Mrs. Bennett's Afternoon Kindergarten 2016-2017 (100 Second Staring Contest)

"Hello, I am Mrs. Olsen and I will be helping Mrs. Bennett in her classroom for a little while". I loved introducing myself to these kids.  I was amazed with her students and how they have a routine in their class that they all seem to really enjoy, which is classroom jobs that they are assigned. Mrs. Bennett would ask the students whose names were on the popsicle sticks what job they would like to have, or if having a certain job would be something they would want to do. Their eyes lit up when it came time to assign jobs and it was very hard not to notice. 

Mrs. Bennett really seems to care about her students, and wants them to succeed. She of course knows every student by name, but being this far into the school year why wouldn't she. She is very kind to each student, and knows how to make them laugh and keep them entertained. She has a good relationship with every student, shy and outgoing. She asks question on how they are, how something went in their lives like an event that they probably shared with her at one time or another. It was very cool to see how much thee kids wanted her opinion, and wanted to show her when they finished an assignment, or colored a picture. There can be those students that are a little more difficult to teach, or can even sit still for more than a few minutes. She has an admirable sense of humor and can just laugh off some of the things that are done or said and continue on. I did not have such luck because I found myself laughing several times throughout the day! What can I say, they are such a lively class! If I was back in Kindergarten again, I definitely would want to be in a class exactly like this!

Mrs. Bennett has a well constructed day set up for these Kindergartners, and there are tools that I would love to apply to my own classroom. The children each have a table designated by a color that corresponds to a rainbow squared carpet laying across the floor. They start of their day with their learning basics...What is the weather like? What is today? So then what did that make yesterday? and what does that make tomorrow? 

The children walked into the classroom that afternoon and they know exactly where to go once they get to school. They walk over and put their folders into a basket, they hang up their backpacks and coats, then they proceed to their tables to work on whatever assignment or project may be waiting for them. Mrs. Bennett is very organized and has a good relationship with her students. Their classroom feels like a team, they all work together to make a productive and fun day. There is never a dull moment with these kids, and there is always something that wants to be talked about, or needs to be shared. 
Mrs. Bennett is the aunt of my husband and I have shadowed and helped with her classroom in the past to understand if teaching was something I really wanted to do. Watching these kids develop has been such an amazing opportunity, and in the last week and doing final testing, they have dramatically grown as students.