Featured Class – Turtles
The Turtle year is one of incredible growth and change. Many children enter our class in the fall never having spent time away from a parent. We begin the year navigating the stormy seas of first time separation. Often times this process seems to be more difficult for the grown-up than the child. We as Turtle teachers offer ideas, routines that are tried and true, as well as support to the parents and children to find out what strategies work best for each individual family. Success is achieved the day when the once reticent child enters the room without a good-bye or even a backward glance to the incredulous parent.
This year’s Turtles have made great strides moving from the “all about me” world to finding their unique place in our Turtle community and learning how they can make valuable contributions for the benefit of the whole. As this awareness of others grows, the children begin to question what the noises are in the space above us. They ponder what could be making those loud stomping sounds: could it be elephants, giants, or dinosaurs?
Children with older siblings quickly explain that the thumping above is coming from the Mice classroom. From the looks of confusion on many of the Turtles’ faces, we quickly deduce that a walking tour of the school is needed to discover the source of the commotion. We stop at each classroom door to meet teachers and friends from the “upstairs” world. The children realize the interesting noises are actually coming from the Mice class and that the class is filled with curious children such as themselves and not a group of very large rodents!
The Turtles have accomplished a great deal during their time in our class. During circle, they have learned how to raise a “quiet blinker” before sharing their ideas and how to patiently wait when someone else is taking their turn. (This is an on-going skill that we get to practice daily…it’s really hard to be patient when you’ve got something so exciting to share!) They are learning who the classroom experts are and who to go to for help with a specific problem. They are eager to teach their special skills to friends and they beam with pride when they can help a comrade accomplish a task. Learning how to ask a friend to join in an activity is another skill the Turtles are getting quite adept at. It is gratifying to hear the excited invitations to play that are called out to classmates as they enter the room for the day.
As the year comes to a close, we are often able to stand back and watch as the cooperative activities swirl around us. Many children are oblivious to our presence as they sort through the obstacles that come their way. Rarely do they need a teacher to model problem solving strategies for they have discovered they already hold the keys to successful interactive play. With the confidence they have acquired, we know that they are ready to leave us and move on to the challenges ahead, but seeing them go is always bittersweet. We look forward to watching them grow and mature as they continue on in our Marylhurst community.
Elizabeth Kortenhoff and Shawna Bennett
Turtles class teachers