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The language of my children:

"Mom, can you please E-MAIL my teacher?"

"I'll be right there Mom, as soon as I'm done SCROLLING through this rack of tank tops."

"'Abby' will have her Mom TEXT you so that we can set up a play date."

"Should we UPLOAD this picture to Grandma?"

Their vocabulary definitely reflects their generation!  

**Since it is nearing December, this is a great time to teach or reinforce how to address an envelope.**

If you're anything like me (Starts talking about Christmas in August!) then you have your Christmas cards ready to be mailed or at least will in the next week.  Show your kids how to mail an envelope!

They will LOVE it!  If they are able to, have them write out.  Reiterate that good penmanship is essential so that the postal employees can deliver it with accuracy.

Yes, it is fun to send mail, but it is even more fun to receive it!  Have them write to a family member who will write in response.  

If this may not be a challenge for your child, practice the proper way to write a letter.

They will have fun and be learning at the same time! It doesn't get much better than that!

Thoughts of a Substitute School Teacher...

Have you ever crossed paths with a person, never to see them again?

Maybe your kids met kids their age from another country on a Disney Cruise (Okay, these are my kids!), you met a homeless man that melted your heart with his sweet spirit (Me this time!), or made conversation with a flight attendant and got to know about them and their family on a long leg to your destination (My husband EVERY time we fly!).  Do you ever wonder about them and hope they are doing well, wishing your paths would cross again?

These are the "Thoughts of a Substitute School Teacher"...

If you work for a large school district, like myself, you are rarely in the same classroom, with the same students, more than once or twice in a school year (With the exception of the long term assignments that I've held).  In a class of 25- 30 students, it can be challenging for even the best of teachers to meet the individual needs of the students.  Some of these needs could include social, emotional, physical, and educational, at various degrees of demand.  

In a typical substitute's day, they may:

*Get big bear hugs from students.
*Receive compliments from students.
*Have students cry. A LOT! And why? We don't often know.
*Have one or two students want to stay and hangout with you during recess or lunch.
*Have students who don't speak at all during class.
*Have students that speak too much during class.
*Have students who eat paper, pencils, erasers, etc.. 
*Have students that fall asleep during class! Yes, even during fun activities.

And the list goes on...

Well, the substitute leaves the classroom, (I typically leave them with bookmarks they can color) and goes about their way.  Easy as that, right?!  Nope.

Random thoughts cycle through the substitutes head:
- I hope the students hugging me receive lots of hugs at home.
- For the students that would rather hangout with me during recess and lunch: Do they feel included? Do they feel loved by their peers? Are they nervous? How could we build up their social skills so that they can feel confident interacting with others?
- Why are we crying? Did a pet recently pass away? Are they moving to a new house and scared about it? Are they sad? Are they upset? Do they miss a family member?
- What activities can we do to build confidence in those that don't want to speak out during class? How can we use our talkers to our advantage to share information with their peers?
- For the eaters: Is the classwork to challenging? Too easy? Is there a deficiency in their diet? Is it a bad habit?
- How much sleep did the students get last night?  Do their parents let them stay up too late? Were they up because they have a lot on their minds?

Alright, now that we've seen some of the needs of the students, let's tailor some lesson plans to address these needs... JUST KIDDING! Your day is over.  

As a substitute, I find myself lying in bed at night praying not only for my two children, but for all of the other children that I encounter in the classrooms.  It is my prayer that their teacher sees what I saw during the day and is partnering with the parents to build up confident, well-educated, fun loving, social children who enjoy the school day.

Here are two of my favorite girls to teach!

The Power of Chalk...

Don't under estimate the power of chalk in teaching!

When your kids get out of school and give you the "I'm bored" spiel, hand them some chalk and send them to the driveway!  This afternoon I "played" with the chalk with my 3 1/2  and 6 1/2 year old girls. We made hopscotches, wrote our names, created math word problems, traced our hands and bodies, and drew pictures.  We had fun! AND they were still learning even though the school day had ended.

Here's just some of that many skills that we were building on for my 3 1/2 year old:

- I wrote her name, and she traced it in different colors. (She can write all but the "y" on her own)
- We identified different shapes in the hopscotch.
- We identified numbers and practiced counting in the hopscotch.
- Our gross motor skills were used when we kept time on each other's hopscotches to see who could do it the quickest.
- Our fine motor skills were used when we manipulated the chalk to do what we wanted it to.
And the list goes on...

And for my 6 1/2 year old:

- We traced each other, then used the measuring tape to see how long our bodies are.
- She made her own hopscotch, configuring different shapes to make it challenging to complete.
- We created word math problems for one another to complete.
- She helped her sister to do math problems by drawing explanatory pictures for her.
And the list goes on...

All of this can be taught unintentionally, but when you realize the impact that a simple afternoon chalk activity can have, it can be very fun and you can intentionally teach to your child's individual needs!

HAPPY CHALKING!

Now on Facebook...

Let's Learn with Mrs. Wilson is now on Facebook!


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Let's Learn with Mrs. Wilson

Mrs. Wilson offers tutoring services designed for students in preschool through third grade, with an emphasis on Kindergarten readiness.  Let's work together to prepare your student for school, focus on a particular area that needs improvement, or complete school assigned homework with competency and confidence.

Rates:

$40 per hour, $25 per half hour

My "classroom" or your "classroom"!

*Please don't let the cost hinder the needs of your student.  Contact me for reduced rate options.