I've always known reading and relationships go hand in hand. My recent experience at my new job has reinforced this in such a concrete way! I just started a new position as a Reading Specialist. This position is an interesting one, as it can look slightly different at...
Over the years, I've taught at lots of schools that have lunchroom monitors -- particularly for the primary grades. Usually these monitors oversee the eating times. In my past experiences, many monitors like to tell homeroom teachers about the problems that surface...
This summer, I have a position that's similar to my one from previous years, except that instead of being a Site Lead, I'm now a coordinator for the Board's summer camp programs. I still get to spend my time working with instructors, students, administrators, and...
Recently, I met with an educator from a different school to talk about all things kindergarten. We ended up speaking a lot about Self-Reg and outdoor play. When I began to tell this teacher about some recent changes to our outdoor routine, I didn't really think about...
This week, we attended our first assembly in over two years. A group of intermediate students at our school, with the support of our music teacher, put on a performance of Peter Pan. All classes got to go. The play was about 45 minutes, and while some might argue that...
Let it be over! As many blog readers know, I'm a dog person, and for over 30 years, I've always had at least one dog at my house. Usually I've had two, and for a small amount of time, I've even had three. Dogs, like other pets, truly become part of the family. Back in...
While I usually reflect the most on Self-Reg, this past week, a combination of experiences have me thinking more about co-regulation. It all started when Mr. Cumming began his ECE Field Placement in our class. He'll be joining our class for six weeks, every Wednesday...
Tomorrow we go back to school after a week long March Break. Tomorrow will be the first time that we'll be heading back to school after March Break in two years. Along with this return, there's also a decrease in many COVID restrictions, including masking, cohorting,...
Once a week, I have a prep in the middle of the school day. With more rooms being used around the school this year, I usually end up sitting in the staffroom for my prep. Since this prep time is near the Second Nutrition Break, I often bring my lunch with me to the...
There are many words of wisdom from both Stuart Shanker and Susan Hopkins that I think about when contemplating Self-Reg, but one point that I return to often is that "Self-Reg begins with relationships." While I might know this in theory, never have I been more aware...
For me, wrapping presents is stressful. I never seem to get enough paper to cover the whole gift. I have high hopes to making those perfect corner folds, but the reality never seems to match my expectations. And how exactly are you supposed to wrap gifts that are not...
In our classroom, we talk about Self-Reg a lot. Children share when they're stressed. We discuss triggers. My teaching partner, Paula, has even spoken to the class about the brain, and kids use words such as the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex, when talking to us...
Last week, I knew that my teaching partner, Paula, was going to be away on Wednesday for an appointment. She booked the supply in advance and all was well until her supply had to unexpectedly cancel on Tuesday night, and the job remained unfilled. Driving to school on...
The other day, I had a period 4 prep. It's only one day in a five day cycle, where due to the timing of my prep, I will be re-entering play when I return. This period 4 prep is an interesting one, as my teaching partner, Paula, is also on her lunch during this time,...
The other day, I went to get a haircut. I'll be heading back to school soon, so I wanted to book a haircut and highlights before going back. I've gone to different hairdressers over the years: from drop-in places to those where I book appointments. When COVID first...
The other day, I was doing some work for camp on my computer and I noticed this email icon at the bottom of my screen. Nine thousand five hundred and thirty-one unread messages?! Thank goodness this is an email address that I just use for junk mail and not my Board or...
Once a month, I write a post for The MEHRIT Centre blog. I usually know what I'm going to write about early on in the month. I let the ideas percolate, and then I blog. This month though, I'm stuck. My mind is empty, or maybe, it's full. Full of year-end tasks to do:...
In August when I learned about all of the COVID restrictions for this upcoming school year, I broke down into tears. How are we supposed to keep kindergarten students in their own spaces all day long?How do you eliminate hugs from kindergarten?How do you enforce...