Confessions of a Teacher

My title is completely fictional, I work in a before and after school program, a nonprofit called Tiger Club.

When I started there in May of 2017, I worked with the 3-year-olds, and it was fun and challenging. I love arts and crafts and so it became my job to find something creative for the kids to do, (easier said than done) mostly coloring and finger painting, playdoh, and sometimes even slime. But, as the summer came to a close, I was moved to another class room, to work with kids in second to fifth grade.

Working with these kids, I believe, has allowed me to shine and really use my talents. The first day, I explained to the kids my idea. Every week we would have a different book theme, and do projects and activities designed around that book. My goal was simple, getting these kids interested in reading, because kids don't read anymore. They play video games and have iPods, but some have never picked up a copy of Peter Pan or Peter Rabbit for that matter. Our first book was The Secret Garden. We made a class terrarium and it was a big hit. Kids actually read the book, either in my class or checked it out from the library. Some books were a little more difficult than others. (They were disappointed when we couldn't make chocolate the week we read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.) This past week we read Paddington Bear and made our own teddy bears. Not only did the kids love the project but the parents began to comment on what I was doing with my class. The kids were excited about coming to Tiger Club and that made the parents happy. Today we are making butter, Charlotte’s Web is our book, and in the coming weeks we have a slew of interesting and amazing projects (dream catchers, sun catchers, pour paintings, pillows). I have found that imagination and creativity at this age is amazing. The kids even voted to have a Star Wars month in the summer and are very excited to make a papier mache Death Star and glow stick light sabers.

I even have a Sherlock Holmes month planned filled with all kinds of puzzles and mysteries, and even a scavenger hunt.

And for those students who just can’t get into books, we voted on a sports month, where we can explore stories about different sports and sports heros.

But one of my favorite projects was the Mad Hatter tea party. We had done two weeks of Alice in Wonderland, (due to the two books) and saved our tea party for an early out day. The kids all made hats out of cups and plastic headbands, and wore them all through the party which consisted of cucumber sandwiches, apple juice (in place of tea), and goldfish crackers; we played BINGO and pin the grin on the cat. Everyone had a blast.

We’ve done several books so far from: The Boxcar Children, The Witches, Coraline, Captain Underpants, Shiloh, and even Watership Down. The one rule in my class is: “Always go by the book, not the movie.”

I love my kids and want to see them grow up and be all that they can be, and I want them to discover the joy of reading, because reading can take you places, if you use your imagination.

I may not have a degree in teaching. I may not hold a masters. But I feel I shape young minds through creativity and imagination, and sometimes that is as important as math and science to a young mind.