Day Six

I got to be the story reader today! I was excited, and while it wasn’t the reception of my dreams (cheers and name-chanting), the kids seemed amenable. It is amazing, though, how quickly kids as young as five-year-olds can catch on to nerves. When you’re a parent volunteer and you read a story, it seems like a piece of cake. But, once you’re an aspiring teacher the stakes go way up and the kids seem to know it.
We had just worked on colors, so I was going to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I did set expectations in advance, asking them to be my helpers and listen closely for my cues to them.

I’ve read so much about setting explicit expectations that I thought I was being so savvy. Well, it lasted for about two pages and then the shout-outs came. “Mrs. Bollesen, I know a yellow duck!” “Mrs. Bollesen, you didn’t read that the usual way!” I survived, but during this seemingly simple activity, I realized how complex reading (or any activity) is when you’re trying to engage students, monitor their faces, optimize the lesson and manage the group. I did enjoy experimenting with interaction – asking one to make a prediction of the next color and asking the kids to agree or disagree and allowing them to call out the words on the last page. But, I did see how much work I have to do and how much practice and humility I need. My MT reminded me to think about why I’m doing interaction, making sure it serves the intended purpose, and to reflect on how the expectation-setting impacts the lesson.