Rapunzel in the Red Rain

My daughter Kate wants to be an author and illustrator someday. And I have no doubt she is going to be one. She writes. All. The. Time. Buying notebooks is a weekly occurrence in our house. I just can't say no; I would feel like I am squishing her dreams. She also makes things. Cardboard is her current favorite medium and has been for a while. I always say she can make anything out of nothing because she can see the finished product before she begins to create it.

An excerpt from Kate's book

One of Kate's first stories she wrote was in preschool. It was called Rapunzel in the Red Rain.  She still proudly carries it around and recently read it to her fifth grade teacher.

A few days ago Kate came home from school and showed me the book she checked out from her school library: The Exact Location of Home by Kate Messner. This book was a favorite of many of my own fifth grade students last year, and I was thrilled that my daughter was reading it.

I am a huge Kate Messner fan. I was turned onto her books when I read Capture the Flag to my social studies students years ago. All my students were engaged and would beg for me to read more than the time I allotted for. What strikes me about Kate's writing is the way she develops her characters. My daughter is at the age where I am hoping she starts noticing how other authors write and can continue to develop her own style based on the clarity of their work.

So last week I posted this picture of my daughter on twitter giving a shout out to Kate Messner.

And not too long after, came this reply: 

This small act of kindness from an author has transformed my daughter. Kate feels special because someone she looks up to (a writer) made a connection with her with four simple words "from the other Kate!"

As a parent, I can't think of a better role model. Thank you Kate Messner for taking the time to respond. Even when you didn't have to. 

The Beginning of the Alphabet

I was raised in a home where grades didn't matter but effort did. I am not sure if it was because my younger sister and I struggled in school, the decade we were raised in, or because that is what was important to my parents. Needless to say, my report cards never saw the beginning of the alphabet.

I started school in the late 1970's before developmental kindergarten, pressure and demands. Before competition and that's not good enough. I have vivid memories of my father dropping me off  where nap time was a staple and "playing" was a way to teach cooperation and social skills. I remember bringing my beloved tinker toys for show and tell and then being allowed to build with them.

In first grade I learned how to hold a pencil, form my letters, write and read. I also learned that if I took too long to go to the bathroom the nun that I had was not having anything to do with it. There were consequences and a ruler would suffice.

You didn't argue, let alone talk back to any adult. You were at school to learn social and academic skills.  And as the grades increased in school, so did the content.

The earliest memory that I have of things not going as planned was in second grade. I remember being in the lowest reading group and barely being able to read.

And I felt stupid.

For many years.

Until I met Mrs. Teles.

Mrs. Teles was one of the first teachers to meet me where I was at and bring me up from there. I was lucky enough to have her in fourth and sixth grade. She knew right away that something was not right.

There were meetings.  A lot of them. Between her and my parents. I was tested; I didn't qualify.

But if you fast forward 35 years and tested that same little curly haired girl today, there would have been a different outcome.

Education has changed dramatically since I was a student and even a new teacher. So many more demands. 

Better.
Faster.
Quicker.

What happened to reading for enjoyment? Playing outside? Homework beginning in middle school? Letting kids be kids?

I hope we can find the answers to those questions because I don't have much longer before my own children are grown and gone, and I want to enjoy their company as much as I can.

Encouraging Creativity

"Hi, Mrs. Waugh. Are you putting things on display?" a first grader asked me as I was walking past the display case towards my room. The students entered school on Monday to a new display up in the case: The Global Cardboard Challenge. For the past few weeks, students in my K-1 building have been participating in the cardboard challenge but taking it one step further by bringing me things they created at home out of cardboard and various other items. If it was made out of cardboard, I put it in the display case. If it was made from different material, it is displayed in my STEAM classroom.

My STEAM students take part in a monthly maker mat challenge. I don't remember where I first read about it or who I bought the maker mats from, but they are definitely something I will do in coming years. The maker mats are optional. There are nine squares like a tic tac toe board, and I require at least four activities to be completed during the month and the return of the mat to receive a certificate. I chose four because on average there are four weekends a month. If I can motivate kids to create instead of watching tv or playing on a device, I have succeeded. I then take a picture of the student and put it up in the hall by the Master Makers sign. By the end of this week, I will have 75 photographs on my Master Maker wall for September.

Seventy-five. That means 75 kids used their imagination and took the time to create something. I shouldn't be surprised but I am. It seems to me as though spending Saturday afternoons at the dining room table with crayons, paper, scissors, and anything else parents put out so kids can make something is becoming obsolete. And I am going to try to not let that happen.

I love that my students (all 400+) are so excited to bring me things they make at home and with each treasure, we celebrate.

If it wasn't for my creativity and wild imagination, I wouldn't have made it through high school and further more college. I was the kid who just didn't get it. Academics were a nightmare but throw in some art with a dash of create, and you had me hooked. So when I became a classroom teacher, I was determined to incorporate a lot of art into my lessons.

And I did. Until I couldn't.

As my teaching years added up, the demands placed on teachers were in fierce competition. Data, core programs, 3rd grade reading law. The list goes on and on. After 20 years in the gen ed classroom teaching mostly upper elementary, I took a leap. I left for a creative arts position teaching K-1 STEAM in an early childhood building.

And oh my goodness. This job was meant for me! I am having an absolute blast teaching my students how to use their imaginations, collaborate, try, fail, try again, and be proud of their creations.

Today I was searched for. Needed in a first grade classroom because one little boy made two unbelievable things at home that couldn't wait until I saw his class on Wednesday.

First, he made a maze. Out of legos. And covered it with saran wrap so it was a handheld maze. It is so fun to play.

And second. A robotic hand. Made from cardboard, straws, string, and plastic circles. It moves. And works. He explained to me and his class how he constructed it. He was so proud.

He is six. Let that sink in for a minute. Six.

Someone at home sat with him, talked to him, and was just there, encouraging creativity. We need to do more of that. And I am so glad that I am in the position to do so.

A Lego created maze

A robotic hand made from cardboard