oh my word today was tough..

The theory or idea I want to discuss today is one I saw in the classroom, changing the lesson according to the children's learning. This is something that is crucial yet I know of many teachers who don't do it. Some reasons could be because it takes too much time, or they don't know how to change or mold the lesson, or even the thinking that they've already taught the information and if the students didn't grasp it then it's the students fault and they have to reap the consequences. All of these ways of thinking are not good. In my mind the only one that comes out suffering is the teacher because they are the ones frustrated that no one is listening or paying attention. Once the teacher has lost the student's attention, the student could care less! They just go about doing their own thing.

It's hard to say I saw this in the classroom because there really aren't subjects taught. However, today the kids were really rowdy and not really paying attention. I was trying to think what could be the reason for this or what a solution was. After lunch, I was sure the teacher was going to let them out for recess like usual in hopes of getting some of their energy out. But instead she came in and began pulling mats out and telling them that they were going down for a nap because they were disobeying. There were a lot of groans and moans but once the music came on all but one child was fast asleep! After nap she sent them out for recess, to wake them up a bit before they went home. During that time she told me that they were just being too rowdy and not minding. This was not usual and it must be because they were tired. She also told me that usually there are about 7 or 8 that will not sleep at all, they just toss and turn the entire time.

It made me think that as a teacher you know what your students need. There was still some assignments to do, but instead of getting frustrated by trying to keep their attention through a subject a nap turned out to be the better option. The pre-k students really haven't had naps since before Christmas break, but by seeing how they were behaving throughout the day the teacher knew that this is exactly what they needed so she changed the plan according to what was needed.