I am now the coolest. teacher. ever. I own the Kim Possible Movie. The book we are reading in reading class has a character named Kim. And the kids realized it was “like Kim Possible”. I agreed with them and they were shocked that I knew who Kim Possible was. But they were even more impressed when I wowed them with my knowledge of Ron Stoppable, Rufus, “what’s the sitch’, Wade?”, Ninja Monkeys, and “call me, page me, beep me. Anyway you want to reach me.” We sort of lost focus of reading class for about 15 minutes while we discussed the finer points of Kim Possible. Today was indoor recess - being the great teacher that I am guess what movie my kids got to watch?

What Kevin and I did for Valentine’s Day (because I know you are dying to know):

Nothing. But we never make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day.

What the Kindergarten class did for Valentine’s Day:

We made a banner for the school secretary listing all the reasons we thought she was great. (The list included reason’s like “she gives us band-aids”, “she helps us when we are in trouble”, “she tells us if we have inside or outside recess”). We hung them outside her office, asked her come out to the hallway and said “surprise.”

What the rest of the school did for Valentine’s Day:

When 98% of the school is Somali and 100% of the school is Muslim, Valentine’s Day is not a holiday that most of the families celebrate - honestly, I don’t think the kids really knew what it was until we talked about. We tend not to focus on the love part, we put most of the emphasis on appreciating someone or friendship.

Anyway, most of the classes made Valentine’s for their reading buddies or for other teachers and delivered them throughout the day.

Best reaction to a Valentine:

When Maryama (6th grade) delivered a card to Mohamed (kindergarten), Mohamed, in the most dramatic voice imaginable, yelled for the whole room to hear, “Oh man! I can’t believe I got one from a girl!”

My three favorite valentines:

From Warda:
“I appreciate you because I like the way you to your class.”

From Mumtaz:
Deer Ms. Abby Thank you fore teaching me how to rite gud end teeching hou to reed iksrshen. Lev Mumtaz*

*translation: Dear Ms. Abby, Thank you for teaching me how to write good and teaching how to read English. Love Mumtaz (Mumtaz was in my kindergarten class last year)

From Hafsa:
Dear Ms. Abby Your very nice and won I was at kinnagrden you was nice to me I was happy and you clas is nice and you are nice alway I wish i was in kinnagrden. Hafsa*

*translation
Dear Ms. Abby You’re very nice and when I was at kindergarten you was nice to me I was happy and you class is nice and you are nice always. I wish I was in kindgarten. Hafsa. (again, one of my girls from last year)

So, that was my Valentine’s Day. How was yours?

Today is the 100th day of kindergarten. The kids love it. I hate it. Okay I don’t really hate it but like all special days that involve doing something out of their normal routine, a special activity or snack, it makes them crazy and it makes my job that much more….interesting.

Today we had “100 Day” learning labs - going to 10 different stations and gluing, drawing or sticking 10 things on a bag to equal 100. We also had “100 Day” math mysteries. We strung fruit loops into necklaces (sorting them by color in groups of 5) until we had 100 fruit loops. We had our “100 Day” snack. A pretzel rod and 2 cookies. (Picture it - it makes the number 100.) Now they are sitting quietly (and I use that term very loosely - really they are giggling, standing up, coming up to my desk, trading books back and forth, falling on the floor, thumb wrestling, wandering around) trying to come down from their sugar high.

Tomorrow, unfortunately is Valentine’s Day. I cannot handle two “fun” days in a row. Good thing we are not having a party tomorrow. Just working on a super-secret project.

