Counting crayons... sharpening pencils....

Tonight I sit counting crayons and sharpening pencils. My Kindergarten students who have all eight crayons in their bag will get a special sticker for their folder tomorrow. Honestly, there are quite a few students who will be happily surprised.

Broken crayons will not be replaced, lost crayons? I'll be slipping a few replacement crayons in this week and each day I will reward those who have kept all eight. I think the number of misplaced crayons will continue to decline.

I'm not nasty about a missing crayon, just matter of fact. Today was busy and productive. We made short vowel packages and pattern Christmas trees. We even wrote about snow! I am cautiously optimistic about our new December Good Behavior Charts.

Just like my students, we are each given a new start each day. What will be do with it? What will we chose? Decisions are tough and sometimes we make choices that are not the best. One of my students had to take a Good Behavior Sheet home today that was colored yellow and the notation beside the yellow circle said that they had crawled under a table and had taken a classmate's shoe. I chuckle and shake my head. But, I am honestly glad that some of my mistakes are not written on a piece of paper for all to see.

Tonight as I prepare for tomorrow... I know that I must keep walking... I must support my students' efforts to behave with vigilance and firm kindness. NO... It's not ok to wack your neighbor... but they can not call you a name either... We must all learn to do what is right.

Instinct tells my students to respond in kind when they are hurt. Even when they know the proper choice, often they choose their own way over the adult approved method. I pause and know I must move their clip, that they must color their chart. It is not fun to know you have done wrong.

One very intelligent young student of mine was furious when he was moved to yellow and threw a fit. He verbalized that he knew he couldn't win a prize because he was not on green. I acknowledged his correct interpretation of events. The boy in question struggles with the knowledge of good and evil just like we do. He knows what will happen if he does wrong. He has even been warned and then he is mad when the natural consequence comes to pass.

Sigh... How very much like a microcosm of the adult world is Kindergarten.

Now and always,
I pray you are blessed.
I ask that we are given mercy,
peace and grace.
I even ask for happy things like cookies and best friends sharing a good adventures.