Something worth sharing....
Dear readers,
I must share this priceless joke: the day after the Super Bowl (Go Eagles!!!) when I arrived to school one of my students greeted me excitedly to tell me how loudly her grandmother was cheering and shouting for the Eagles. I told her that I was yelling and screaming at home as well. My student quite matter-of-factly said, "I didn't hear you".
Dropping the mic,
Dr. Collins
I have the pleasure of teaching the most adorable Kindergarten students on this planet. They melt my heart every single day. Their wrong shoe on the wrong foot wearing, "I'm is!" saying, is enough to melt anyone's heart. You should see these students! They work hard. They always aim to please and they never give up...because I won't let them! I have already convinced them that they are going to college. They are now in the midst of learning an inspirational poem that helps them to remember just how wonderful they are:
I am a smart, special, and valuable person
I respect myself and I respect others
My words and actions are kind and honest
I accept ONLY my best in all that I do
I am proud to be me!
I am so happy that I have a job where I am loved and and where I can love right back...unconditional love.
Loving my cuties,
Dr. Collins
Dear Parents, Friends, and students,
Tomorrow is picture day in my school. I will be making sure that the students are not wasting their parents' money by giving an evil grin, a grimace, or a fake cheese. Too many times I have seen the student portraits come back and I think to myself, did the photographer really see that this is how the picture came out? AND THEY STILL PRINTED IT AS THE FINAL POSE?? No! I am going to put an end to all of that tomorrow. It's Dr. Collins to the rescue. No money will be wasted tomorrow. My students have been practicing to look directly into the light....AND SMILE.
Have no fear,
Dr. Collins is here!
Have you ever wished you could see that one person again? That person who you just really cared about but you never ever got to see them anymore and you just don't know how to get a hold of them? Well that is what happened to me a few days ago. I saw one of my past students...possibly one of the most challenging students that EVERYONE ELSE had ever met, but to me, he was just as pliable as my other students. He got into my class and for one full year while in the third grade, he totally turned his life around. He was not reading on grade level; his behavior was atrocious, and he just didn't care about his work. And then there was Dr. Collins. Not to brag, but I was able to reach him. I distinctly remember one particular conversation we had: he had left his dollar bill in another class and was adamant to leave a reading lesson I was conducting with him (he was so low in reading skills that he was the only one in the group) to go and retrieve his dollar. I explained to him ... for he was a practical guy - that if he was able to read - which was what I was teaching him at the moment, then he would be able to go to college and to get a job that would pay him so much more than one dollar. My student fingered his chin for a few moments, mulling over the idea, then quite satisfactorily said, "Oh yeah!" And with that, we went one with our reading lesson, and he went on to make great strides in his reading as well as with his behavior. When I saw him a few days ago, (for he no longer attends my school), he said he was on the honor roll, had all A's and B's and was doing a great job with his behavior. Wow! Now I can rest.
My work there is done,
Dr. Collins
Dear Parents, Friends, Students, Eagles,
We have to be so careful about how we speak around young impressionable children. What they see, what they hear, is exactly what they do. There is no doubt about the saying, "children learn what they live". I hear my students using the same language that I teach them in the classroom in outside settings. So if we are going to be the people that children see, let us be good, upstanding, clean-mouthed adults who would be proud to have these eagle-eyed mini me's tagging along behind us; because they will open their mouths and reflect us. So, do we want to feel proud or do we want to feel ashamed?
Nuff said,
Dr. Collins
Dear Parents, students, and friends,
Teaching kindergarten students is like shaping and molding clay. At the very heart of me is the desire to empower young boys and girls to become exceptional members of society; to bury courage, integrity, and pride inside of them in such a way that it will grow daily and become the core of who they will be. It is a pliable task that requires much patience. But I was built for this. So what if they still call out...we are only ten days into our school year. I am living in hope and relocating to assurance - this bunch of students will become awesome adults!
Enjoying the playdough,
Dr. Collins
Dear Parents, Friends, and Students,
Today my students were practicing to color within the line. It is amazing how hard it can be for someone who has never held a pencil much less a crayon before, to color within the line. Even more awesome is to see how effective instructions can make a big difference when someone is learning to do something for the first time, as opposed to them winging it and fudging their way through. I am certain that my Kindergarten students will have this art down to a science by the time I'm done instructing them.
On that note, if you do not know how to do something, ask for help. Good instructions can help you to make huge strides rather than you trying to wing it and wasting precious time.
Enjoying the shading,
Dr. Collins
Dear Parents, Friends, and Sweeties,
As I passed out morning work at school one morning I heard a little voice respond, 'Thank you, Sweetie!' and all I could say in response was, 'You are welcome, Sweetheart!' while in a state of pleasant shock. Pleasant because it was a joy to hear someone so young saying thank you. I kept it moving and my kindergarten student went on with her work. And just like that, my student made my day. So, thank you, Sweetie! Have a terrific day.
Smiling way down on the inside,
Dr Collins
