These athletes learn skills that are important for lifelong success. They learn about sportsmanship, dedication, self-esteem, and self worth. They must learn to work together as a team. They must overcome differences between teammates and become a cohesive unit. They are pushed to do their best at all times, to give 110%. They are determined and hardworking to achieve goals. The cheerleading organization that we are part of does not allow any negative behaviors or attitudes (including towards other teams). They believe that it is more important to show good character and sportsmanship. They have made it their philosophy to foster the important qualities of integrity, loyalty, respect, hard work, dedication, commitment, and structure in order to develop world class competitors.

The cheerleaders also learn some life lessons that are not fun, but they are part of life. Sometimes even though the team does their best, they still don’t win. There may be another team that had a slightly higher level of difficulty, or maybe their performance was a little bit cleaner. The cheerleaders have to learn to handle disappointment and instead show good sportsmanship and congratulate the winners. And they hold on to that hope that next time they will perform a little bit better, and they may win first place at their next competition. Then there is the situation where a teammate makes a mistake – drops a stunt or falls during tumbling. The cheerleaders have to learn how to handle this situation – do they get angry at the teammate and blame them, or do reassure them that it’s ok and encourage them for next time?

Nicole and her teammates work harder than any other athletes I have seen. They practice 2-3 times per week (sometimes more during competition season), and practices are 2-3 hours each. They are required to wear specific practice clothes and they must be on time or the entire team must do conditioning exercises. They cannot miss practice without prior permission from their coach, and only for certain “excused” reasons. They are taught to be disciplined. Like I said, it is hardcore. But Nicole loves it, and I love it too.

One of the benefits of Nicole keeping so busy with cheer is that she doesn’t have time to get into trouble! I believe that kids who are home alone and bored are the most likely kids to get into trouble. I also believe that children will behave similarly to those around them. If your child is hanging with the wrong crowd, they are likely to get into trouble. I’m sure the kids on the cheer team aren’t perfect, but they seem to be really good kids! They are just as dedicated as Nicole, and I have met all their families, who are just as involved and supportive of their children.

Nicole has had to learn to prioritize her time to make sure she gets her homework and chores done, since cheer practice takes up so much of her time. Sometimes she can’t go to social events because she has practice, but she understands that she must be 100% committed to her sport. As long as she is fully committed to this, and she keeps her grades up, I will continue to support my daughter with this extra-curricular activity.

This is a link to Intensity All-Stars, the cheer gym we are part of: http://www.intensityallstars.com/
This is a link to a video on YouTube showing my daughter and her cheer team at a national competition in Las Vegas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgH0cg-xtKI

I paused, not sure how to answer the question. Should I be truthful with her, and spoil the fun of believing in the typical imaginary things of childhood? Or should I continue the charade? She told me that many of her classmates have been telling her that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy or Santa, that it is actually just your parents giving you money under your pillow and gifts under the tree and in your stocking. The thing is, kids seem to really love believing in the “magic” of these things. Is there any harm in this? Are we just lying to our children, only to leave them disappointed later when they find out the truth?

So, I beat around the bush for a while. I read her a story called The Real Tooth Fairy by Marilyn Kaye, which deals with this issue. In the book, a little girl named Elise wakes up in the middle of the night to find her mother taking her tooth and putting money under her pillow. She then believes that her mother is THE tooth fairy and has the important job of traveling all over the world and putting money under all the children’s pillows. Then Elise’s friend at school says he woke up to find his father putting money under his pillow. Elise asks her mother about this, and she tells her that the tooth fairy transforms to look like someone the child knows so that if they wake up in the middle of the night, they see someone they know and trust so that they don’t get scared and think it’s a stranger in their room.  She enjoyed the story, but then asked me, “Mom, what is the genre of that story: realistic fiction, fantasy, or nonfiction?”

Wow! Kudos to her third grade teacher for teaching her about genres, but I also think this was Ashleigh’s way of asking me if the tooth fairy is really real!

I told her that it is up to her to believe or not believe, but if she doesn’t believe in the tooth fairy or Santa, she will no longer receive gifts from the tooth fairy or Santa. I reminded her about how this happened in movies like the Polar Express, Miracle on 34^th Street, and The Santa Clause.  I pointed out to her that is her choice to believe or not believe, but children who choose not to believe can sometimes miss out.

I am still debating on how to answer Ashleigh’s questions. She has told me that she wants to know the truth. I feel like I should honor her request, but I also don’t want her to be disappointed, or even upset that she has been “lied to.” One thing I know for sure – my little girl is growing up!

“Elephant theme?” I asked. “Why elephants?” She explained that instead of the party guests bringing her son gifts, they were being asked to contribute a small dollar amount that would be pooled and used to “adopt” an elephant calf at the San Diego Zoo. With a minimum donation of $35, children can adopt an elephant calf. The funds are used for medical care, food, and enrichment items for a baby elephant. The child who makes the donation receives an adoption certificate, a photograph of their adopted elephant, and an animal fact sheet so they can learn more about the animal.

