with tears... I say thank you

I know I haven't been around as much. Life is busy, and busy is good. But, this is not an update post. It is a post that pours out my heart....

If you follow my blog, you know that I was a kindergarten teacher and that I have a kindergartner. The tragedy of yesterday hurts. I stand here with tears streaming down my face after reading yet another article about yesterday. This was about the heroic teachers who put their lives on the line to protect their students.

So often, teachers are looked down on in society. It is often thought of as a profession that anyone can do. And why not, look at the salary they make? Why would anyone choose to make so little money? People think that teachers work from 9-3 and have off the summer, and therefore do not deserve the salary of an engineer, doctor or lawyer. But at the same time, school is the one place where you feel your child is safe. You send your child to school and feel that they will be safe and protected. That they will learn, grow and progress. That those in whom you trust your child will do what is best for each child in their care. Teachers do this and so much more. Many teachers work before and after school to provide your child with the best education they can. They spend their vacations taking courses and learning new techniques to teach. They spend their own money, of which they do not have a lot, to make sure your child has pencils, crayons, snacks and sometimes clothes.

No teacher every wants to think that something like this could ever happen in their classroom, but trust me when I say they would lay down their lives to protect your child. To protect all the children in their care. And I can also guarantee you that the teachers involved did not think twice about doing it and were more concerned about the children in their care than themselves. These men and women are also sons and daughters they are probably also mothers or fathers, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, uncles and aunts. They will not see themselves as heroes, but will probably say they were just doing their jobs.

So today as you shed a tear for all those children who lost their lives, those who lost the innocence of childhood, lost their brother, sister, friends, classmates and neighbors... remember the teachers, administrators and the staff of the school who not only lost their lives put their lives on the line to protect. Teachers do not turn off their jobs, and these teachers will never be able to turn off this image.

An extra special thank you to your own child's teacher, would go a long way this holiday season.

Jack O'Learning

It's time to check out my newest kit Jack O'Learning on Teachers Pay Teachers! This one is loaded with fun pumpkin items. Fall is always a fun time in any early childhood class. And what is a better symbol of October than a pumpkin?

In this kit, you will find:

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Class book. After having children learn the poem Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater, have the children write a page of what they would put into a pumpkin shell to protect. There are two pages as one says he and one says she.
Many Faces of Jack. This is a mini book that the children can read and create their own illustrations to match the words. It is a great way to talk about reading emotions too.
How Do Pumpkins Grow? After reading stories about how pumpkin's grow such as Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington, It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall or From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer, have children make their own books to show the process of how pumpkins grow.
Pumpkin Glyph. A glyph is a fun way for children to collect information. This also makes a fun bulletin board. Give each child a sheet of orange construction paper, a half sheet of black construction paper and a square of either green or brown (depending on gender), then have the children create their own pumpkin according to the glyph's criteria. After they have been displayed, you can go back and answer the questions on the second sheet. I suggest hanging a copy of the criteria on the bulletin board too so others can see why each pumpkin was made that way.
Pumpkin Measurement. This would make a fun learning station during your pumpkin activity week. The children cut the strip of pumpkins at the bottom of the sheet and use it to measure common classroom items.
Pumpkin Words. This is a fun and easy way to practice common kindergarten sight words. The children have to read the words and then color by the number of letters in each word. This would be a simple morning work paper or be great in a homework packet.
Blank pumpkins. I gave you a set of blank pumpkins to use as you'd like... other sight words, pumpkin patterns, longer measuring strips, writing numbers or letters... whatever you'd like!

And.... for visiting my blog you get one more free pumpkin paper. Alphabet pumpkins. A quick and fun review of alphabetical order.

These learning activities grouped with a few fun pumpkin art projects and you've got a fun week of learning. Click here and here to see some of the pumpkin art we've done in the past I hope you have fun with these fun pumpkin items. If you use my kit in your class, please come back and let me know what you liked!