So they say it's your Birthday....
Today I want to talk about rituals. Every community--no matter how big or how small creates rituals. A classroom is no different.
Take my students. Each class bonds over different ritualistic practices.
For example, this year I had a group of students who were passionate about construction. It's how they bonded. Every morning students looked forward to coming in, unpacking their bags, and greeting their friends on the rug to create new and exciting constructions. While I did switch up the materials, I always made sure to have construction of some kind in the morning? Why? Because it's how they bonded! It was a ritual.
Think of the rituals you practice in your day to day life. I enjoy having a cup of coffee in the staff lounge with my teacher buddies before the day's learning begins. On Fridays I go for a glass of wine to celebrate the end of the week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I go to the gym to lift weights with my husband. Rituals can be cultural. When I visited Ethiopia, I was allowed to observe and participate in a coffee making ritual. We have routines. We have rituals. They are the fabric that bond us with people and our community. Rituals help us feel involved and they help us to feel included. Rituals can shape identity.
As a classroom teacher, without even knowing it, you will introduce your students to new rituals.
I think about the way I celebrate birthdays.
Today I'd like to share my birthday ritual with you:
BUT....before I begin to share, I should mention that all photos in my blog (especially all good photos) are taken by my fantastic Teaching Assistant Ms. Ploy. She is a wonder with the camera and I always marvel at the amazing moments she is able to capture. Ms Ploy--you are AWESOME!
Birthday Ritual:
1.) Welcoming the Parents: Parents will often want to come in and share a snack with the class. When parents enter the room we greet them with a "Good Morning" and give them a seat to sit in. They are 'guests of honor' in our classroom.
2.) Happy Birthday Song: I have my students sit in a large circle on the mat. The birthday student comes to the front and we sing Happy Birthday to them. This marks the start of the ritual.
3.) Age Walk: After singing Happy Birthday, the student is asked to stand in the middle of the circle and I retrieve our classroom globe.
...Now, this is not my ingenious ritual. I actually got this idea from a fantastic teacher named Wendy Anderson when I was working at the Catholic Schools of Fairbanks. Wendy, a huge child advocate and teacher extraordinaire--told me that this was originally a Montessori practice. Holler at Wendy and Maria Montessori--woop woop!
I've adapted it slightly to fit the needs of my students and my classroom. I use the following text (adapted for the specifics of each student):
We are here today to celebrate _____________'s birthday. Today they are going to be the Sun. The hot Sun up in the sky. Ms. Sam is going to be the Earth. Five years ago today something special happened. ______________was born. It was a great day. They brought so much happiness to their family.
Then the Earth went around the Sun one time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ___________was one year old. When you were one year old, you were much smaller, only talking a little bit, and still needed help to do many things.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a second time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ____________ was two years old. When you were two years old, you had many teeth. Your hair had grown, and you were able to speak some words.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a third time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and _________was three years old. When you were three years old, you were a Kindergarten 1 student. Ms. __________was your teacher and you learned how to do many things.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a fourth time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ________was four years old. When you were four years old, you came to the Kindergarten 2 class. I remember when you came to the class. You already knew how to do so much and now that you've been in the class for a long time, you are able to do even more. I love how your treat your friends with kindness and consideration.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a fifth time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and on this day today, right now, this very minute ___________is five years old. They are going to do so much this year and learn all kinds of new skills! Potoroos--let's give __________five big claps for being five years old!
I will tell you why I like this ritual. I value this ritual because it is personal. I value this ritual because it takes the time to tell the community why this person is important to us. I value it because it gives each student a moment to shine and feel important on their special day. Yes cake is special. Friends are special. Parents are special. But words---words are very special. Belonging is special.
Students look forward to this special moment. Many are quick to ask "When is my turn coming?" "When will it be my special day?"
Everybody looks forward to this moment so much so that the globe becomes almost a sacred object in the classroom--and every time I pull it out the kids are quick to ask "WHO'S BIRTHDAY IS IT?"
Chill guys--we're just gonna talk about geography.
4.) Photo Time: After this ritual, the birthday girl/boy gets to sit in the special chair and we all gather in for a class photo. We do a couple nice photos and then we do a silly face photo. This gives the parents a nice chance for a photo op. Ms. Ploy also takes lots of photos while we are doing all of this so the photos can be uploaded into my weekly newsletter.
We celebrate the birthdays of our helpers! Here we are celebrating P'Noi's birthday in our class!
