Sunday, August 07, 2005

We're not in Kansas Anymore

Yesterday I attended a "Super Saturday" for teachers. That consists of two hour workshops for teachers to attend to work toward their *magic number* of staff development hours for the year and hopefully learn something they can use in their classrooms.

Since I am changing from a GT teacher (gifted and talented) to a Kindergarten teacher, I thought it would beneficial for me to attend the kindergarten math and science workshops.

The math workshop showed me some ideas to make independent games the kiddos could play to learn shapes and a few other things, I thought it was *overall* helpful, but nothing I couldn't have read. I prefer a make and take, where you have something to use in class when you leave.

The science workshop walked us through the first 10 science lessons. I wondered why they thought we couldn't read, or if the curriculum was new so no one else had seen it. I finally decided that it wasn't new curriculum, and I know they thought we were smart enough to read.
Then we were talking about helping the kinders figure out that a stick of clay, whether in it's stick form or in a ball form still weighed the same.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED and I had an AHA moment. They didn't know the difference between mass and density and what they have to do with the weight of an object.... DOH... and even the staff development leaders weren't sure. and NO, I didn't stand up and teach the lesson... don't cut off your nose to spite your face, is the thought that came to mind.

I am in a room of Kinder teachers, not the usual 3,4, 5 th grade teachers that teach that concept and others.

Kinder teachers are another crowd and I am going to have to be conscious of that everytime I attend a meeting like this.

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