On the first day of school my class list looked like this:

1. Hanad
2. Khalid
3. Zakariya
4. Khalid
5. Mohamed
6. Omar
7. Abdullahi
8. Adan
9. Higmo
10. Jamila
11. Mako
12. Cabdullahi
13. Abdirahman
14. Mohamed
15. Libon
16. Jamal
17. Soleyman
18. Siham
19. Qali
20. Abdirahman
21. Ugbat

Hanad and Soleyman never showed up. Libon was moved to the other kindergarten class but didn’t return to school after the first week. Abdullahi transfered to another school. Omar ended up testing high enough to be in first grade. Mako was pulled and put into a school that gives homework to kindergarteners (don’t ask). Mohamed moved to the other kindergarten class. Qali moved and Abdirahman’s parents enrolled him in a school closer to his home. So out of the original 21 on my list only 12 are still here.

But I’ve also gained Asli, Shamsei, Abdirashid, Abdifatah, Zakaria and Abas and since I’m only up to 18 kids, my guess I’ll get 2 more after Thanksgiving break.

It’s like the first day of school every Monday. Crazy.

The kindergarten (both mine and Melissa’s classes) this year is defiant. Last year our two classes were a little lower in English, slightly clueless, and a few problem behaviors but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. It was a pretty simple process of going through our bag of teacher tricks to get them to listen, modeling the rules, and being consistent. This year, well, it’s a whole other story.

This year they are testing us. They copy what we say. When we ask one child to stop another one starts. The boys say the word poop (in English and Somali - it’s har by the way) after everyone’s name. They are very high in English and academically they are pretty high so the cute teacher tricks aren’t working.

This year Melissa and I have a new phrase: Bring it. Last week, we decided that their inappropriate behavior was going to stop and so every challenge they throw at us our response is, “Bring it.” (We don’t actually say that to the kids, but we walk by each other a lot during the day, muttering it under our breath.)

I am not the typical sweet, nice kindergarten teacher. I have very high expectations for my kids and I am pretty strict with them. We have fun but they also know that when it is work time, I expect them to be working. Well, last week I went from being the strict teacher to the drill sargent. I had more than one kid tell me “I hate you” and “you’re not my friend.” My response? “You’re right, I’m not your friend, I’m your teacher.”

I’ll let you know how class is going once boot camp is over. Although, with this group, boot camp might last 9 months.

School started last week. This year is going to be very different from last year. For starters my class is almost fluent in English. I only have 1 boy who doesn’t speak it very well, but he understands what I am saying.
Most of my class also went to preschool last year which means they have a pretty decent grasp on things like shapes, colors, writing/spelling their names, counting, how to use books, how to line up, etc. This is good, it means we can cover a lot of the “routine” information in a much shorter time and get right into the curriculum. It is bad because some of them are pretty obnoxious about the fact that “they already know this stuff” and “it’s boring to learn it again”.
My class is 5 girls and 15 boys. I’ll let you form your own opinion on that. But let me just say this, “inside voices” is not a concept that the boys catch onto quickly. The other kindergarten class also has 15 boys and 5 girls.
Tomorrow we start our first day of academic curriculum (this past week has only focused on the classroom rules, learning routine and building community). Last week was getting a little crazy because they were getting bored but hopefully with the curriculum starting up things will settle and the class will start to “gel”.
Oh and in case you were wondering, between the 2 kindergarten classes we have 6 Mohamed’s and 1 Mohamud, 3 Abdirahman’s, 3 Khalid’s (2 of which are both named Khalid Adan Abdullahi), 2 Soleyman’s, 2 Abdullahi’s and 2 Zakariya’s. Everyone is getting familiar with being called by their first and last name this year.

Tom has been blogging about the Top 100 of things (movies and books) so I was curious about the list and which of the books I have actually read. Since the list is the Teacher’s Top 100 Books and I’m a teacher, I feel like I should have read at least 75% of the list. Here’s the whole list. Books I’ve read have * and books I own have +.

1. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White * +
2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak *+
3. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein*+
4. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss*+
5. Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown*+
6. I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch*+
7. Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
8. Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss*+
9. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
10. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg*+
11. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
12. Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco*
13. The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss*+
14. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss*+
15. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
16. The Mitten by Jan Brett*+
17. Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
18. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems*(I don’t actually own this one but we bought it for Lexi’s grandpa.)
19. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling*+
20. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle*+
21. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst*+
22. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman*+
23. Corduroy by Don Freeman*+
24. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes*+
25. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon*+
26. Tacky the Penquin by Helen Lester*+
27. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis*+
28. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams*+
29. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.*+
30. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Doreen Cronin*+
31. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson*+
32. Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss*
33. Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park*+
34. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder*
35. Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey*+
36. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster*+
37. Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
38. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper*
39. The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone*
40. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
41. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon*+
42. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett*+
43. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg*
44. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
45. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli*+
46. Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann*+
47. Olivia by Ian Falconer*+
48. The BFG by Roald Dahl*+
49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn*
50. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett*+
51. The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss*+
52. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle*+
53. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel*+
54. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett*+
55. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
56. Bunnicula by James Howe*
57. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss*+
58. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl*+
59. Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
60. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
61. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary*
62. Frederick by Leo Lionni*
63. Frindle by Andrew Clements
64. Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel*+
65. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney*+
66. Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
67. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion*+
68. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss*+
69. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss*+
70. I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
71. Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino*+
72. Jan Brett’s books*+
73. Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.
74. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*+
75. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton*
76. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney*+
77. My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
78. My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss*+
79. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George*+
80. No David! by David Shannon*+
81. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss*+
82. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein*+
83. Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch*+
84. Swimmy by Leo Lionni*
85. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
86. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner*
87. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
88. The Empty Pot by Demi
89. The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop*
90. The Giver by Lois Lowry
91. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle*+
92. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien*+
93. The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
94. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
95. The Napping House by Audrey Wood*+
96. The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
97. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats*+
98. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
99. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka*+
100. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt*+

Not bad - there are only 24 that I haven’t read.

And if you are interested most of these authors have written several books and if one of their books made the list, all of their books should have made the list (in my opinion).

Happy reading.

5 days left of kindergarten.

Day 5:
Morning Meeting/Breakfast/Bathroom Break (45 minutes)
Art class (1 hour)
Perform play for Ms. Melissa’s class (1 hour)
Journal about summer vacation (1/2 hour)
Bathroom Break/Lunch/Recess (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Bathroom Break/World Language (1 hour)
Rest Time (30-45 minutes)
Free Choice (15-30 minutes)
Busses (15 minutes)

Day 4:
Morning Meeting/Breakfast (30 minutes)
Computers/Bathroom Break (45 minutes)
Centers (45 minutes)
Perform play for 2-6 grade classes (1 hour)
Calendar/Weather/Math (30 minutes)
Bathroom Break/Lunch/Recess (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Bathroom Break/World Language (1 hour)
Rest Time (30-45 minutes)
Gym (15-30 minutes)
Busses (15 minutes)

Day 3:
Morning Meeting/Breakfast/Bathroom Break (45 minutes)
Awards Ceremony (30 minutes)
All School Picnic (5 hours)

Day 2:

Morning Meeting/Breakfast (30 minutes)
Computers/Bathroom Break (45 minutes)
Cleaning (1 hour 45 minutes)
Calendar/Weather/Math (30 minutes)
Bathroom Break/Lunch/Recess (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Bathroom Break/World Language (1 hour)
Rest Time (30-45 minutes)
Extra Recess (30 minutes)
Busses (15 minutes)

Day 1 (Half Day):
Morning Meeting/Breakfast/Bathroom Break (45 minutes)
Kindergarten Graduation (2 hours)
Lunch (15 minutes)
Busses (15 minutes)

The bolded sections are the parts of the day that required me to actually lesson plan and teach. This is going to be a very easy week. I still have to go back on Monday to clean out my room and put away things I don’t want them using for summer school but next Tuesday, I am sleeping in.