When I heard about this, I thought, “What a great idea!” Every time I host a birthday party for my daughter, her well-meaning friends give her lots of little trinkets and toys, AKA more junk! She doesn’t have room for any more toys in her bedroom, and chances are, she won’t play with them after the first week anyway!

The mom explained to me that this is something she has done with her children for the past few years, and although they were reluctant in the beginning to give up getting birthday presents, they have since learned how good it feels to give back and to help someone or something in need.

This is something I have tried to instill in my own children for a long time, without much success. I want them to know how fortunate they are to have a safe home, food on the table every night, clothes in their closets, and a family that loves them. Sometimes I wish I could take them to third world countries to see how people live with so much less. When they complain about how unfair it is that Suzy at school has the newest iPod or smartphone and all her clothes come from the designer stores at the mall while theirs don’t,  it makes me want to scream! I have come to realize that my children are spoiled.  My efforts to provide a comfortable life for them have resulted in children who always want more and better, and can never seem to be satisfied with what they have.

So I am left to ponder, what can I do now to change this? Perhaps they should volunteer their time to give back to society – feed the homeless, work in a soup kitchen or shelter, give to the less fortunate. I can have them give a portion of their allowance to charity, or raise money for victims of a natural disaster like the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan.  I will definitely change how I plan the next birthday party – I will have her start researching now where she wants her birthday donations to go. I will encourage my children to be more compassionate, more giving, and less focused on themselves as they become young adults.

“Studies show that participating in charitable activities can help boost your children’s self-esteem, build confidence and help shape their values. Doing charitable works is enriching, valuable and self-perpetuating; kids learn that helping others can be fun and makes them feel good.”
(Derek Ferriera and Martin Johnson, 2010)

You can learn more about the San Diego Zoo’s Adopt an Animal program here – http://www.sandiegozoo.org/adopt/animal.html

The district’s recommendation was that if you must give a student a hug, it should be the sideways, one-arm hug where the only contact is a pat on the back. The inservice leader said the “high five” was preferable and that if a student came and hugged you, you should tell them to give you a high five instead in the future. While I understand the district’s reasons for implementing these guidelines, I found myself disagreeing with them (especially at the elementary level).

Let me preface this by stating that the majority of my teaching career has been spent teaching students in grades K – 3. When I was teaching elementary school, my students hugged me all the time, and I hugged them back. My class was like a family; after all, we did spend 6 or 7 hours a day together for ten months of the year! My students often spent more time with me than their parents. In my classroom, we developed an atmosphere of respect, caring, and appreciating others’ differences. Students felt safe to take risks. And if they needed a hug, I gave them one!

Sometimes that hug from their teacher may be the only hug a child will get all day. Some of my students came from very dysfunctional families – parents may have been in jail, or there may be alcohol and drug abuse in the home. Sometimes the parents are so busy working to provide for their families, that they just don’t have time for their kids or don’t realize a hug was never given.

I believe that all children need to be loved and nurtured, and that the role of the teacher is not just to educate. Often, a teacher takes on various other roles in children’s lives: a nurturer who cares and gives hugs, a mediator/referee between those who are having a disagreement, a cheerleader to provide encouragement and remind them every child that they can do anything as long as they set their mind to it, a counselor when they need guidance or just someone to talk to, and sometimes even a provider for a child who may have come to school without eating breakfast or needing a sweater on a cold day (I know one teacher who bought new shoes for one of her students when they had outgrown their old ones and the family couldn’t afford to buy new ones).

I am a loving, caring teacher. I am proud to say that I hug my students. As a parent, this is the kind of teacher I would want my children to have. All of their best teachers have been “huggers.” My students hug me because they know I care about them. Why wouldn’t this be a characteristic we want in our teachers?

Gone are the days of kindergarten being a vehicle for developing school readiness. Children used to sing songs, listen to stories, and play with blocks and Play-Doh, and build puzzles. They were taught how to sit still and listen to their teacher, to raise their hand to speak, and to walk in a line. They had to learn how to follow rules and the consequences for not following those rules. The emphasis was on learning important social skills like sharing, taking turns, and communicating with others appropriately. A teacher showed children how to play with others (especially if they were an only child who had not gone to preschool). Academically, kindergartners learned about shapes, colors, letters, numbers, counting, and writing their name. Kindergarten was a place where children learned to love books, to interact with peers, and to enjoy school. It was a positive beginning to their school career.

