EXCELLENCE, Inequity, Poverty + Benevolence, Organization & Rainbows

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR SCHOOL VISIT

Welcome to excellence! 

If you've ever wondered what excellence looks like at the elementary school level, you are in for a treat. I have at least a glimpse to elevate your Wednesday to the WONDERFUL level! In the process I bet you'll be inspired and delighted at the same time. Without a doubt, you will see excellence-in-action!

I go to a lot of schools over the course of the year. I get to see a HUGE variety of settings in my travels. Here's a gen-u-ine truth. 

All schools are NOT created equal. 

It pains me to say that. There are bus-loads of children being dropped off to buildings that are from a by-gone era. There are children walking in the doors of buildings that have had to cut their budgets down to bare bones. There are students spending their school lives in less than optimal settings.  

What does school look like on the 155th day?

My author-illustrator visits are often underwritten by the hard work of a PTA/PTO. It is usually through parents working together that there is sufficient fund raising effort taking place to ensure that extra "frills" are still available for enrichment. [Don't get me started about ART being a frill that must be sacrificed during these economic times. That's a different rant altogether.]

What if a school doesn't even have a parent's organization? What happens to field trips and assemblies when families can no longer "pay-to-play" on behalf of their children? What becomes of those once in a lifetime memories that stretch the boundaries of the classroom? What happens when the majority of the building falls into gen-u-ine, documented poverty status? 

How is it that some schools are taking 5, 6 or even more field trips a year and others can offer ZERO? My heart aches for those kids. The ones who never have a field trip. No pumpkin patch, no zoo, no museum, no theater, no symphony, no ballet. The ones who never get an assembly. No exploding science experiments from the guy with the crazy hair. No life-size marionettes visiting in the gym. No African drum ensemble after recess. 

What about those kids? There are so many great divides left in this amazing country of ours. The ache for "those kids" and "that school" is real. What opportunities are cut off, because dreams were never lit early on? When does someone organize a sit-in for that school? When does someone lead the demonstration that points out the obvious? Schools are different from neighborhood to neighborhood. Opportunities too. 

I don't know exactly how we got to this point. I'm not pretending to be bright enough to know what to do about it, either. BUT, I can still make a difference! Little ol' me. It is my personal mission to offer my own visits to the marginalized, whenever I can. As our time in Florida this season trickled away, I realized that it was time to contribute my energy. Cheryl of the ubber-popular blog, "Primary Graffiti" was willing to reach out to her principal for permission and then do all of the heavy lifting of getting an entire building organized. All I had to do was drive there and do-my-thing.

Here are the smiling faces that greeted me on her classroom door.  

I have to say that Cheryl's principal deserves some extra cheers. 

In my efforts to offer my "gift-of-benevolence" visit, 

I had two different building principals turn me down just this spring. 

Same thing happened last year: different state, same rationale. 

All have thought that any 'distraction' in the midst of testing 

would throw a monkey-wrench into the critical rigor of this high stakes evaluation-time. 

That's yet another rant.

Let's just be grateful that Cheryl's principal was delighted at the offer 

and knew that singing, dancing and interaction with a 'real' author would be beneficial -- even in the spring time!

I know that my readers like to look over my shoulder and see how other classrooms are organized. 

This earlier article continues to climb my Top-10 list.  

Though my time for taking photos was at an all-time low, 

I entered Cheryl's room with an eagerness to share what an organized room can look like. 

She probably has at least 185 ideas in her own room! 

Here are just a few of her classroom vignettes, 

captured while doing my utmost NOT to disturb her teaching time. 

Ready? Set...... GO! 

{Egg on face: I just realized that in attempting to give Cheryl 'credit' on the photos below, I have spelled the word Graffiti wrong repeatedly. Please forgive me.}

Take a look at the shelves immediately opposite the classroom door's entrance.

What a 'calming' sense washes over me,

when I walk into a classroom that has DESIGN at the forefront! 

Organization award for REALZ!

There's a place for everything...... 

and everything's in its place. 

We may have been separated at birth. 

When I taught Art, I had bins for my parquetry blocks per table, too! 

Now walk around the rest of the perimeter of her room. 

There is excellence and classroom organization pouring out of every corner!

She will have to tell you where her various bins and buckets came from. 

You need to go to her blog on a regular basis anyhow! 

The woman has a HUGE heart for children and knows how to set the bar, 

so that they can achieve their best....

even BEYOND predictions! 

Which just goes to show you that there are incredible teachers doing amazing work, 

in schools that are sitting in the midst of economic blight. 

There is always a possibility of excellence. 

No matter the 'location.'

Personal excellence has long been possible. 

Think of the movies you've seen where the teacher triumphs on behalf of the kids.

This team provides just such an environment! 

I had the opportunity to meet other educators in the building and they too were happy to welcome me. How I wish I had time to visit in other classrooms. True to a Floridian school design, every classroom opens onto a courtyard, and alas, there are no central hallways filled with art to capture and share. 

Here are the first grade preparations for Mother's Day. 

Integrating science, seeds, delayed gratification and flowers!

Cheryl wanted to see the "Wobble Seat" that we distribute in person.

So I brought an example of the 14" Kids Seat to take a test drive. 

We both felt that the white option might NOT be the best for heavy duty 

classroom usage over the course of time: wink-wink. 

But the driver of the wobble had a great time!

I am always amazed to see how soon the extreme wobbling settles into quiet rocking. 

This time was no different. 

We are now processing purchase orders. 

You ALWAYS get free shipping when you order a dozen. 

My hubby can figure out an exact quote, with specific shipping if you give him a call. 

Here's the tag for ALL of my earlier mentions of WobbleSeats 

and especially how you can write a Donors Choose project! 

Here are the two of us BEFORE all of the fun in the library gets underway. 

Those of you that have visited here before, 

KNOW my adoration for color. 

To be greeted by hand painted rainbows, on a raining day, 

really did make my heart go pitter-patter!

LUV LUV LUV LUV LUV LUV LUV LUV

Here we are..... all gathered together in the library. 

I enlisted NUMEROUS teachers to help.

They hold my books and turn pages, 

while I teach the sign language to support the song's lyrics/book text.  

Cheryl wore her official "PHOTOGRAPHER" hat well!

I don't have a photo of the two of us in action together. 

One of my favorite parts of every presentation, 

is when we compare my fabric quilts 

to the finished book's illustrations. 

The kids literally GASP when we compare the two --

and I never get tired of that!

This is my favorite quilt from my first picture book, 

"You're Wonderful." 

I integrate 'crossing-the-midline' in all choreography, whenever possible. 

I have written earlier about wiring the brain through movement in previous articles. 

Here's a favorite from the archives.

My three picture books are over at TeachersPayTeachers. 

Or get them DIRECTLY from my website! 

I rushed 213 miles directly BACK to our front door, 

since it was Tuesday, 

that meant Twitter Chat with my #TeacherFriends. 

How cool to see Cheryl's tweet arise in real time in my notifications

while we were busy chatting! 

She's right! That image will remain a FAVORITE for ages to come! 

Those kiddos are freezing their funny faces, fantastically, 

as part of the second verse in my crowd pleasing, 

"Jumpin' Jiminy." 

Two of my three books will be used repeatedly as teachers prepare to wind up their year with a performance for Mother's day or graduation. 

I have the songs in Mp3 format, available for digital download. 

Would you be willing to pin from this article? 

That's how people discover me! 

I would be so grateful for your social network share of choice!