Sometimes birthday get piled onto other special days. This year with had a birthday on our Book Character Dress Up Day! It was a party all day long!
5.) Cake Time: Next, we all gather around the middle table of the classroom to look at the awesome treats! We stick candles in the cake, light 'em up, and sing another-- yes another--rousing version of Happy Birthday. Of course we turn off the lights to admire the fire in the darkness. P'Noi, my class nanny is in charge of candles, fire, and lights. Are you realizing how spoiled I am to have all fantastic help?
ooooo.... so pretty....
6.) Eat Time: Next we wash hands and eat the healthy portion of our snacks. Parents get a guest seat with their child and we carve up the cake while the children are gobbling up their fruit.
For a long time I deluded myself into thinking that I was capable of cutting cake into equal and neat pieces. Friends, I CANNOT, nor will I ever be able to cut cake into neat and equal pieces. I tried for years, YEARS I TELL YOU to keep up this fantasy--convinced that I would some day be able to do it. Nope. Not happening. A year ago, I gave this responsibility to Ms. Ploy who is not only capable of taking amazing photos--but also capable of cutting cake with ninja like precision.
7.) Thank you Time: After we eat our cake, we say a big thank you to our parent guests and we put on our shoes to head out to playtime. As important as this ritual is--it is equally important to have an end time for this ritual. Sometimes students will become a little teary when separating from parents--and having a place to go--during a set time helps to transition the students to the next activity.
8.) Oh yes...just when you thought it was over! THINK AGAIN! Gifts: Many students bring in presents to share with their friends. At the end of the day, the birthday boy/girl passes out the presents to the other children. We all say a very hearty thank you to the birthday boy/girl. Passing them out at the end of the day eliminates distraction during the learning day and it gives us something the be excited about as we walk out the door!
Because we have a set ritual--it is easy for my teaching team to 'man their battle stations' during our birthday times. Operation Birthday is a go!
Because we have a set ritual--students know that we participate in traditions. This is a special tradition that only happens in our special classroom.
Because we have a ritual--students are allowed to build a community experience that allows them all to feel belonging and involvement.
What kinds of rituals do you have in your own classroom?
Until next time learning buddies,
Sam
Take my students. Each class bonds over different ritualistic practices.
For example, this year I had a group of students who were passionate about construction. It's how they bonded. Every morning students looked forward to coming in, unpacking their bags, and greeting their friends on the rug to create new and exciting constructions. While I did switch up the materials, I always made sure to have construction of some kind in the morning? Why? Because it's how they bonded! It was a ritual.
Think of the rituals you practice in your day to day life. I enjoy having a cup of coffee in the staff lounge with my teacher buddies before the day's learning begins. On Fridays I go for a glass of wine to celebrate the end of the week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I go to the gym to lift weights with my husband. Rituals can be cultural. When I visited Ethiopia, I was allowed to observe and participate in a coffee making ritual. We have routines. We have rituals. They are the fabric that bond us with people and our community. Rituals help us feel involved and they help us to feel included. Rituals can shape identity.
As a classroom teacher, without even knowing it, you will introduce your students to new rituals.
I think about the way I celebrate birthdays.
Today I'd like to share my birthday ritual with you:
BUT....before I begin to share, I should mention that all photos in my blog (especially all good photos) are taken by my fantastic Teaching Assistant Ms. Ploy. She is a wonder with the camera and I always marvel at the amazing moments she is able to capture. Ms Ploy--you are AWESOME!
Birthday Ritual:
1.) Welcoming the Parents: Parents will often want to come in and share a snack with the class. When parents enter the room we greet them with a "Good Morning" and give them a seat to sit in. They are 'guests of honor' in our classroom.
2.) Happy Birthday Song: I have my students sit in a large circle on the mat. The birthday student comes to the front and we sing Happy Birthday to them. This marks the start of the ritual.
3.) Age Walk: After singing Happy Birthday, the student is asked to stand in the middle of the circle and I retrieve our classroom globe.
...Now, this is not my ingenious ritual. I actually got this idea from a fantastic teacher named Wendy Anderson when I was working at the Catholic Schools of Fairbanks. Wendy, a huge child advocate and teacher extraordinaire--told me that this was originally a Montessori practice. Holler at Wendy and Maria Montessori--woop woop!
