In light of my 25th birthday on April 13th, I want to share TWENTY-FIVE things that I have learned (so far) in Full-Day Kindergarten! The following list is in no particular order; each message of learning is unique and meaningful, and reflect the experiences I have been exposed to.

25. Not having the answers to everything is totally okay! In June, I was overwhelmed with information about where my life was headed in regards to working with 4-and-5 year olds. Despite the information overload, I continued to dive into the resources, conversations and networking opportunities that were available to me. I didn’t – and still don’t – know everything about the journey I am embarking on, but every day I continue “trying” to learn as much as I can so I will be able to “know” more by the end of the day! The phrase below is also a key message I try to share with my students on a regular basis so that they, too, don’t feel that giving up when they don’t know something is appropriate. Believing that we are capable will help us reach great achievements.

24. My job is about way more than a paycheck. I am a firm believer that doing what you are passionate about is so much more powerful than choosing a career path based on money. I need to be in a career that sets me free and allows me to learn and teach at the same time. The adventures that our students take me on daily is a testimony to how much I have come to value FDK and believe in the program. My Kindergarten adventures have strengthened my passion for developing early year learners, and being able to support and extend learning every day has been more important than a paycheck.

Working together to thread needles through our hand made quilt.

23. Social Media is powerful. With encouragement from my administrator, Andrea (@micheluttia), I joined Twitter a few days into the beginning of school. I use Twitter as a documentation tool in our classroom every day and also as a way to connect with other professionals in the early years field. Knowing that I can share pieces of our students learning with their families while they are away from their child has enhanced our classroom community and made the accomplishments that are achieved exciting because we get to tweet it out! Children often ask us, “Please, can you tweet this so my Mom and Dad can see it?” Connecting this way is second nature to me because I grew up with social media all around me, but I am always willing to assist someone who may be less experienced in the area since I recognize its positive effects.

22. The walls in our classroom don’t need to be fancy! What makes our bulletin boards purposeful is that everything on them, aside from the black borders, is directly made by the students and is on display for them, their families, their classmates/schoolmates. Coming into the school year, I knew this piece was key, but part of me still wanted to add pictures to the boards that may be relevant to learning but did not capture the students in any way. To be more specific, I wanted to add pictures of tall towers to our bulletin in the blocks centre, hopefully inspiring students to create their own structures. What I quickly realized was that resources such as ipads and books from our library can easily speak to those provocations and saving our bulletin space for documenting learning way much more beneficial.

A caption of the rich conversation that occurred about sinking and floating, cups that were used in an experimentation accompanied by prediction writing and photographs

21. Outdoor learning does not need to end when the recess bell rings.It is so important that our students are interested in what they are learning. For example, if someone finds a rock and wants to search for other ones so that they could compare them inside, we do this! Similarly, weather permitting, bringing a small group outside to build towers using natural materials is always a possibility. Of course, this is a benefit of having multiple educators in our classroom. It is important to have a routine and schedule as a guideline in all classrooms. Outdoor exploration is a beautiful thing and we can always find a way to incorporate more opportunities to investigate our surroundings and bring learning outside.

Classifying, sorting and ordering loose materials that we found outside at recess

20. Forget the phrase “use your words”. Telling a child to “use your words” may not always be the best response when they approach you with a problem because they may not know how to form their feelings into words. Knowing the children is key to realizing when a child may or may not need assistance. Sometimes, children may need help sorting out their thoughts so that they could put them into words that will make sense to someone else. Kindergarten students’ brains are growing rapidly and when they approach me with a problem, it is crucial that we spend time together to understand what exactly is going on and talk about possible solutions.
19. Technology enhances Kindergarten if used correctly. We have a document camera that we use almost everyday for multiple purposes. Whether we are showing a video clip, pieces of work from a student, photographs, yoga sessions, etc., our document camera has been a great learning tool that engages our children. We also use two microphones that have speakers around our classroom that we use to enhance our soft, whisper voices so that students’ can still hear us without us yelling, as well as for confidence building experiences like karaoke and speaking in front of the class. Our classroom ipads have become useful learning tools that children can explore in many ways. Our teaching team uses the application Evernote to record anecdotes and learning observations of our students to refer to when writing report cards.

