Halloween in Kindergarten

On October 31st, I spent the day observering in a kindergarten class. The teacher was one who I have admired for a while because of how patient and soft spoken she remains with her students, even during trying times. Although Halloween is not a normal school day in terms of lessons and routines, it provided a great opportunity to see how she remains calm throughout her day. She is a very experienced teacher and, as stated in the EduTopia.org article titled How Novice and Expert Teachers Approach Classroom Management Differently,”emotions are contagious, and when a teacher is able to model a calm presence through their tone, facial expression, and posture, students are less likely to react defensively.” This statement applied in the situations that I saw. Two spidermen were trying to wrestle on the carpet when they were supposed to be listening to their teacher. Rather than correcting their behaviour by raising her voice, she remained the same tone of voice for the three warnings she gave them then patiently waited until they began to settle before sending them to their seats where they had to stay for the next activity that the class was doing. Further, one of the students was rude to her after getting to their seat and she again kept the same tone and told the student that the sticking out their tongue was rude. She said it hurt her feelings and asked if the student wanted her hurt her feelings. He showed empathy and said he was sorry and stopped the rude and distracting behaviour. This is something I want to remember as I train to be a teacher. When students don’t listen, it can be frustrating and remaining calm can be beneficial, not just for blood pressure levels, but also for remaining predictable for students and not creating a hostile or uncomfortable classroom.