My Wish

Dr. Seuss knows his stuff....

The Waiting Place....
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

I love that part of the book, it's so true. I often think of these words to help keep me in the "here and now" instead of in the Waiting Place.


Instead of waiting watch these videos:


http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=567340353711&ref=mf


http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=567244640521


My sweet and totally awesome students who I love so much.


"I hope you know somebody loves you...."

Dear World

I can't believe that I have only 3 more days left with 37 of the most incredible human beings that I know.....

Bria
Konnor
Paige
Nico
Aysha
Dominique
Oliverio
Nayeli
Seferino
Payton
Hunter
Kiera-Rae
Asyia
Izabell
Larry
Kodi
Isaiah
Savannah
Jonah
Michael
Donald
Juliana
Cierra
Yoselin
Shobi
Daniel
Savannah
Isaiah
Kyli
Madison
Danielle
Angel
Bethia
Angelina
Adam
Lily
Katrina

How will I be able to give them up? I don't think I will. Why did they have to be so awesome? Why couldn't their snotty little noses have grossed me out enough that I would be able to let them go easier?

Hearing them sing "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts has got to be one of the top 5 best moments of my life. They are extraordinary little people who are going to live astounding lives and do many spectacular things.

Breakthrough

As I wrap up my last month with my students I have been testing them on all the things that I wanted them to know by this point in the year. It's a little unnerving, realizing with only a month left I have very little control left over their successes. I'm just not ready to let them go. Too bad it's not possible to flunk pre-k.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous to test M. He doesn’t choose to participate much and we have struggled a lot to get him to learn letters, words, and how to write his name. Well…… today I pulled him to do his testing and he blew my mind. He has done so well. He confidently knows 9 sight words and more than 80% of his uppercase and lowercase letters combined. I gave him a sticker for his hard work and he proudly displayed it on his forehead. When he was done I asked him “who’s the smartest kid in the world?” and he proudly raised his hand and said “me!”

Any child is capable of anything. It’s so true. The best recipe for success? Confidence. If a student knows they are capable and can do it then eventually it will happen.

"somebody loves you"

Have you ever heard the song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts? My 4 and 5 year-olds hadn't. I introduced it to them today because my hope is that they will be able to sing it at our school's Spring Program, and again at their graduation at the end of May. It took a lot of self-control to keep the water works on hold during both the am class and pm class' 1st rehearsal. They caught on so quickly to the words and it was one of the loveliest moments I have enjoyed in a long time. Some of them (boys) chose to play "air-guitar" along with the song and that was also so much fun to watch. In the pm class, after they has listened to it 2 times through Danielle came up and hugged me, then Bethia, and Juliana, and Donald, and Madison, and Adam.... the whole lot. They all came up, nuzzled their little noses into my leg and hugged me so compassionately. It was ah-mazing to say the least. I can't wait till they have learned all the words, but I certainly can wait for graduation.

In less than 5 weeks I will have to part with them and that may be one of the hardest things I will ever have to endure. I don't know how I'm going to hold it together. Do other teachers get this emotional? Some of my students I will get to see next year, since they will attend kindergarten here at Rocky View. But some will move to Albuquerque, or back to their families reservation lands, or just to different schools in the area that didn't have pre-k programs. I just can't believe the year is almost over....

"I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' ?til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish"

wings

"If I could fly anywhere in a plane I would fly to Buffalo Wild Wings 'cause that place is good and they have all kinds of sauces and they are good. Even white sauces and red sauces."

-Donald

If only my dreams and desires were as sweet and simple. Sigh.

We can read!

We go in the car.
My mom is not fat.
I am a cat.
I can see you.

These are just some of the things that my students can read now! It's so great. I was very excited today because my afternoon class was reading every word I put on the board. Okay so not like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but words  like cat, dad, mom, and dog. It was so exciting to write a sentence and hear them read it out loud to me.

The best part of it all? When I stood in front of them and told them "You can read! You can read! People who read can be whatever they want to be! You are so smart! Soon you will be able to do whatever you want to do." and then Donald can up and wrapped his little arms around my leg and nuzzled his nose into it, followed by Adam, then Madison, Danielle, Bethia, and before I knew it I was smothered by 4-year-olds as we shared a class hug to celebrate our new found success as a class.