Using the document camera to sort buttons

18. My teaching team has quickly become “my family”. My first blog post spoke to this already but to extend the team to others that are involved in our classroom will help to justify the support and passion that flows through our classroom. Irene, our planning teacher, is extremely patient and reflective. She learns alongside the other educators in our classroom and has really delved into our environment in so many ways! Andrea (admin – mentioned above), shares my passion for FDK and has really pushed me as an educator in our school. Having thoughtful adults working together is remarkable!

Myself and teaching partners: Val and Nicole

17. Yoga is not just for adults. I practice yoga frequently outside of work so being able to share an interest in yoga with our students has been very exciting! Nicole (one of my two teaching partners) started basic yoga poses in the fall with our students and it has grown into a quiet activity that many in our classroom cherish! Our students know so many poses, can refer to them by their name, and even take turns leading yoga to a whole group. We have even practiced yoga with our grade 4/5 buddies and many of our students have brought yoga into their homes.

Our students and grade 4/5’s doing the triangle pose

16. Not all children are ready for everything we throw at them. Full-Day Kindergarten is a two year process and the curriculum provided in the FDK document guides the program over the course of this time. There is no need to rush anybody into writing a sentence in their journals or get frustrated with a child because he/she cannot get ready for recess as speedy as we want. Being patient and allowing children to grow at their own pace is much more meaningful than expecting too much. I value the patience I have developed this year and owe so much of it to my wonderful students!

15. Literacy and Numeracy are present without worksheets. A common topic in FDK and growing into higher grades also is the use of worksheets. I have not been in the field long enough to have experience providing a child with a worksheet, but I do remember having them when I was in Kindergarten. Being able to trace over the letter “E” on dotted lines is nowhere near as purposeful as drawing out the letter in sand with a paintbrush and eventually making those strokes on paper with a pencil. There are so many tools to practice literacy and numeracy without using worksheets and this incredible resource speaks to many: Journey to Literacy: No Worksheets Required.
14. All children do not need to be doing the same thing at once. In our classroom, sometimes you need to do things that you don’t want to do, however, as a teaching team, we have worked very hard to be respectful of our children’s interests and self-regulating skills. For example, if we are doing yoga and a few students would prefer not to, they may choose another quiet activity that has the same outcome we are looking for (i.e. relaxing, calming body, ready to move forward with the day). Similarly, lunch time is not the only time to nourish our bodies with food and water. We have worked closely with our students’ this year to ensure they are being able to recognize when their body is hungry, full, tired, or needing to let our energy. This is so new to me coming from child care settings where lunch was served at a certain time and children needed to wait based on the schedule.

“Children become empowered when they are allowed to make decisions and take responsibility for these decisions.”

– Susan Gingras Fitzall

13. Purposeful documentation is essential to a well thought out Kindergarten classroom. When you display a child’s work in a frame, portfolio, or on a bulletin, you are demonstrating to them that their work is valued, has purpose, is meaningful and cherished. My favourite piece of documentation is our portfolio binders that we created in September with the purpose of allowing children to add pieces of work such as paintings, writing, drawings, pictures of something they did, etc., into them so that they will be able to look back at the learning they did throughout the year. We often sketch a date accompanied by a note that explains additional learning or curriculum expectations that occurred in the piece so that those viewing the portfolio can gather a deeper understanding of what actually went on. These portfolios are respected by our students and they often take them out to look at and share with others, saying things like, “Look how little I was back then!” and, “It’s so funny how I drew that picture of myself” :).

Embedded image permalink

12. Not everyone is familiar with the role of an Early Childhood Educator. I am extremely content in sharing who I am as an educator with others and am always willing to have conversations about this new education role. Early Childhood Educators and Full-Day Kindergarten is still being implemented across Ontario and it is reasonable that such a shift in education takes time to grasp. Being in my first year of FDK has been a blessing because I have been able to introduce new ideas alongside other incredible educators in Kindergarten about the program and its purposes during the roll-out of Phase 4 at New Dundee Public School. An important part of my job is observing children and analyzing the findings. Here is a quote that is meaningful to me as an Early Childhood Educator and represents a major part of my role:

11. Extended-day is a time that I will always cherish! When I first learned I would be working in extended-day, I had no idea what to expect because I had not had any experiences in this position. I have been enlightened with the special moments where I am able to learn alongside a small group of 7-8 children while awaiting their families at the end of the school day. I look forward to this part of my day just as much as my students do. Sometimes I will hear extended-day students make remarks like, “I can’t wait until it’s extended-day!” or “Remember at extended-day yesterday when we made that painting together?” I value the time that I have with this group of students and their appreciation for the program is visible in their busyness while exploring and investigating in a variety of activities.

