The smell of sun tan lotion, the heat waves and afternoon water
fights.
The smell of sun tan lotion, the heat waves and afternoon water fights. July is already at its best. But there will not be very many water fights during my next few weeks. My summer job as a teacher’s aid keeps me in a cool air-conditioned room until well past noon. Sounds great right?
It has been challenging trying to relate to a 6-year old mind and thought pattern. They often seem scatterbrained and totally confused by what I thought were simple questions. Maybe one day I’ll ask then the meaning of life. I can only imagine the answers.
Teaching is a job where you learn right along with the students. Patience and a sense of humor – the two things teachers need to learn to stay sane. But the catch is that you can’t have one without the other. There are times when I feel that they will never understand, but right before you give up on them, they throw you for a loop and surprise you with their smarts. I am so happy for them when they finally get it.
I have been feeling just a tad bit pressured during our reading groups where the class splits up into three groups according to their reading level. There we read short books, practice reading comprehension and learn short and long vowels. It’s so simple, but also so essential to their success to reading and writing later in their life. I recently heard on the radio that America has an average reading level of an eighth grader. Think back to what you where reading in the eighth grade. It certainly wasn’t Shakespeare, Orwell or Huxley.
I am scared that if they don’t learn how to read that they will never want to strive to have a higher reading level than the average Harry Potter fan. No offense to all you Harry Potters out there, but it’s an easy read.
About a year ago I discovered one problem these children are having. There problem is what they are watching on TV. When I was little I watched Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers and Reading Rainbow everyday even before I knew how to read or write. Now children watch programs like the Teletubbies. It’s no wonder they have a hard time in school.
Now I’m no professional at figuring this out but wouldn’t it be wise for parents to do some out-of-class teaching themselves? I remember my mom used flash cards to help me with my letter sounds and new words. That way I didn’t struggle so much in kindergarten. It’s like that commercial on the radio about how a child will do better in life if they go to preschool. Children should know the basics of basics by their first day of kindergarten. How to count and the alphabet.
If your child isn’t going to preschool, do them the favor of teaching them the basics before they enter kindergarten. It will make all the difference in the world. A child who has a high reading level in his or her class will want to read more challenging books.
If they have nothing that is stimulating their brains outside of school, it makes the teacher’s job that much harder.
I used to underestimate what a 6-year-old can and cannot do, but I have realized that they are smarter then they look. These are the years where they can learn the most. Their brains can program massive amounts of information, where a 17-year-old liked me has a harder time learning new things. So knowing this, why do we have to take a foreign language in high school and not in grade school? You’d think it would be easier while we are younger.
So you see my experience with 6-year-olds has sparked a lot of thought and also creativity for that matter. To spark their creative side, they have about one art project a day. It’s been interesting to watch them draw and paint. They don’t understand the concept of whipping off the excess paint from the brush before they paint. So all their paintings are globby and lumpy, but beautiful in its own special way.
Many days instead of doing the teacher’s aid thing and watching them, I sit down in the small people chairs at their low table and participate in the art project. What can I say, I miss being 6 years old and making works of art out of beans and glue. They never let you do anything like that in high school.
I almost wish I was back in first grade. But just for the art projects.
Melissa Ballard is a recent Live Oak High School graduate. She alternates weekly with Chrissy Bryant in writing Teen Perspective. Contact Melissa at [email protected]
