Kiddie Carnival of Education

Welcome to the Kiddie-Carnival. This week the Carnival is hosted in a pre-k class. We will spend a day Inside Pre-K. The Pre-K bloggers at my new gig will start us off here at Circle Time.

First with morning opening is Jennifer who answers the question, "What do we do all day in pre-k?" Someone who didn't know any better might say, "Oh, so they just play..."

Karissa says from the shape carpet,"No, we don't! We do Reader's Workshop, even in the summer!"

A major area of study in pre-k is the subject of rules. In today's pre-k classroom we like to give kids the opportunity to create the class rules themselves.

Tweenteacher offers the rule: Don’t listen to the gossip in the teacher’s lounge in Oh, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a comin' posted at tweenteacher.com.


Joel says, New Classroom Rule: Don’t Talk To Me posted at So You Want To Teach?.

The hall monitor tries to hand out a detention slip when D.C. says,"I'll behave if you pay me.."
but Travis argues, "They say there is research."

Melissa B., a little off the topic, (but pretty close for a preschooler) offers the rule: Be careful how you unpack your stuff in Taking One for the Team? posted at the scholastic scribe.

Bill has forgotten the "you should never throw rocks" rule but, remembers: You have to share, even in college, and questions whether university professors are properly prepared to drive change in a share-and-share-alike world where collaboration is the norm and isolation is to be avoided. In Throwing Rocks at the Ivory Tower. . . posted at The Tempered Radical.

But, oldandrew, in Rewriting the Dictionary posted at Scenes From The Battleground. Asks, what is a teacher? His answer is hilarious.
Bellringers, in Fitness, 5-Alarm Educational Challenge & Emergency Chocolate posted at Bellringers firmly believes we should not call people Big Fat Stupid Head, for as long as we can.

We are worried about the first day of school even in pre-k. Mathew Needleman presents Activities for the First Day of School posted at Creating Lifelong Learners. To give us a Head Start. Scott Walker at Epistles of an Educator posted at The English Teacher writes,
"While worrying about my worksheets and syllabi and dreading the next day when this circus would start up once more..." But he is interrupted by Deb at the Dangling Conversation who calls out, (as preschoolers are wont to do sometimes) "If I Ran the Zoo..."

All this sitting on the carpet is making us a little fidgety.

Brendan Murphy presents A Perfect Example of Why Education Can’t Be Sitting Around Waiting to Be Taught posted at SchoolFinder Blog.

It must be music and movement time.

"Because teaching is like dancing", says Pat in New Teachers and Dancing posted at Successful Teaching.

After movement time comes center time.

John Norton of TLN fame chooses to go to the block area because he writes about Middle School which has a lot to do with team work.

Mrs. Bluebird muses over this particular group of 7th graders and wonders what was in the water about 12 years ago.... possibly wishing more of her kids had gone to pre-k to get some social skills. Mrs. Bluebird presents Not feeling the love posted at Bluebird's Classroom.

Larry Ferlazzo presents The Best Sites To Help Teach About 9/11 | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... posted at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL.

Woodlass is very upset that she can't go to the music area because it is full and do what she loves in ATR links — Part III: update posted at Under Assault: Teaching in NYC.

Thomas J. West argues in incredible detail for a preschooler, why Woodlass should be able to go to the music area. Neurology Applied: How Science is Bringing Music Instruction Back to Expressive Development posted at Thomas J. West Music.

Lightly Seasoned believes teachers should always have tried to do what they ask their kids to do. If it is pre-k we have to dance like a monkey, in high school English it would be to write an I Believe essay posted at Lightly Seasoned.

The Science Goddess goes to the math area to learn how to compare groups of students in a graph. Maybe They Made It posted at What It's Like on the Inside.

Jose is in the writing center scribbling about the profession trying to be Whatever they need me to be posted at Jose Vilson-The Blog.

Jane Goodwin is in the book area and knows teaching is more than just following a textbook in, Hope Is More Than Just The Thing With Feathers. . . . posted at Scheiss Weekly.

After clean-up time every pre-k class likes to review what they have learned.

Mathematically speaking half of all children are above average, and half are below. Just like doctor’s graduating from medical school, we can’t all be above average.Todd presents Your Kids (probably) Aren’t Above Average posted at HarvestingDollars. Which may have bearing on college completion. Corey Bunje Bower examines trends in college completion, an issue affected by preschool attendance in Trends in College Completion posted at Thoughts on Education Policy.

Joanne Jacobs talks about next president's educational history in The education of our next president posted at Joanne Jacobs. They went to school back when, as EdWonk reminds us, Labor Day marked the last day of summer. Labor Day 2008: What Was Old May Be New Again posted at The Education Wonks.

Laureen presents The Lesson of Failure posted at The Life Without School Blog. She suggests that we should take risks and learn from our failures.

Dana presents Homeschooling amateurs outdoing professionals posted at Principled Discovery. She says, "What a teacher needs to be successful in the classroom is the freedom to make these decisions for the children in the classroom as well as the support of the children’s families. In all too many instances, the teacher has neither.

It is hardly fair to compare the results to a homeschooling family which has both."

Elementaryhistoryteacher reminds us that she assesses kids like we do in pre-k, with anecdotes, work samples, and research based assessments compiled into Classroom Notebooks Revisited posted at History Is Elementary.

Finally, Nancy Flanagan writes about why teachers mean so much to the world, even if none of your students ever become famous, in Almost Famous, posted at Teacher in a Strange Land.

Thanks for coming to our class and remember our theme song...



photo credit: flickr.com/photos/buzzbishop/2645005844/

photo credit two: DAILY Photo by Dan Henry of The Decatur Daily