They drive me slightly insane some days.
They don't use inside voices.
They sneeze boogers all over my arms.
They eat mysterious objects off the floor.
The bite each other.
They cry over snacks.
They smell a little odd sometimes.
They are beginning to read.
No matter what they could ever do I don't think I could love them any less. I am so proud of the many amazing things that they can do.
Today was a great day.

re-post

I just had to post this Facebook status from a student's mom who teaches 4th grade at my school:

I had to laugh at Nico's pre-K homework..."Draw a picture of your school," it said. Nico draws a door, a window, his teacher, himself and a pillow..."Why a pillow, Nico?" ..."So I can sleep over with Ms. Toll, of course," ... of course. silly me.

 

Love Nico. 

anything you want

The day Phil Anaya attended pre-k

There comes a time in every 4-year-old's life when they are presented with meaningful and important career options. Information is given in hopes that they set their minds on something magical and fulfilling to pursue for the next 20 years. Yes folks, 20(ish) years ago your pre-kindergarten teacher was planting the seed of success into your mind. And yes, even as you entered college at 18 years old it was still a terribly difficult decision. If I were to have become what I wanted to be at 4-years-old right now I would be lighting up the big screen. Thank the lord that isn't the case and that I am happily nestled in a classroom full of eager and energetic 4-year-old helping them grow into awesome little people. Presented to you now is a time-line of "When I grow up I wanna be a(n)...."

...actress

....author

...teacher

...veterinarian

...artist

...actress

...pop star (ah, sigh...)

...veterinarian

...architect

...lawyer

...lawyer (thank you "Legally Blonde")

...architect

...lawyer (thank you "Legally Blonde II")

...psychiatrist 

...pediatrician

...veterinarian

...architect

...Victoria's Secret model (WTF??)

...history teacher

...advertiser

...interior designer

...psychiatrist

...journalist

...product package designer

...teacher

So I guess I have a certain pre-kindergarten teacher somewhere to blame this long obnoxious list on. But honestly I am so thankful for it.

I can't express how happy it makes me every time one of my my students tells me "I want to be a teacher, like you Ms. Toll..." or like Hunter today: "I want to be a teacher." Me: "Why?" Hunter: "Just so I can teach people." I love that he is straightforward.

But it also makes me so happy that so many of them want to be doctors, or firefighters, or police officers or bankers because at the beginning of the year I was a bit nervous when they told me things like Transformer, or race car, or even the most popular answer.... Spongebob. Yes, a mere 8 months ago many of them looked up to the yellow sponge in the square pants who flips burgers at the Krabby Patty. I love looking down at their little faces and imagining how amazing they will be in 25 years. I am so relieved and comfortable knowing now that they do not aspire to be Spongebob Square Pants.

Mr. Phil paid a visit to inform the youngsters about reporting for the news. They were so in awe and so inspired, it was awesome. I can't wait to be watching the news one day and see one of them on there....

Cheers to your childhood dreams. Feel free to make a time-line and reflect on all the funny (yet uber important) aspirations you once had. Is your list longer than mine?? Embrace your inner child and naiveté for a moment's time, you'll be surprised to see how happy it makes you. And if you still feel inspired by your childhood desires I urge you to read (or re-read) Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" because that man is my "childhood dream" idol.

It's ooooon.

SPRING BREAK

The best gift ever.

Oh my gosh I am desperately in need of a break. I can't wait. The worst part about it? I feel as though it is already over.

Well, after SB I have only one more quarter with my kiddos. That means I'm 3/4 of the way done with them. I think this is supposed to freak me out, it does a little, but I am so impressed with how smart they are confident that they will do very well next year. A little of what they know so far:

20 letters and letter sounds
11 words
Time to the hour and half hour (a first grade standard!)
Counting to 30
Spatial reasoning (in, out, under, above...)
8 shapes
10 colors
and so much more....

they are just so stinking smart. They soak it all up like little sponges and make me so happy.

I'm looking for graduation ideas if anyone has any For sure I MUST play Rascal Flatts "My Wish" I mean, it's the perrrfect pre-k graduation song in my opinion.

Pen Pals

Our class pan-pals... At the writing center I had the kids pick out their pen-pals from the wall and then write a letter to them. Larry kept telling me "ask him if he can come to my house, ask him if he can come to my house Ms. Toll!" Then it was so cute when Larry left the writing center and I heard him tell a few other kids in the class: "guys, I went to writing and I made a new best friend!"

Oh, I love cupcakes so much that I bought one from Juliana at recess for $33.60 from her cake shop. That was the most I had ever spent on a (make-believe) cupcake (although I only paid with wood chips).