Let's Play!

Let's Play!

My students are in the middle of publishing a book (it's free... check it out: Free Book!).  Our theme is "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a ..."


As I was going through my students' entries of police officers, chefs, doctors, firefighters, and teachers, I came across my favorite entry:

Teachers of young children know that they mimic the behavior they see.  We see it especially during dramatic play, recess, or free choice time.  I have a particular student this year who, every time she finishes early, chooses to read a book from my chair to a pretend group of students on the floor, as I do every day.  We can learn so much by just observing this unique time of a child’s day.

I feel hopeful when I see articles promoting play for young students. I have been in the business long enough to see the proverbial pendulum swing in kindergarten between the kindergartens of yesteryear to play kitchens being removed from classrooms and back to developmentally appropriate programs.  Fortunately, I was never ordered to give up dramatic play (and my kitchen), but many of my colleagues were.  Guess what?  My students still learn the academics that are expected in spite of the time I allow them to “play”.

Countries where they actually have more recess tend to have higher academic performance than countries where recess is less. -Sergio Pellis

It’s just another idea that is being taken for granted about our students today-that they spend many hours outside just free playing.  With the allure and availability of technology, kids are too distracted to bother going outside, or even worse, they’re outside WITH technology. The people who make decisions about young students’ time in the classroom are not teachers who are in the trenches every day, seeing the current trends. This article from NPR goes into detail: NPR.

Back to my Valerie-her writing brought a tear to my eye because she is only writing about what she knows.  She sees me as a teacher who plays with her students. And that is the best compliment I can receive from my students.

Happy Teaching!

Erin Grebel