The state of the class was utter chaos! Tuesday was, by far, the roughest day I have ever had at work. I tried everything I could possibly think of to help manage the classroom as well as my stress, and nothing, absolutely nothing I did seemed to make a difference! All day I kept having to take bathroom breaks just to hide my tears from my lead and the kids.
So much could be said about the frustrations of that day, but our class could best be represented by the symbolism in our "Peace Rose" being literally shredded to peaces. It had been fed to the gerbils by one of our students. It was quite clear at that point...the peace was gone.
I came home that night and cried harder than I had in a long time.
I guess Homer Simpson had it right when he said “You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is 'never try'.”
Where have all the Pickles gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Day 74...Monday Oct. 26
Going back to work after a weekend of traveling was a little rough, especially since the previous week of work had been so trying. But as soon as I walked in to that classroom, I knew it was going to be a challenging day. The whole day was full of running, yelling, throwing works, crying, screaming, the class was a zoo! I tried my best to handle everything calmly, but it was so hard not to get run down. With one problem after the next, the state of our class was quickly escalating to become a madhouse. I felt so lost and frustrated. I care so much for these kids, but I couldn't get through to a single one of them!
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."--Franklin P. Jones.
Houston, we have a Pickle problem.
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."--Franklin P. Jones.
Houston, we have a Pickle problem.
Day 73...Sunday Oct. 25
Sunday was a bit dreary. We were planning on leaving early to head home, but with family wanting to gather one more time before we were off, we didn't end up leaving Oregon until nearly 3pm. By the time we were leaving, it was cold and raining heavily.
After a long gray trip with tired patience, we got home at nearly 7:30pm. Sometimes when I'm receiving the kids at work in the morning, I see how messy their cars are with the kids in it. The floor is covered in dry cereal, toys, clothes, and mystery stains not to mention the huge car seat that takes up nearly the whole back seat. I can't help but wonder how car trips will be when we have Pickle. I have a hard time thinking I would let him/her trash the back seat with food and toys. But then again, toys will keep Pickle entertained, and food on the road is just a part of road trips. I have all these ideas of how it will be with Pickle, but I sometimes wonder if the classic obstacles of life will force us into the role of the average time crunched, stressed out parents.
Stick shifts and safety belts, bucket seats have all got to go when we're driving in the car, it makes my Pickle seem so far.
After a long gray trip with tired patience, we got home at nearly 7:30pm. Sometimes when I'm receiving the kids at work in the morning, I see how messy their cars are with the kids in it. The floor is covered in dry cereal, toys, clothes, and mystery stains not to mention the huge car seat that takes up nearly the whole back seat. I can't help but wonder how car trips will be when we have Pickle. I have a hard time thinking I would let him/her trash the back seat with food and toys. But then again, toys will keep Pickle entertained, and food on the road is just a part of road trips. I have all these ideas of how it will be with Pickle, but I sometimes wonder if the classic obstacles of life will force us into the role of the average time crunched, stressed out parents.
Stick shifts and safety belts, bucket seats have all got to go when we're driving in the car, it makes my Pickle seem so far.
Day 72...Saturday Oct. 24
Saturday was quite nice. We spent the day enjoying the wedding, dressed in our finest and feeling the love all around. It was quite beautiful and romantic. My husband and I enjoyed some wine and dancing until late in the evening. When watching the new beginning of a relationship, I couldn't help but think of the new beginnings my husband and I have gone through. Our wedding, our first apartment, our first new car, our first holidays together as husband and wife, and soon enough...our first time as parents.
"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of Mother's Love."-- Maureen Hawkins.
Oh Pickle! I can't wait to have you!
"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of Mother's Love."-- Maureen Hawkins.
Oh Pickle! I can't wait to have you!
Day 71...Friday Oct. 23
Friday was a long day. After work, my husband and I hit the road toward Oregon to attend his aunt's wedding. It was our first road trip alone together so it was really fun to sing loudly to our music and eat fast food on the way down. It was a classic road trip. When we got to Oregon, we were able to catch the tail end of the rehearsal dinner and then we were off to the hotel. We ordered some long island ice teas and crashed in the big comfy bed. It was a long day at the end of a very long week of work.
I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, Pickle!
I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, Pickle!
Day 70...Thursday Oct. 22
After the classroom had been rearranged, the energy in the class seemed to slow down...for all of two days. The first day had seemed so promising. The running had come to a halt, the new works had captured the attention of the kids, and there were a few moments of absolute silence as everyone was working. It was nothing short of heart breaking when the class quickly slipped back into its routine of disarray.
The important thing that came from this experiment was that, by practicing the use of the Montessori Triad, we were able to conclude that the troubles we were having did not stem from either the adult or the environment. This leaves one source left, the child. With the combination of personalities, needs, and behaviors, the children in our class were just not the right combination for normalizing our class. So the question arose....what now? There isn't anything that can be done in our capacity to change a child's personality or how they interact with others. There was so promising with the change in our class, however. It did show us that there were several students that were excited and willing to try some of the new works. There was an interest to learn under all that unsettled energy. Now we were left with the difficult task of finding a way to redirect that energy while coping with the tricky combination of personalities in our class.
A short lived success before all hope was Pickled.
