Today our class had a wonderful first day of school! We got to meet new friends, and everyone did a great job getting back into the school routine. Students also started work on their memory books. Today they drew a self portrait, and wrote a little bit about themselves. Tomorrow we begin our school morning circle!
This summer I was lucky enough to attend a week long Waldorf Training in Sacramento California. During this training I learn songs, dances, and stories taught in many Waldorf school, but more importantly, I learned about why the Waldorf approach is so beneficial to children. I have always believed that learning should be fun and hands on, but this training taught me about how important it is to have a daily rhythm in classrooms and how to incorporate songs and games into the school day. In my “first grade class” at the training I learned many songs and games that I can use in my morning circle and throughout the day. My favorite songs had the children dancing and singing about counting by twos, threes, and five. I learned how many of the songs throughout the day can be connected to the academics students are learning each day. Students can learn how to do something like count while also having fun. Many of these songs and games crossed different mid-lines. I had heard about mid-lines before but never understood just how important they are to a child’s development. One of the most interesting things we talked about in training is how a child “finds” their body. Younger children are often more clumsy and active. This is because they are still learning about where their body is in relation to the world. I was amazed at all of the things teachers can do to help children “find” their bodies. By letting children explore the world around them and actively use their bodies, instead of sitting still all day in a desk, teachers are helping students become comfortable in their own bodies. When students are not comfortable and in control of their bodies, it is much harder for them to pay attention to their surroundings. This is just one of the reasons children need time to move and be active every day. I believe the most important thing I learned during the week long training was how a child under the age of seven or eight does not yet have the connection with their left and right brain. Until the two sides of the brain are connected, children are not developmentally ready to do many of the things they are asked to do in many schools today. Trying to teach a child to read before the sides of the brain are connected can actually be damaging to the child. Finding out that the left and right side of the brain are not “talking” to each other until a child reaches the age of about seven or eight makes sense when I think about the experiences I’ve had in the classroom. For example, in my teaching career I have had to give Kindergarten students the Phonological Awareness Skills Test. Almost every student struggled with sound deletion, until the end of first grade despite the fact that I reviewed the skill all year long. Students in other classes also picked up the skill around the same time. Until the end of first grade most of the students in my class were not developmentally ready for this skill. As a teacher I now see how important it is to ask “Are the children in my classroom developmentally ready to learn this skill?” Teaching young children by drilling facts or sight words is not helpful to the student in the long run. Children who are not developmentally ready should not be forced to learn something they are not ready for. That only causes stress on the child, and does not foster a love of learning. I have learned that the Waldorf philosophy focuses on the needs of each individual child, and does what is best for children. I am so lucky to have had this wonderful experience at training. This training not only changed the way I teach, but also the way I think. Learning about the reasons behind Waldorf methods makes me even more excited to have a Waldorf inspired classroom this school year. |
Ms. mackeys classKeeping up with Ms. Mackey's first grade class Archives
March 2017
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