My folks are in town and we were talking about my 5 year old niece's (private) junior kindergarten, which she adores. My parents were telling me that at her school, the teacher organizes and disciplines the class by turning the lights off and on, and when the lights go off, all the kids stop what they are doing, are silent and raise their hands in the air. I've volunteered with young kids and I know that they make cat herding seem smooth, but the flickering of the lights just gave me the oog. No real reason, but it just struck me odd and creeped me out.
One of my teachers early on flicked the lights off and on (quickly) to get our attention. I think it was to avoid yelling. It wasn't scary, because it was daylight, so there was still light in the room, from the windows, and it was quick. She didn't sentence us to darkness or anything. It was off-on-off-on, as quick as that. I've never been scared when bartenders did it, either. *g*
My kindergarten teacher, who was possibly the loveliest person ever to have gone into teaching used to play three notes on the piano we had in our room, and we knew that meant to be quiet.
At assemblies at Ben and Julia's school, the teachers and parent-helpers will clap like: Clap Clap Clapclapclap.
I think it's great that he actually practices what he preaches -- he neither yells at people nor just lets them get away with shit.
And he seems genuinely curious about understanding where people are coming from Whether it's an act or not, I don't know, but I like it.
In related news, you know how dismayed Jon Stewart always is with CNN? I'm getting to be that way about the NY Times. There was an article in the science section today about, I shit you not, doughnuts, and how unhealthy they are. People! Doughnuts being bad for you is not news! It's not even entertaining filler!
I see from news other than CNN that my state is planning to overhaul Medicaid. The overhaul is projected to remove about 24,000 children from Medicaid. Lovely.
The NYT needs more articles about how beer is good for you.
Apparently it's an attention-getting technique that works across the board, and is an easy cue for even small persons to stop talking and get ready for a change of activity.
It makes sense, seems very efficient and her teachers seem very caring. It just gave me a creepy vibe. My issues, for sure.
I hesistate to even say this, but I got the oog too...and went immediately to an NPR story about the Holocaust I heard last week.
Can't even bring myself to share the details but, yeah, creepy vibe.
Are you from Missouri, Gud? MO isn't planning to overhaul Medicaid, they're planning to eliminate it.
xnera loads of job~ma and calm~ma for you.
From what I understand they are planning to eliminate the current system in 2008, but replace it with something else.
My kindergarten teacher, who was possibly the loveliest person ever to have gone into teaching used to play three notes on the piano we had in our room, and we knew that meant to be quiet.
My kindergarden teacher did that too. It was a little song: Middle C, E, G, E, C, C-chord. The words went, "Put away your toys. Now."
I would play that "song" on our piano at home. I was intrigued that it sounded different (not just in pitch) if you started on a different white key (I didn't realize that I was playing major and minor versions of it).
