Wk 2_Response to Kim Heumann

Sunday, June 13, 2010


Rule number 6, don’t take yourself so seriously, is something that I need to remember all of the time. As a teacher of young children, there is a time and place for seriousness, and a time to let yourself go.


Summer school is in full swing, and I’m teaching a class of ELL kindergartners. I have always had ELL students in my class, but never an entire class of them. Before school began, we were given an inservice on how to teach them. (like I said, I have always had ELL kids in my class). We were told to focus on Language, and to do anything we can to immerse them in it. Once suggestion was teaching them nursery rhymes. That seemed simple enough. I put together a journal of nursery rhymes, to use in class and set out to teach Jack and Jill.


Can you say crash and burn? A pail of water, a broken crown and tumbling are not phrases one finds being used in an ELL household. I had to get creative. I rolled around on the floor, I held my head in my hands and I exaggerated my movements going up the hill. It made the difference to them. They laughed at me, and I laughed at myself.


In my mind, as a teacher of young children, the number one rule is “Rule Number 6”, you can’t take yourself too seriously. You must do what you can to reach your students!

@Kim,
As a former PreK-8th grade art teacher in a bi-Lingual school, I know your experience, and laughed a lot at the images of what you did to get through to the children. God bless both you and Lorri, being young enough to do all of that. Since the doctor still wants to fuse 4 vertebrae in my neck, my rolling on the floor days are over, thus I am going to teach high school with English speakers, next year.

But it is so important to lighten up, as a teacher, and admit when we are wrong, when we aren't getting through to our students, and for me---when they know what I do not. I have learned so much about not taking myself too seriously as I try to use technology in our classrooms this school year, in a new building. When nothing works as it is sold to work, all you can do is ask students for help. Often they can fix things, and teach me how to do it, next time. I'm so thankful that my students are willing to teach me. WE can learn together, when we are both open to that.