Day 1 Sem 2 New Kids on the Block

Today was my first day of the new Semester with the little ones at Kae's school. 

I felt so proud of my students today... words with many syllables such as ELEPHANT and CHRISTOPHER ROBIN looks scary to them, but with some coaxing and coaching they dared to break the big words down  sound by sound so they could come to read them on their own. =DD

I am teaching kids whose reading level is still Grade 1. They have classified the kids according to reading age this time round. Whilst it means that some of my other kids have been placed under other teachers, it also means that new kids have been placed under my care. =)

My only qualm remains that before teaching kids to read well, they need to come to learn how to read first. I notice as I was reading to the kids, some of them were lost. They could not tell which word I was reading and were trying to look like they knew what they were doing when they clearly didn't. 

I made it clear with them that we must be honest with ourselves at the moment, that they actually struggled with that book, but that together we will push ahead together to help them make sense of the book (a very very super old Winnie the Pooh story book) and also to help them take that first step to achieving their dreams of being an artist, a policeman, a fire fighter, a doctor, etc. 

Sometimes it is hard standing in front of the blank looks and I think many teachers succumb to the temptation of using their authority and good set of lungs to yell at the kids and threaten them into submission. BUT perhaps the best way is to show them that respect and trust is a 2 way street, to show kindness yet remain firm and fair towards them.

I see nothing wrong with letting them top up their waterbottles IF they show they can be trusted to be swift. And they have! I have not had a kid renegate on that trust. I also generally allow waterbottle filling up time out if I am doing some one-on-one coaching at that point. When they come back, they actually sit down and start self-revising before their turn comes.

I believe that it is not I but the LORD who will give me the wisdom and love to help these kids, and I believe that those little dears from broken families will receive healing too.