Hokey Pokey

al-Hamdu liLlah, I was looking at all the teaching material and I found a set of math tapes. Being an hour early to the school as I usually am, I listened to the tapes, and guess what song I heard... "You put your right foot in ..." -smiiiiiiiiles- ya`ni YAAAAY!!! It's the Hokey Pokey song, or is it Hokie Pokie? Anyways, the song is so cool, al-Hamdu liLlah the class loved it.

There's one child that really gives me a hard time, because this child never wants to do their work, and motivating this child is draining me... but, when I put that song on, this child listened, participated, and followed directions!!! Yes! Gotcha, now I know how you learn buddy, we're gonna be dancing and singing to every lesson, in sha' Allah.

When I think about this child I get the hugest smile on my face! Okay, imagine this, ~you have a child that doesn't do their work that often, then when this child does, the child comes up to you and says, "Close your eyes teacher I have a surprise for you," so you close your eyes, and then this child says, "Now open your eyes teacher, SURPRISE!!!" And it's their work completed, and to me not only is it incredibly funny and cute, but subHan Allah it's such a relief to see that work done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! al-Hamdu liLlah.~ my reaction is always, -big huge smile- "Yay! That's wonderful, I love this surprise!!!" -big huge smile-

subHan Allah, children, subHan Allah... by Allah, I love them, I love them so much.

I'm working a lot with the parents, subHan Allah it helps me keep the children on check. I need the parents support with everything, and I absolutely love it when they come in and sit with my class... it's like, yay, take a look at all that your child is learning.

I'm almost done with the centers. I should be getting a new computer in my classroom soon, that will be good I really want them to spend time on starfall.com, and to practice their skills on the Jump Start program. I already have my reading center done, I have the books separated by their levels so I should be assessing them this week on that, hopefully by Friday. I have the math center up, I have plastic money, lots of addition and subtraction cards...

oh! and the tickets are in the math center, you see, when the children are good they get tickets, and for every 10 tickets they get a lolly pop, 15 tickets a sparkly pencil, 25 tickets it's this ruler you can slap on your wrist and in sha' Allah i'll be adding more prizes soon, but for now that's good. When they reach that many tickets during snack and recess I have one child manage that center and become the cashier for the prizes, I love it.

I take their tickets away when they misbehave, subHan Allah it's so funny, I'll say something like, "Oh no, you talked give me a ticket." The child will say, "No." I'm shocked by the answer, and a little confused, "No? Give me the ticket." The child then says, "No." [Oh my Allah]... so, I explain, "Look, if you're good you get more tickets, I'm just taking only one right now, or would you like me to take two?" Then, the child says, "Okay, just one right." I nod my head, and I take the ticket. It's like the child is saying "mine" and the teacher is saying "mine" so, let's negotiate.

al-Hamdu liLlah for everything.

~

...and it's a good thing people can read! It's such a huge ni`mah to be able to do that, al-Hamdu liLlah.

May Allah preserve your eyes, amin.