Information for registering for WRDSB Extended Day

10. Professional development is purposeful and necessary. I recently attended the Early Years Conference at Conestoga College where I had the pleasure of listening to Tracy Pickard (@TracyPick), a Kindergarten teacher that has inspired me in many ways this year, and my thoughtful and supportive Designated Early Childhood Educator Supervisor, Sarah Andrade (@SarahAinFDK) speak about “covering and uncovering the curriculum”. Witnessing their incredible partnership has continued to inspire me to value my partnership with Valerie (@UrquhartVal) and Nicole because when you share the passion for learning and child development with other educators, the reflection will come across in your classroom. There are so many opportunities to grow as a professional in this field and I am just getting started!

This diagram represents the child centred in the middle of covering and uncovering the curriculum – adapted from Sarah and Tracy’s presentation

8. When children get dirty, it’s a sign of a “hard day at work”. With respect to parents perspectives, we have strongly advised that children come prepared to get “dirty” at school so that nothing is holding them back from their learning. Children learn by touching and manipulating materials and sometimes that means they are on their hands in knees in the sandbox using sticks to explore the waterhole that is circulating them.

7. Less is more. When we first set up our classroom in August, our teaching team had come up with evidence that having less “things” in the room would allow for more opportunities, experiences, learning, etc. to occur. When we add too many choices, our children feel overwhelmed and it can be exhausting and intimidating to look through and decide what materials they want to explore.

A snapshot of our classroom in January 2014. Bulletin’s have been filled with self-portraits and white board magnets have been removed for document camera background.

6. Every day is a new day. Realistically speaking, sometimes children – and adults – experience an “off day” where things just didn’t go as they had planned, frustration got the best of them, etc. I have learned that when this happens, it’s okay. I have come to learn that it is important to let go of a problem or frustration once it is dealt with in our classroom. For instance, if Johnny acts in a “mean” way to Lizzy, this does not mean that Johnny is a bad student or a mean person. Teaching forgiveness with young children is part of understanding self-regulation. When we teach children that sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes others make mistakes, it will become easier to learn the concept of forgiveness and set up an environment where all children and adults feel respected, loved, and welcomed.

Important points to consider when dealing with young learners

5. Implementing Full-Day Kindergarten through phases takes times and not everyone is at the same place in the experience. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, I am learning and so are the many Kindergarten educators across the province who are undergoing this wonderful transformation into early years education. What’s important about recognizing all of this is that there are many individuals to turn to that can support and share ideas. I am fascinated by the amount of educators that come together through so many different networks to do this.

4. Dancing and learning go hand in hand! In our classroom, we often have dance parties in our classroom to feed the energy that is within our Kindergarten students! Since I love to dance, this is one of my favourite times in the day. Students are always asking to have dance parties and we value using music as a tool to explore the way our bodies can move and exercise! I have learned that our children, like many children, are so interested in dance and motivated to move to music. Dance parties have brought our classroom closer together and everyone who has come to a dance party has had a giant happy face while seeing our students so engaged!

A Kindergarten Dance Party!

