May I go to the bathroom please?" rather than "I really have to poop!"

Little Miss Sunshine

Much like last year's Flower Child, Little Miss Sunshine is just happy to be here on the planet. Her smile could brighten a room. She's sensitive to her friend's needs, feels badly when someone is hurt or sad and does her best to be kind and considerate. She's the child that you just hope does something a little naughty to prove that she can!

A few weeks ago a child in my class fell and broke his arm. Little Miss Sunshine felt so badly she started to cry. I have to admit, I wanted to too. It was scary! But she chose to turn her sad, scary feelings into action and made him an entire book to help him feel better. They don't come much sweeter.

Mr. You've Got to Be Kidding Me

This is the one who thought if he spoke Spanish around me I wouldn't know what he was saying, and to be honest, most of the time I don't!

Sometimes what he says is kind of funny. Like today when he yelled "Hay Diablo!" when another boy knocked over his block tower.

But sometimes he will speak Spanish while in a literacy center or during math games and neither I or most of his friends have any idea what he's saying. I don't mind at all during social times, like out on the playground, or during free choice time, but in school we all need to be understood to everyone.

Well I am by no means fluent, but I know enough to fool even the smarmiest of 5 year-olds I give them just enough to make them THINK. So today when he started speaking Spanish to his math games partner...

Me: "No Espanol en la clase por favor."

Well the look on this little guy's face was priceless.

Him: "You. speak. Spanish?"

I just smiled and walked away.

I do a lot of smiling...it is kindergarten after all!