"Tuck" internal combustion.

The first grade classroom I am in uses the inquiry method of learning for social studies. The children choose a topic and spend the semester investigating it in smaller research groups. I was put in charge of a group interested in investigating "vehicles". Today was our first meeting where we had to narrow that topic down. For some reason I wanted to try to persuade my group to investigate sanitation vehicles (I am still not sure why... I became momentary fascinated with street sweepers).

They did not go for it.

Instead they want to know how engines work, something I know less than NOTHING about. So I am now frantically reading about spark plugs and pistons and trying to figure out how to translate that for 6 year olds. I am planning of buying myself some time and starting with bikes but it turns out I know nothing about them either. Though, thanks to a very nice bike shop on the upper east side, I have a bike chain and two sprockets which I shall attempt to base a lesson around.

Also, today a reminder of how 6 year olds minds may be in the toilet (poop is a huge theme) but they are not yet in the gutter:

Today while learning about the sounds certain letter combos make the teacher asked this question:

"Who can tell me another word that rhymes with 'duck' that your parents do when you go to bed"

Every child in the class immediately knew the answer is 'Tuck (you into bed)'.

you dirty pervs.

Back to school!

I did not update this blog this summer as much as I wanted.

My excuses are work, finding a new apartment and moving in with my boyfriend (!), and taking a two week vacation with my family where we drove from San Francisco to Vancouver (which was awesome) none of which had very much to do with museum education.

But now... I'm back in the thick of it. Today I have homework I should be doing and the sudden urge to procrastinate...er, I mean, be vigilant about my blog has struck me.

The biggest news is I started student teaching in the first grade this week.

For the first day I wanted to fit in and wore what I consider to be the universal uniform of the Progressive school elementary teacher:

Note the interesting vaguely indigenous/ hippie patterned shirt over black pants of irregular length and clunky black shoes. I felt the part. Now the task is acting like it.

Also, the first pearl of wisdom from one of the 5 year old boys in my classroom:

"Don't say 'stupid' because it's a bad word and if you say it no one will like you and no girl will want to marry you and you'll end up crying for the rest of your life...with your parents."

words to live by.