Tales Ch. 3, 4, and 6

One thing that I definitely understand is the need for structure within the classroom. My kindergartners often ask "Where are we going", "Why are we going to ____", "When are we going to recess". While a schedule isn't posted in the classroom, I feel that it would be important for the children to see this and know where we are going/what we are doing throughout the day. By having a structure in place allows for students to be able to run the classroom rather than the teacher. Students can better take on jobs because they know what comes next and they know how to put the notebooks in the cubbies or how to turn in papers when they are done.


Another thing that struck me as interesting was the role of the teacher as an audience. As teachers, and adults, we often expect things to happen smoothly and quickly. With the constant nagging of meeting standards and achieving better, we are pushing our students to hurry up and learn. But when was learning a fast process? If it was then why would we need twelve years of it before moving on with our lives? It is important to let our students take in what is going on and make discoveries for themselves. It also talks about how at one school each child received an hour of uninterrupted time for self-directed activities. We often think this time could be during recess but this is slowly being taken away as well. My class, due to the time constraints for reading and math, only receives fifteen minutes of free play. By the end of the day, the students are itching for movement of SOME type. As a teacher, I want to incorporate time in my day to allow my students to just play and discover on their own. Imagine the possibilities if you gave a child some raw materials and just allowed them to create? Their imaginations are limitless so why stifle this at such a young age?