What used to be first grade skills are now expected from our kindergartners. Today’s kindergartners must be able to read by the end of the year. By reading, I mean that they are expected to decode not just consonant-vowel-consonant words like cat and dog, but also more complex words that have long vowels, consonant blends, and even multi-syllable words. Kindergartners must have automaticity with at least thirty sight words. They must be able to decode, read with fluency, and comprehend what they are reading. Some kindergarten classes expect students to be able to write a paragraph by the end of the year, with capitalization, punctuation, appropriate spacing, the majority of the words spelled correctly, and legible handwriting. In math, students are expected to do more than merely recognize numbers and count. They must be able to compare numbers and understand the concepts of relative measure (more, less, and equal), sometimes even using the abstract symbols <, >, and =. Students will be expected to add and subtract. They are usually allowed to use manipulatives in the beginning, but teachers often expect students to be able to solve simple addition and subtraction math problems without the use of manipulatives by the end of the year. They must solve mathematical equations, such as 5 + 3 = ___. There isn’t time for conceptual learning, and there definitely isn’t time for playing and fun (except for a short recess break).

There are various alternatives to the current practices that can be explored. Standards for kindergarten can be lowered, so we can ensure a successful kindergarten year, and introduction to formalized education, for all students. The kindergarten start age can be raised, so more children are developmentally ready to read, write, add, and subtract when they start school. There could be a system in place where children are assessed for school readiness, rather than simply relying on chronological age. A year of preschool could be required (and government-funded) to help children gain those essential pre-K skills. We could look at what has worked in other countries. For example, in Ontario, Canada, there is a two-year kindergarten program. In the first year (Junior Kindergarten, or JK), students are in a play-based educational program that encourages exploration, observations, investigation, and creative thinking. Children learn to get used to sitting still for longer periods of time, listening to teacher’s instructions, and forming social relationships. After the year of JK, students are much more ready for the academics of Senior Kindergarten, or SK. Regardless of the kindergarten program or start age, we should keep in mind that all children are different, and develop at different paces. If they don’t all crawl or walk at the same age, we can’t expect that they will all read at the same age either.

Many teachers complain every year when it gets close to that dreaded state testing time. There are principals who tell them to spend that month before testing doing “test prep.” Is this a good teaching practice? Is it a worthwhile use of our instructional time?

I would venture to guess that most teachers would say no; that we are teaching our students to be nothing but good test-takers. They may not know how to think critically, but they can sure color in those bubbles!

Additionally, most state tests mainly consist of multiple choice test questions. Does this really show what our students have learned? In credential courses teachers learn about the value of informal, ongoing assessments (like simple teacher observations and anecdotal notes), and students choosing work samples for portfolio assessments. Students can be given choices of different project ideas to demonstrate what they have learned.  For example, when I was teaching third grade, we covered a unit of study about Martin Luther King, Jr. At the end of the unit, I wanted my students to demonstrate what they had learned. Rather than give them a traditional multiple choice, matching, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank test, I presented them with a list of choices: they could write a written report, do a puppet show, write and perform a skit, do a PowerPoint presentation, make a poster, or write and perform a poem, rap, or song. I also allowed them to work with partners or in small groups so they could collaborate and use their teamwork skills.

My students were so excited about this project that they asked me to invite in their parents and the principal to see them present their projects. There were two PowerPoint presentations, a puppet show, a skit, and a poster. I truly feel that these projects were meaningful assessments, and my students will remember what they learned for a long time. Students were able to choose something relating to their own interests, learning styles, and tap into those multiple intelligences… and they had fun!

On the other hand, multiple-choice, standardized testing may be a necessary evil. In our current educational world of No Child Left Behind, how can schools demonstrate that students are becoming proficient without some method of standardized testing? With the sheer number of students that need to be tested, the only feasible way is to give them tests that can be computer-scored. Some advocates of this type of testing would say that tests are just another part of life. You take tests throughout your school career, and then come the tests for college – AP Tests, ACT,  PSAT, SAT, GMAT, GRE (the acronyms go on and on…). Some employers require potential employees to take tests before they can be hired. So, testing may just be a part of our society, and teaching students to be good test-takers may be a valuable skill. Test preparation does alleviate some test anxiety because students become familiar with the format, rigor, and types of questions they will encounter on the “real” test. It also allows students to review what they have learned, which helps to reinforce concepts that may have been unclear or just forgotten.

Although there are better ways to assess students’ knowledge and proficiency of subject matter, it does not appear that the current methods of state testing are going to change any time soon. Therefore, it may be in our students’ best interest to help them be prepared for testing. Teachers must be aware of the “burn out factor” though, and not spend too much time on test preparation. Sometimes students spend so much time preparing for the test that they burn out before the real test occurs.

I believe that teachers should spend no more than one to two weeks on test preparation before state testing. Teachers should teach students test-taking strategies, such as reading the questions before reading the passage, eliminating answer choices that cannot be correct, reading all answer choices before choosing an answer, and reading the question carefully. Students should also be sure that they have answered every question. Try to eliminate stress related to the test. For example, I have had students tell me that they think they will be held back and have to repeat the grade if they do not do well on the test. This just adds unnecessary anxiety.

Encourage students to get a good night’s sleep, have a healthy breakfast, and to do their best. That is the most we can ask for.