An eight track symphony of the leaves.

I met a millipede (and maybe a tick or two) in the dirt. Together we listened to the leaves, human hands rubbing against wood, and birdsong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY4oURamPS0

Looking down at the ground

"In between"

        Children are captivated with picture books and coloring books from the very beginning of life.  It was not uncommon for children’s books to be composed of only a couple of words, or sometimes even no words.  Before children learn to read and write words and phrases, they are introduced to coloring books.  I remember sitting down at the kitchen table, my two older sisters hovering over me emphasizing to me the importance of staying within the lines, keeping the lines sharp and never putting too much of just one color.  To this day, I use these guidelines when I am coloring anything, and coloring anything happens quite often for me.  

I have worked with a kindergarten student at my Praxis location and for convenience I will be calling him Charlie. On several occasions I have found myself working with Charlie to complete his homework and it has been successful. However, when we are done doing work he insists on doing other activities, such as drawing or making puzzles, with only me. On a few occasions I have noticed that Charlie, not only with me but with other volunteers, becomes visibly upset when I or the other volunteers try to help other students with their homework. If a volunteer moves to work with other students he begins to insist that the volunteer must stay and work with him, as if having chosen to help him with his homework he is entitled for the rest of the day. 

I really enjoyed Joanna Cattanach's article "Student Parents to Improve Student Learning."  I feel like we often talk about the roles of students and teachers in classrooms, but we often leave out the roles that parents play in the learning and education of their students.  Many educators often cite that parents must get involved in their childrens' education, but often those discourese do not take into account the accessiblity of the American education system, especially if parents are unable to speak English or are not aware to the extent that teachers and other educators wish for them to be involved. 

I especially appreciated reading Sleeter's chapter after my experiences at my Praxis setting from the other week (which I had posted about and from which stemmed a long discussion in my blog group).

It is the end of our work session with the 7th grade, the class has been challenging but productive. The students have collected their things and moved on to the next class. The three of us (students) are talking to Mrs Harris, the classroom teacher about our work today and which students surprised up by their great work. Aliyah*, one of the cheeriest and most students in the class, comes back to collect something she has forgotten. She get it and gives us a joyful “bye” as she leaves. Katie* commented that she had had such a good time working with Aliyah that day. Mrs Harris echos that she is joy to have in the class. Then she says: “You know, they beat her up last week?” We are all silent. “What? Who” we ask, confused. Mrs.