Tues., Sept. 15

The school counselor came to talk to the kinders today. She was very expressive and demonstrative as she spoke, and she had those kids from the get-go. The little ones are tough customers. If you want them to commit to a lesson, you really need to give them energy, enthusiasm and sincerity. I also thought it was effective when she showed the students the tools she would be using before starting the lesson, in order to help them know what to expect and settle into the activity.

Her lesson was multidimensional and interactive. She employed puppets, a book, signs, pointers. She had them act, make hand gestures, call out predictions and finish her sentences. And, when she had them speak one at a time, she leaned in and paid close attention to their comments. Talk about active engagement -- on both sides! She's done this before.