Busy, Busy, Busy!

     Every day is a busy day with preschoolers. Dealing with a lot of behavior problems only adds to the challenges. Our morning class is usually pretty peaceful and always enjoyable. We have a few clingy kiddos, but overall they love school. We have lots of redirections throughout the morning, but nothing is extreme. Our afternoon class, however......that is another story!
     I always say I enjoy a good challenge; you never know what you are made of until you are put to the test. I have risen to the challenge in my life many times. Last year, a child in my class tested every bit of my educational theory and experience. I researched and researched because the help we desperately needed never came to fruition. I implemented a variety of strategies, which many students used, but not the challenging one. I digress...enough about last year, let's talk this year. While the behaviors, ie; throwing things, running out of the room, climbing on furniture, refusing to hold hands in the hall and running away from the teachers, using obscene gestures, not lining up when the whistle blows, and refusing to participate in all large group activities, (just to name a few, lol), are the same as last year, the intentions are completely different. My strategy in dealing with these behaviors had to be different than how we dealt with them last year. In addition, we have a lot of secondary behavior issues in other children as well, ie; anger, defiance, high energy, no impulse control, cognitive and speech issues. Many students have a hard time understanding why one student is allowed to build at the table instead of sitting on the rug with the class.
     With consistency, lots of structure and routines, and lots of warmth and nurturing, all the behaviors are improving. The extremes are going away and we have found things that hold attention for students with short attention spans. This year, praising positive behavior is working, whereas last year it was a trigger. Using a sticker chart and a treasure chest is again proving to be very effective, even though I prefer not to use external rewards. We had 2 afternoons last week that my coteacher and I agreed were pretty smooth. We were getting a little burned out, but then our nice afternoons happened and I reminded us both that that was no accident!
     Have I mentioned the stress we are under because of our fear of a bed bug infestation?! Well, we were so worried about bed bugs, that lice invaded our class. Our dress up clothes (which everyone loves because we have a lot of great stuff) are bagged up along with our puppets for 2 weeks or until all the lice has been eradicated! I bought lice repel hair spray and repel shampoo, which are both natural with essential oils instead of chemicals, and so far they are both working!
     My goal this year has been to increase the amount of time spent writing and discussing and using letters. I am happy to report that I am surprised how many students can write and name letters. Now, we are not quite up to phonics, but we are moving in that direction! In fact, on Friday we went for a walk and I heard several voices saying "Look! There's an X!" I look around and see everyone pointing at the sky:)

That was a proud moment!