The important thing that came from this experiment was that, by practicing the use of the Montessori Triad, we were able to conclude that the troubles we were having did not stem from either the adult or the environment. This leaves one source left, the child. With the combination of personalities, needs, and behaviors, the children in our class were just not the right combination for normalizing our class. So the question arose....what now? There isn't anything that can be done in our capacity to change a child's personality or how they interact with others. There was so promising with the change in our class, however. It did show us that there were several students that were excited and willing to try some of the new works. There was an interest to learn under all that unsettled energy. Now we were left with the difficult task of finding a way to redirect that energy while coping with the tricky combination of personalities in our class.
A short lived success before all hope was Pickled.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Day 69...Wednesday Oct. 21st
Wow...I have a ton of blogs to make up! Due to an issue with my computer's power cable, I wasn't able to use my computer for awhile so I couldn't blog. But for the most part, I've been busy and lazy all in one.
The days at work were getting increasingly stressful. The state of our classroom was in major disrepair and my lead and I were struggling for answers. After seeking out council from our staff's wonderfully experienced Montessori gurus, we were given the suggestions of changing up the environment of our classroom. You see, in Montessori training there is a tool used for pin-pointing a need. This tool is called the Montessori Triad. There are three main points to the triad: the adult, the child, and the environment. Each one of these factors can play a huge role in a child's behavior/actions. If any one of these three points were to be removed, the system would fall apart and the triad would cease to exist.
So, for an example: Susie is 18 months old and is playing in her room alone. She then sees a pair of scissors on a nearby chair. Susie grabs the scissors and starts to cut away at the long window curtains. In most cases, if a parent were to walk in and see their child cutting away at the curtains they would discipline the child, excusing it away as a result of bad behavior. But what the Montessori Triad challenges is what the true source of the behavior came from. Is it really the child's fault?
In this case, the parent is arguing that the child is the source of the behavior. But if you look at the other two points of the triad, the adult and the environment, one could argue that the real source of the problem was the parent for leaving, not only an 18 month child alone in a room, but also a pair of scissors within the child's reach. One could also argue that the source of the issue is with the environment of the room. Is it really safe to have the long window curtains accessible to the child? And could the scissors lying around the room in easy reach to the child pose a possible danger? After further evaluating the situation, the blame falls less on the curious child and more on the adult and the environment.
When considering the triad, my lead and I had to shake things up in our class. We had already tried to change our approach with the kids, trying to eliminate the adult factor in the triad so that we could narrow down the source of the bad behavior. Now it was time to eliminate another factor: the environment. My lead set to work on rearranging the classroom to best fit the needs of our class. Since we had been having a major problem with running in our classroom, my lead blocked off all large runways by using the shelves to create a sort of maze. This not only got rid of the running space, but she hoped it would cause all the kids to slow down and rediscover the room. She also rearranged all of the works on the shelves, getting rid of the works that weren't being used appropriately, as well as adding new ones that were more suitable for our kids' needs.
With a hope and a prayer, we tried to shake up our crazy class in a desperate attempt to normalize our classroom. We hoped the holy trinity of Montessori wouldn't fail us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Pickle.
The days at work were getting increasingly stressful. The state of our classroom was in major disrepair and my lead and I were struggling for answers. After seeking out council from our staff's wonderfully experienced Montessori gurus, we were given the suggestions of changing up the environment of our classroom. You see, in Montessori training there is a tool used for pin-pointing a need. This tool is called the Montessori Triad. There are three main points to the triad: the adult, the child, and the environment. Each one of these factors can play a huge role in a child's behavior/actions. If any one of these three points were to be removed, the system would fall apart and the triad would cease to exist.
So, for an example: Susie is 18 months old and is playing in her room alone. She then sees a pair of scissors on a nearby chair. Susie grabs the scissors and starts to cut away at the long window curtains. In most cases, if a parent were to walk in and see their child cutting away at the curtains they would discipline the child, excusing it away as a result of bad behavior. But what the Montessori Triad challenges is what the true source of the behavior came from. Is it really the child's fault?
In this case, the parent is arguing that the child is the source of the behavior. But if you look at the other two points of the triad, the adult and the environment, one could argue that the real source of the problem was the parent for leaving, not only an 18 month child alone in a room, but also a pair of scissors within the child's reach. One could also argue that the source of the issue is with the environment of the room. Is it really safe to have the long window curtains accessible to the child? And could the scissors lying around the room in easy reach to the child pose a possible danger? After further evaluating the situation, the blame falls less on the curious child and more on the adult and the environment.
When considering the triad, my lead and I had to shake things up in our class. We had already tried to change our approach with the kids, trying to eliminate the adult factor in the triad so that we could narrow down the source of the bad behavior. Now it was time to eliminate another factor: the environment. My lead set to work on rearranging the classroom to best fit the needs of our class. Since we had been having a major problem with running in our classroom, my lead blocked off all large runways by using the shelves to create a sort of maze. This not only got rid of the running space, but she hoped it would cause all the kids to slow down and rediscover the room. She also rearranged all of the works on the shelves, getting rid of the works that weren't being used appropriately, as well as adding new ones that were more suitable for our kids' needs.
With a hope and a prayer, we tried to shake up our crazy class in a desperate attempt to normalize our classroom. We hoped the holy trinity of Montessori wouldn't fail us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Pickle.
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