I've adapted it slightly to fit the needs of my students and my classroom. I use the following text (adapted for the specifics of each student):
We are here today to celebrate _____________'s birthday. Today they are going to be the Sun. The hot Sun up in the sky. Ms. Sam is going to be the Earth. Five years ago today something special happened. ______________was born. It was a great day. They brought so much happiness to their family.
Then the Earth went around the Sun one time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ___________was one year old. When you were one year old, you were much smaller, only talking a little bit, and still needed help to do many things.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a second time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ____________ was two years old. When you were two years old, you had many teeth. Your hair had grown, and you were able to speak some words.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a third time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and _________was three years old. When you were three years old, you were a Kindergarten 1 student. Ms. __________was your teacher and you learned how to do many things.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a fourth time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and ________was four years old. When you were four years old, you came to the Kindergarten 2 class. I remember when you came to the class. You already knew how to do so much and now that you've been in the class for a long time, you are able to do even more. I love how your treat your friends with kindness and consideration.
Then the Earth went around the Sun a fifth time (I move around the circle spinning the globe) and on this day today, right now, this very minute ___________is five years old. They are going to do so much this year and learn all kinds of new skills! Potoroos--let's give __________five big claps for being five years old!
I will tell you why I like this ritual. I value this ritual because it is personal. I value this ritual because it takes the time to tell the community why this person is important to us. I value it because it gives each student a moment to shine and feel important on their special day. Yes cake is special. Friends are special. Parents are special. But words---words are very special. Belonging is special.
Students look forward to this special moment. Many are quick to ask "When is my turn coming?" "When will it be my special day?"
Everybody looks forward to this moment so much so that the globe becomes almost a sacred object in the classroom--and every time I pull it out the kids are quick to ask "WHO'S BIRTHDAY IS IT?"
Chill guys--we're just gonna talk about geography.
4.) Photo Time: After this ritual, the birthday girl/boy gets to sit in the special chair and we all gather in for a class photo. We do a couple nice photos and then we do a silly face photo. This gives the parents a nice chance for a photo op. Ms. Ploy also takes lots of photos while we are doing all of this so the photos can be uploaded into my weekly newsletter.
We celebrate the birthdays of our helpers! Here we are celebrating P'Noi's birthday in our class!
Sometimes birthday get piled onto other special days. This year with had a birthday on our Book Character Dress Up Day! It was a party all day long!
5.) Cake Time: Next, we all gather around the middle table of the classroom to look at the awesome treats! We stick candles in the cake, light 'em up, and sing another-- yes another--rousing version of Happy Birthday. Of course we turn off the lights to admire the fire in the darkness. P'Noi, my class nanny is in charge of candles, fire, and lights. Are you realizing how spoiled I am to have all fantastic help?
ooooo.... so pretty....
6.) Eat Time: Next we wash hands and eat the healthy portion of our snacks. Parents get a guest seat with their child and we carve up the cake while the children are gobbling up their fruit.
For a long time I deluded myself into thinking that I was capable of cutting cake into equal and neat pieces. Friends, I CANNOT, nor will I ever be able to cut cake into neat and equal pieces. I tried for years, YEARS I TELL YOU to keep up this fantasy--convinced that I would some day be able to do it. Nope. Not happening. A year ago, I gave this responsibility to Ms. Ploy who is not only capable of taking amazing photos--but also capable of cutting cake with ninja like precision.
7.) Thank you Time: After we eat our cake, we say a big thank you to our parent guests and we put on our shoes to head out to playtime. As important as this ritual is--it is equally important to have an end time for this ritual. Sometimes students will become a little teary when separating from parents--and having a place to go--during a set time helps to transition the students to the next activity.
8.) Oh yes...just when you thought it was over! THINK AGAIN! Gifts: Many students bring in presents to share with their friends. At the end of the day, the birthday boy/girl passes out the presents to the other children. We all say a very hearty thank you to the birthday boy/girl. Passing them out at the end of the day eliminates distraction during the learning day and it gives us something the be excited about as we walk out the door!
Because we have a set ritual--it is easy for my teaching team to 'man their battle stations' during our birthday times. Operation Birthday is a go!
Because we have a set ritual--students know that we participate in traditions. This is a special tradition that only happens in our special classroom.
Because we have a ritual--students are allowed to build a community experience that allows them all to feel belonging and involvement.
What kinds of rituals do you have in your own classroom?
Until next time learning buddies,
Sam
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