Why the District Can't Wait to Hire Me
For those of you not employed by an elementary school or a dental office, let me first inform you, it's Dental Health Month. I know, exciting stuff. Especially when you teach technology. (That's sarcastic). But somehow in the plans I received from last year that my immediate supervisor seems reluctant to change or ammend, we have this fantastic plan for incorporating dental health in with a technology lesson. To summarize, it's an 18 minute online video followed by a 12 minute, hurried technology lesson that doesn't teach any new skill and only requires my Kinders to continue clicking and dragging (which they can do in their sleep by this point in the year).
But for now, without many alternatives, I'm teaching the lesson. And I sat and watched the 18 minute video (again) with my Kinders today, remarking at how cheesy we make teeth cleaning sound. But I suppose if it works to teach Kinders to brush, floss and avoid sugary snacks, so be it. Sign me up. Just don't make me pay attention six more times.
It wasn't until after the video and ensuing technology lesson, when the students were lined up at the door that I realized the irony. At the beginning of the year, I added further incentives to the reward program already in place for the non-academic classes like art, music and technology. We hand out special awards to each class when they've had a good lesson in our rooms. When they earn so many, their classroom teachers reward them with a pizza party or something equally fantastic. I added my own little bonus. After every 5 of these rewards a class receives from me, I give a reward to each student. A sticker, a pencil, a bookmark, etc. I only see classes every other week, so it takes several weeks to earn the reward but helps to keep them motivated when they think they only have two more rewards to go before everyone gets a pencil. (And who doesn't want a pencil when you are seven?)
So it was this combination of things that added up to my Award Winning Moment of Teaching. As the Kinders lined up at my door and I reviewed with them the important points from the Dental Video that we just reiterated in our technology lesson, I looked at the chart and realized today was a reward day for this class.
The reward: CANDY.
Yeah, go me.
So, as I say, "Avoid sugary snacks!" "If you must eat something sweet, be sure to brush immediately after!" and the like, I am holding out a bucket full of blow pops, bubble gum, Nerds and sour gumballs.
The classroom teacher and I both laughed and shook our heads. The best I could do to save myself at that moment was to instruct the students to "take the candy home! Be sure to brush after you eat it!"
Yeah, maybe after I've seen the video six more times, the cheesiness will have worked its magic on me and I'll actually be able to APPLY the dental health practices mentioned therein.
Maybe. Let's not hold our sugary breath on that one.
But for now, without many alternatives, I'm teaching the lesson. And I sat and watched the 18 minute video (again) with my Kinders today, remarking at how cheesy we make teeth cleaning sound. But I suppose if it works to teach Kinders to brush, floss and avoid sugary snacks, so be it. Sign me up. Just don't make me pay attention six more times.
It wasn't until after the video and ensuing technology lesson, when the students were lined up at the door that I realized the irony. At the beginning of the year, I added further incentives to the reward program already in place for the non-academic classes like art, music and technology. We hand out special awards to each class when they've had a good lesson in our rooms. When they earn so many, their classroom teachers reward them with a pizza party or something equally fantastic. I added my own little bonus. After every 5 of these rewards a class receives from me, I give a reward to each student. A sticker, a pencil, a bookmark, etc. I only see classes every other week, so it takes several weeks to earn the reward but helps to keep them motivated when they think they only have two more rewards to go before everyone gets a pencil. (And who doesn't want a pencil when you are seven?)
So it was this combination of things that added up to my Award Winning Moment of Teaching. As the Kinders lined up at my door and I reviewed with them the important points from the Dental Video that we just reiterated in our technology lesson, I looked at the chart and realized today was a reward day for this class.
The reward: CANDY.
Yeah, go me.
So, as I say, "Avoid sugary snacks!" "If you must eat something sweet, be sure to brush immediately after!" and the like, I am holding out a bucket full of blow pops, bubble gum, Nerds and sour gumballs.
The classroom teacher and I both laughed and shook our heads. The best I could do to save myself at that moment was to instruct the students to "take the candy home! Be sure to brush after you eat it!"
Yeah, maybe after I've seen the video six more times, the cheesiness will have worked its magic on me and I'll actually be able to APPLY the dental health practices mentioned therein.
Maybe. Let's not hold our sugary breath on that one.
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