3. Partnerships with parents is key to a child’s success. I have been SO fortunate to be in a classroom where family involvement is so apparent. I have had many experiences working with parents and guardians of children through different organizations and continue to witness the benefits of developing purposeful relationships with them. Something that is new to me this year is the use of a “Communication Book”, which I’m sure is not new to many Kindergarten educators, but being in my first year with the school board, I had never used one before. This book allows for us to share relevant messages with families and allows them to do the same with us. We have other ways of connecting with our families using technology this year and the feedback we receive is outstanding!
2. I have so much to learn and that excited me because I love to learn new things! This year has provided me with my opportunities to strengthen my philosophy of education and take on some leadership roles through sharing my knowledge with others. In March, I spoke for the first time at Conestoga College in a class I was once a student in about using Twitter to document and capture learning in early year environments. Speaking publicly hasn’t always been my forte but now that I have found a career that I love and feel passionate about, I have so much to share! Stay tuned for updates about upcoming workshops I will be speaking at.
1. And finally, the number one learning I want to share is not so much a learning experience I have had, but one that I’ve seen others have throughout the year. Here it goes… “Play” does not mean “free time” and being an educator in Kindergarten is not “easy” or “less work”. In the fall, we had an educator come into our classroom for a brief time and she asked, “Do these kids just play all day?” I felt honoured that she recognized our children were playing but felt compelled to describe the exploring, investigating, creative thinking, problem-solving, social experiences, etc., etc., etc., that was actually going on during her visit. It was a pivotal moment for me where I learned that not everyone yet realizes the benefits of play-based learning, so to complete this post, I have evidence of the benefits that occur in a play-based environment from the Ministry of Education in their Statement on Play-based Learning.

My Collaborative Partners!

In March 2013, I applied to Waterloo Region District School Board with the hopes that I would be able to share my passion of teaching and learning with young minds and exceptional educators. After successfully completing the application and interview process, I was assigned to New Dundee Public School, a place where I have grown tremendously as an educator since the school year began.
Before September rolled around, I was introduced to my two teaching partners, Valerie and Nicole (see photo below). We met alongside other Phase 4 (2013-4) FDK educators and began to discuss how our philosophies might interact. Since that moment of our first interaction, Valerie, Nicole and I have continued to have powerful conversations about our students, full-day kindergarten implementation/news, the learning environment, “covering and uncovering curriculum”, and implementing new, less “traditional” aspects to kindergarten that are engaging and rich in nature. We each bring very different, but strong experiences to our team. In fact, the best part about our team is that we are so different!
Valerie, our classroom Kindergarten teacher, has been working with WRDSB for approximately four years. The enthusiasm, generosity, and encouragement she has demonstrated in her teaching and partnership with others this year has changed me as an educator and an individual. Not only does she put everything she has into our classroom, she finds ways to support others along their FDK journey by inviting them in for visits, explaining our processes for choosing certain designs and materials in our classroom, live tweeting (@UrquhartVal) about the learning that occurs with our students, and captures beautiful stories that she displays through documentation on our bulletin boards and using the classroom blog (kindergartenatnewdundee.wordpress.com/). Valerie’s communication skills have exceeded my expectations. There has never been a moment that I feel “less than” or “unequal to” in our classroom because we constantly discuss and collaborate in our team. In many ways, Valerie has been my mentor this year and we have developed a beautiful friendship!
My other teaching partner, Nicole, has a kind and open attitude toward the growth of our classroom and the experiences as an Early Childhood Educator thus far in her career. She has been working with the WRDSB as a Designated Early Childhood Educator for approximately 2 years. Nicole and I graduated together from the Early Childhood Education program in 2012 at Conestoga College and were exasperated when we learned we would be working alongside one another through the 2013-4 school year! What a treat it has been to have her at the tips of my fingertips to “show me the ropes” of our individual roles. Nicole makes our classroom a fun place to be with her sense of humour and patience. She enjoys communicating with our classroom families and sharing anecdotes about our students with them. In our extended day program, Nicole and I have partnered in creating exciting experiences for our students and sharing our learning with other DECE’s in our board on professional development days and networking occurrences. I feel fortunate to have had shared so many learning opportunities with Nicole so far, and I truly value the partnership and friendship her and I have established throughout this year!
I have been extremely fortunate to work with both of these educators. It seems as though each day we encounter together, we are teaching and learning from one another as well as with our students. Learning – from one another, our students, families, administration, and other educators – is truly the only “theme” that occurs in our classroom! This is why I think a team environment in education is so powerful! We play off of one another’s ideas, push each other to our limits, and we support decisions and choices that are made in our learning environment. With a class of 27 students, it has been so beneficial not only to the educators, but especially to our students to have three of us in the classroom to ensure optimum learning opportunities for each of them. I couldn’t be more thankful to be undergoing the experiences I am having this year in FDK and I especially owe gratitude to my wonderful teaching partners.