With “more than 75% of school principals and district leaders having trouble finding enough substitutes to cover teacher absences this year,” I wasn’t surprised when ,on the first day back after Winter Break, I received an email stating that instead of meeting with my usual groups, I would be a second grade substitute teacher for the next five days.
By Friday, I was grateful.
It had been over five years since I had been a classroom teacher, and this is what I learned.
KIDS STILL LOVE BOOKS
One of the three tables students visited during their visit to my room.
It warmed my heart to see how happy these second graders were to visit my classroom and spend time with my most beloved picture books.
Before heading off to read, they sat on the carpet; I book talked my bin of favorites. I had a story for each one.
I started with Kate DiCamillo’s Good Rosie, explaining that this book made it into my bin because it makes me laugh out loud.
I introduced them to Fifi, a small energetic chihuahua, who wore a bedazzled collar spelling out her name in shiny stones.
I explained how Fifi met Maurice, a large St. Bernard, who in his eagerness to be Fifi’s friend, accidentally swallowed her up (and spit her back out), pulling off the i at the end of her name so instead of her collar saying Fifi, it now just said Fif, and for the remainder of the book, Fifi is called Fif and I just find that incredibly funny. Even now.
I finished my book talks; every twenty minutes or so, my visiting second graders rotated to a different table, where they could read alone or read with a friend.
When I am not a substitute teacher, I provide academic support to second graders. I am an ESSER teacher, a position funded through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. I usually meet with five reading groups a day, and before each meeting, I always read aloud a preselected picture book.
I put a lot of thought into the books I read aloud to my students, making sure that all students are represented.
The bin I shared with my visiting second graders are filled with the books I have read aloud this year.
My plan was to walk around and spend time at each table, but instead they wanted me to read aloud to them, so that is what I did.
KIDS STILL LOVE BEING READ ALOUD TO
I was walking from table to table when a student asked me what the words on a page said. I read them aloud. I then asked if he wanted me to read the whole book to him. He smiled and nodded his head yes.
We went to the carpet and he handed me Someone Builds The Dream. I saw students watching me. I told them that they are always welcome to join me on the carpet and listen to me read aloud. Many of them came over, and as soon as I finished reading that book, another student was right there ready with another one for me to read aloud. I didn’t stand up again until it was time to leave for Special.
Kate DiCamillo, author of Good Rosie and Because of Winn-Dixie, reminds us that “We humans long not just for story, not just for the flow of language, but for the connection that comes when words are read aloud. That connection provides illumination, it lets us see each other.”
KIDS STILL LOVE TO MAKE CONNECTIONS
I wanted to get to know the second graders I was subbing for. I grabbed some dry erase markers and drew two roses and some thorns and we were ready to play a favorite family game.
We made a giant circle around the room. Two roses, things that make us happy, and a thorn, something that makes us sad.
My takeaways. Kids think about COVID and they think about dying. Some wish they had siblings and some wish they did not.
THE CURRICULUM HAS GOTTEN BETTER
Reading
We have a new reading series that includes Texts for Close Reading. Fox Makes Friends is part of a unit about characters and their different points of view.
As soon as I saw these, I was quite impressed. The students could write on the story and learn about annotating — in second grade. I was sold. I passed out a packet to each student, took one for myself and had them meet me on the carpet. Using my pencil and yellow crayon, I chunked and I highlighted and I drew and I jotted down notes.
Then it was their turn. I walked around. I watched and listened. They read, discussed, highlighted, circled, drew and reflected. When they were done, they brought me their annotated stories in exchange for a sheet of notebook paper (this is a great way for their own voices to shine through, rather than just copying from the story).
I told the students they could write anything they wanted about Fox Makes Friends. When they finished, they met with me one-on-one for editing. After that, they rewrote their stories.
Math
I love how the math book shows the students exactly what to do.
While visiting this second grade classroom, students sat with me on the carpet, using Base Ten Blocks to see how subtraction works. They borrowed, replaced, took away and counted. I loved how their math book showed pictures of Base Ten Blocks and how when you borrow a ten, you must break it up into ten ones and place it into a ten frame.
On Friday morning, I went to unlock the door and felt a tap on my arm and heard the words, “This is for you.”
This is the picture of the book she gave me. I read it aloud to the class.
I also read aloud the Author’s Note. When I finished reading it aloud, I looked at the student who gave it to me and she smiled up at me. I tried to give her back the book, but she told me that it was for me to keep. She said her family had another copy at home and they wanted me to keep it.
In just five days, I learned that kids are still kids.
They still love books, they still love being read aloud to, and they still love making connections.
In just five days, I learned that the curriculum is getting better.
The reading series allows students to mark up their stories, and the math book provides visuals to help children gain a greater understanding of numbers.
In just five days, I was reminded why I became a teacher.
I love kids and I love the art of teaching.