Three or four years ago I was checking out library books for the preschool and I came across a book about a kindergarten teacher. And I’m kicking myself for not writing down the name of it. Here’s what I remember - the book actually looks like it is about a woman who plants a garden, but by the end you realize the “garden” is her class. (I know, it sounds cheesy and there are way too many books about making kids bloom and all that but this one I liked. It was well written.) Anyway, the illustrations were either watercolors or colored pencil and very simple. That’s all I remember of the book. If you’ve read it or know the title can you let me know what it is? It’s been driving me crazy. Thanks.

I have a huge collection of kids books and I teach kindergarten so when people are looking for book suggestions, I get asked. Anyway, here’s a list of some of the titles I could think of without sitting in front of my bookshelves.
Lexi’s picks are the books she carries around with her on a daily basis. Board books are books that don’t drive me crazy to read over and over again. Picture books are good for kids who are old enough not to rip books but too young for chapter books. And the last section is for kids who like to read on their own, or you want a book with a little bit more of a plot.

Big piece of advice: If you pick up a book at the bookstore and think, “man, this is an annoying book, but the pictures are cute, maybe I should just get it anyway.” Don’t do it. That will be the book your kid wants you to read over and over and over and over and over….
Lexi’s Picks
Doggies – Sandra Boynton
Hey! Wake Up! – Sandra Boynton
Barnyard Dance – Sandra Boynton
Snuggle Puppy – Sandra Boynton
Have you seen my cat? – Eric Carle
The Going to Bed Book – Sandra Boynton
Moo, Baa, La La La – Sandra Boynton
Mr. Brown can moo, can you? – Dr. Seuss
There’s a wocket in my pocket. – Dr. Seuss
Touch and Feel Books
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb – Al Perkins

Board Books
Anything by Sandra Boynton
Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
Big Red Barn – Margaret Wise Brown
The Napping House – Audrey Wood
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider – Eric Carle
Head to Toe – Eric Carle

Picture Books
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse – Kevin Henkes
First Day Jitters – Julie Danneberg
Officer Buckle and Gloria – Peggy Rathmann
Strega Nona – Tomie dePoala
A Chair for My Mother – Vera B. Williams
Fox in Sox – Dr. Seuss
Green Eggs & Ham – Dr. Seuss
The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
Silly Sally – Audrey Wood
The Napping House – Audrey Wood
The Ginger Bread Baby – Jan Brett
The Mitten – Jan Brett
The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats
Corduroy – Don Freeman
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Judith Voirst
Miss Nelson is Missing – Harry Allard
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
We Share Everything – Robert Munsch
Stephanie’s Ponytail – Robert Munsch
Flat Stanley – Jeff Brown
Odd Velvet – Mary Whitcomb
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales – Jon Scieszka
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs – Jon Scieszka
Math Curse – Jon Scieszka
Tuesday – David Weisner
Jumaji – Chris van Allsburg
The Z was Zapped! – Chris van Allsburg
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! – Mo Willems
Walter the Farting Dog – William Kotzwinkle
Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type – Doreen Cronin
Stellaluna – Janell Cannon
Owl Babies – Martin Waddell
Verdi – Janell Cannon
Olivia – Ian falconer
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Bill Martin Jr.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – Laura Joffe Numeroff
Froggy Goes to School – Jonathan London
The Red Book – Barbara Lehman
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin – Lloyd Moss
The Apple Pie Tree – Zoe Hall
The Handmade Alphabet – Laura Rankin
Whistle for Willie – Ezra Jack Keats
Catching the Wild Waiyuzee – Rita Williams-Garcia
Who Is the Beast? – Keith Baker
It Looked Like Spilt Milk – Charles G. Shaw
The Doorbell Rang – Pat Hutchins
The Great Kapok Tree – Lynne Cherry
Tops and Bottoms – Janet Stevens

Books for Older Kids or to Read Aloud
Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein
Amber Brown is Not a Crayon – Paula Danziger
Junie B. Jones – Barbara Park
Freckle Juice – Judy Blume
Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
Matilda – Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Superfudge – Judy Blume
Ramona – Beverly Cleary
The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Beverly Cleary
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald