This was the last thing I removed from my classroom walls this year.
I kept it up for two reasons. I kept it up for the connection, and the good feelings connected with loving and being loved. I also left it on the wall to remind myself I’m doing it right.
At our final faculty meeting my director presented data about the things that impact student achievement. She shared some of John Hattie’s data.
The following examples may give an impression of the scope of Hattie’s findings:
What’s bad? Retention, summer holidays
What’s neither bad nor good? Team teaching, open vs. traditional classes
What helps a bit? Class size, homework
What helps a bit more? Cooperative learning, direct instruction
What helps a lot? Feedback, Student-teacher relationships
It makes perfect sense. Aren’t we all more able to think, learn, create, do, and be when we feel loved, cared for, seen, heard, known, challenged, valued, and encouraged? I am edified and pleased to see student-teacher relationships studied and mentioned in research as the impactful things they are. Thank you, John Hattie.
Positive student-teacher relationships are powerful. Just yesterday, I got this in the mail.
I love you, too, my young friend. I love you, too.
“Yes, you can build with Legos. Let’s drag the table over so you’re closer to the rest of us.”
“Who wants to play Taco-Cat-Goat-Cheese-Pizza? What? Yes, we can sit on the carpet and play.” (Translated that reads “Yes, you can sit as close to me and one another as possible!”)
“Sure, you can make things with the pipe-cleaners! Yup, I can get your braid started.”
“You want to blow bubbles? Me, too! Let’s make sure everyone else wants to blow bubbles.”
Bubbles always hold a sense of magic and joy for me. I love to dip the wand into the clear soapy solution, and with a gentle exhale create beautifully perfect spheres that bob along, and appear to glow with color in the sun.
Amidst giggles of glee, and groans of popped bubbles, I noticed there were reflections in the bubbles. “Oh, look at that! I want to take a picture.” The Kindergartners laughed as I encouraged them to try to blow big bubbles so I could get a photograph. They blew, and we chased the bubbles together, hoping to photograph one — in focus — at just the right moment.
“Did you get it?” “I think so. Let’s look.”
They crowded around me. Awe and joy washed over us as we saw this image on my phone.
It made me think.
Magic and miracles are always present. Always present, but sometimes unnoticed. I want to notice them.
Magic and miracles are always present. Always present, but sometimes, unfollowed. I need to be willing to follow where they lead.
Magic and miracles are always present. Always present, waiting to be shared with others.
This reflection leads me back to where I started — with my Kindergartners on our last day of school. Much like the bubbles, they are extraordinary, beautiful, waiting to be noticed, worth following, awe-inspiring, and joy-inducing.
I have two tall white cabinets in my learning space. I use the white fronts for many things. Sometimes, things get stale. Yes, stale, just like dry, old bread. They lose their appeal. To be brutal, they are ready to be thrown away. Now, if they are student work, I don’t throw them away. But for emphasis sake, I use that phrase.
I recently removed some of that stale work from those cabinets. Naked — as my learners would say — their stark white color stood out, urging me to repurpose them for something beautiful and created by the children. For a few days, I let their urging ferment in my brain.
This week I decided to end the year as we began it: with real-life writing. On one cabinet, I wrote: We are … On the other I wrote: We can … I cut 6-inch square pieces of construction paper and left them out for our Investigate and Explore Time with the provocation to cover our naked cabinets with positive things that are true for us. The Kindergarten writers were into it, and quickly filled the covered the bare cabinets with beautiful affirmations of themselves.
The process was great. I enjoyed watching from afar — drawing near only to help when it was requested and necessary. Otherwise, I allowed the Kindergarteners to complete it on their own. Each day I noticed a new entry which filled my heart with joy. Then I saw this one.
Wow! Even though they have things to learn and ways to grow, and times when they are sad or mad and aren’t their best selves, they can still say “We are absolutely perfect.” I love that. I want them to know they are absolutely perfect. This will give the courage to learn, be, and change the world.
One student had not yet added her affirmations to her abstract art handprint piece. I asked her to finish it, and without hesitation, she sat down in front of the We are cabinet and began writing. Outstanding!
The cabinets adorned with the kindergartners’ thoughts, writing, and doodles add beauty to our room, serve as writing idea resources, and provide positive reminders. Well done, kindergartners!
We had our Field Day at my school yesterday. It was fantabulous and tiring! Thankfully it’s a half day for students. This allows faculty to do some of the many things on our plates.
After my students left, I took a moment to contemplate my next steps. Despite having a lot to do, I decided that it would be most beneficial for me to take a walk uptown, grab a bite to eat, and give myself the opportunity to find peace and refreshment.
As I walked, my joints and muscles ached a bit, and for a moment, I wondered if I chose well. I took a breath, reminded myself of the advantages of pausing and taking care of myself, and walked on.
Arriving at the restaurant I talked and laughed with the server, ordered, and went outside to find a pleasant place to sit. The table in front of the waterfall installation was free. I opened the umbrella by my table, sat down, kicked off my shoes, and began to breathe and relax. I chuckled at the small birds, enjoyed the cool breeze, took many deep breaths, and allowed my mind to find joy.
Before leaving school, I packed my haiku notebook and a pencil I enjoy using in my bag, knowing I don’t always enjoy eating alone at a restaurant. After sitting for some time, I felt the pull to write. I appreciate the structure of haiku. Its format encourages me to find new ways of saying things and allows me to write in short bursts.
Little Bird The bird drinks water escaping the waterfall Then tweets hungrily
Gladness In city center I pause by the waterfall Manmade and lovely.
Typically I talk with my Kindergartners about being real life super heroes. This year, that didn’t seem to reach them, so, early on, I changed my teaching point to kindness. Our whiteboard declared “Kindness is Powerful!” We posted photographs of ways we are kind at home — helping with the dishes, playing cards with our sister, making dinner with our grandma. Then the Kinders drew images of ways they are kind in our school and classroom. Our kindness exploration, noticing, naming, and celebrated continued through the year in various moments of our day.
Since our focused moved from super heroes to kindness I needed to rethink our end of year art project. While it added a bit to my feelings of stress, it also gave me the opportunity to rethink, reimagine, and try new things. I wanted the project to include sewing, and give them something to wear or carry with them.
A friend had gifted me thick white felt at the beginning of the year. it sat on my top shelf waiting for me to figure out how to use it. For most of the year I wondered if there were any way for me to use it. Now, with the new opportunity and challenge, my eyes and mind returned to the felt. Might I use it to create a everyday kindness carrying bag?
I spent a few days thinking of the art materials I have, and the various ways we might use them — and other things — to create and decorate the bags. I wanted to find the simplest –and at the same time most beautiful and impactful — way for the Kindergartners to work with the material. It needed to be accessible to them, bring them joy, and include ideas and thoughts of kindness. After a good bit of time and some experimentation, I decided the Kindergarten artist could create a beautiful piece of art using acrylic paints and paint markers. We could then sew this into a purse/bag.
Yesterday, I taped the pieces of felt to their desks. Their curiosity was piqued and they did their best to wait patiently as I taped the last pieces of felt. As they grabbed their smocks out of the cubbies, I gathered paint brushes, acrylic paint tubes, and paper plates. Kindergartners surrounded me asking for my help with their smocks. Each request was answered the same way — “Find a friend who can help you.” Not only did I not have enough hands, I wanted them to keep learning that they are capable and kind. If they asked for help, they would receive it. If they were asked for help they would give it. Finally we were ready.I
Joining them at our cluster of desks, I shared the project.
Me: Hey, Kindergarten artists!
K Artists: Hey, Miss James, artist!
Me: You all have been so patient! I love how curious you are. You’ve shared some great wondering and given some remarkable ideas of what we might be doing. Thanks! Do you want to know what we’re doing?
K Artists: YES!!
Me: We’re going to make a purse. (Insert gasps from the artists.) But not just any purse. We’re going to make a kindness carrying purse.
Their excitement warmed my heart. I continued with a few instructions and rules. One of the biggest change I shared was that they would be able to get more paint as they needed it. I shared my trust and knowledge that they could be careful and kind. I told them I knew they would only take a small amount paint at a time, and would be patient, kind, and helpful to their fellow artists. I’m happy to report they were all of those things.
I joined them in the process which meant I didn’t get photos of them making their pieces. But, I was able to reinforce the truth that we are all artists — I have practiced for far longer than they have but none-the-less we are all artists. We each worked with joy and purpose and completed our acrylic painted purse bases. They are spectacular. I’m excited to see and share the rest of the process and product with you as it happens and is created.
As I cut the pieces today — preparing them for the next step in the process — I was struck by the realization that the acrylic paint and felt combination felt very fabric-like. I have altered my conversation with my artists to include this fact. I talk, not about their art, but the fabric they have designed and created.
Have I wrote about this before? Or do I only think I did because I’ve been in this space so often? I feel like I have written about this previously, but regardless, I need to tell it to myself again, so I am writing again. Hopefully, someone reading also needs to hear it, and will choose to join me in this method of managing the perturbations in our lives.
Lately it’s been feeling like work, responsibilities, the never ending to-do list, combined with significant angst, has been conspiring to crush me. Some days it seems I don’t have the time or energy to breathe, be, pause, engage with beauty, art, nature, God, or others. It’s a strong feeling. It’s a tough feeling.
I think perhaps I need to remind myself that, while it is true — I have a lot that demands my time, my thoughts, my brain, my prayers, and many of the demands feel rather stressful — a big impediment to my own peace and time for joyful refreshing things is the way I am interacting with the angst, busy-ness, and feelings of overwhelm. Often I reinforce the vexations with the way I speak to myself and others. Sometimes I fill time that could refresh me, with things that are mindless but not very refreshing.
Undeniably, sometimes the mindless activities are needed, but I know, for me, there are often other more reparative and nourishing things I might do and think. I might take a breath — or many breaths — and sit with my discomfort. Perhaps, I will return to an idea of Thich Nhat Hanh. I will invite my discomfort for a cup of tea, or some time on my yoga mat with prayer. Then, we two will sit, sip, move, breathe, and be.
Amazingly, as I write, my breaths deepens. As my breath deepens I’m reminded that my discomfort and I don’t sip tea or do yoga alone. We are surrounded by a cloud of saints and angels. I like the peaceful party vibe they bring.
Once you’re comfy, peel its gentle skin like you would a clementine … dig your thumb at the bottom of each juicy section and pop the piece out.
Kwame Alexander – How to Read a book
Kwame’s book is beautiful. The words are wonderful, and the images are stunning. This quote is one my Kindergartners and I come back to with great frequency. They have been thinking about scrumptious clementine pieces that are so juicy they burst when you bite them, sending clementine juice down your chin, and surrounding you with clementine fragrance.
The Kinders are crafting their own juicy sentences. They start with the driest of sentences, and tell only “Who, did what.” Then they use their imagination to say more about the who and the did what?
The juice, flavor, and fragrance of this one got me.
So much to love — her thinking, her writing, her ideas. We’re together, by the pizza store in our matching coats, gazing at the stars! It’s a great place to be.
Boy I was tired today! Really tired. Thankfully, Not too tired to put some color on my journal images.
In a spare moment, mid yawn, before I washed some dishes, I pulled out a kitchen chair. I sat on the edge, and nestled my toes against the heater by the flour. I pushed aside a myriad of things on the island, and plopped my journal on top of a folder of recipes. I put my reheated tea on top of some notes and cards, next to a bag of heirloom flour. My pens filled the empty spaces between my journal and whatever was just outside the shot of this image.
At first, when I decided to share the adding of color, I thought “Yikes, I’ve got to clean up some of this mess.” But, while I wasn’t too tired to want to be creative, I was too tired to clean up so I could take a prettier picture. This is life. This is where I found a moment, a spot, and the inspiration to create. It really doesn’t take much. We don’t need a big studio, or even a large space. Just a space that can hold our work, and give us comfort.
As I write about what was surrounding me, I’m struck that what looks like mess surrounding me is really life and goodness, beauty and love. The notes are from people who love me. The tea is deliciously healthy green tea from Japan that my brother bought me. The bag of flour becomes many wonderful food items. The recipe folder has a plethora of ideas — some tried and loved, some waiting to be tried. As I look beyond the image in my minds eye, I see more mess. But, each messy, out of place, thing surrounding me, squeezing into my space — is tied to a blessing of some sort.
So, if I’m any example, and I think I am, you don’t need much. Carve out the space and the time. Push aside some of the mess. Perhaps as you touch it to make room for yourself and your work, you’ll discover your abundance.
Here’s to a 2024 of making space, taking time, creating, and living in the abundance of our lives.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling weighed down by the demands and difficulties of life and work. I’ve been feeling exhausted, worn out, and unsure. Stress, tiredness, and burdens, are annoyingly loud and obnoxious companions on our journey. They constantly speak. At times they slap us in the face with their loudness, at other times they whisper incessantly. Like all deceivers, they sound like they’re speaking the truth — but they’re not.
The truth is I am weighed down, I am tired, I am feeling a bit unsure — AND I am strong, brave, and deeply loved, with a big beautiful brain, and awesome heart, and some life-giving creativity. So, I’ve been choosing to make time these days to rest, to restore, and to be creative.
My affirmational art journaling continues this year. It’s helping me stay grounded in the truth. Each day I actively look for the story I want to tell myself. I search for the truths I want to save in my journal so I can read them now and in the future. And, I take time to create.
The entries look so different this year. I started in September with a compass, and a favorite pencil, eraser and fountain pen. I love using these tools, and the concentric circles are great canvases for ideas. It was interesting to watch as they developed individually and as a group. Each time I drew, constraints and possibilities greeted me. Sometimes I loved the results, other times not so much, but I always enjoyed the process. I’ve decided to keep the images black and white in order to emphasize design rather than color.
December I switched from concentric circles to ones that are separate or interlocked. My plan is to introduce color into the designs as well.
I did 66 different concentric circle designs. So far I have done 27 circle designs. Will I be able to think divergently — with fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration — and create many more circular designs? So far I see fluency, originality and elaboration. Now to allow myself to move from design elements I find pleasing, to discover other satisfying possibilities. No matter how many I make, or how divergently I am able to think, I continue the process and that is good.
I hope you too engage in a process that blesses you during these beautiful days of winter.
It’s the beginning of the school year, and as is always the case, there is a lot to learn — for my students and for me. This year, the load of learning was stressing me out. The stress I was feeling wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t helpful, so I decided to try another way. I embraced my creativity, my love of words, and my love of singing, and decided to craft some song lyrics and a chant to help with two of my current challenges.
My first challenge is cleaning up. Sometimes cleaning up in the classroom is a real struggle. A song would give me something to do, might lighten the mood on the tough days, would give my Kinders time to clean, and would hopefully be fun. Now to think of a song to use.
As I was driving to work one morning it hit me — the Hokey Pokey! We’ve been singing the Hokey Pokey song ( laughing at the various things we put in — winner for most laughs was our armpit) so the Kinders were already familiar with the melody. And, yahoo, I could alter the words to allow me to sing about what my Kinders are already cleaning up, or to give direction when needed.
It’s a good thing I commute alone, because it took several rounds of the Hokey Pokey before I was satisfied with my work.
We pick some _____ up, we pick some _____ up, we pick some ______ up, and we put them all away. We work together every day. We’re fantabulous in every way. That’s what it’s all about!
We’ve been singing it for the past week, and it has accomplished all I hoped for and more. The best part — other than the cleaning up — is when I hear them singing “We work together every day. We’re fantabulous in every way. That’s what it’s all about!” I think I need to sing that part to myself over and over again to remind myself that yes indeed, that is what it’s all about.
Next I set my mind to a chant to begin our various learning periods. How might I help my Kinders prepare to learn? I love the idea of affirmations — rewiring their brains to believe in their own fantabulousness — but I wanted something with a beat that they could learn and repeat without my help. Inspired by my awesome Kinders, I reworked our usual affirmations into our ready to learn chant.
I’ve got a big beautiful brain and an awesome heart. I’ve brave. I’m kind. And, I’m mighty. I can do hard things, and I’m ready to learn. (whisper) Oh yeah, I’m ready to learn. 2 snaps, hands in our laps.
I’ll be testing our chant out in the weeks to come, and will report back with any observations. I’m going to let my Kinders know that the chant is to help me as well. I always appreciate the reminders. I’ll keep you posted.
Life lived with relentless creativity 