The Last Day! Last Day! Today is the last day of the academic year for Chicago Public Schools. Yeah! As mentioned in an earlier entry, it is that tricky time of year when introspection has begun. Did I do enough? What can be done better? What was accomplished? Sometimes, we need fellow collaborators to participate in this. My friend Martha Zepeda had questions regarding the academic growth of her students. Since Martha has taught first grade, she knows what a child needs to bring to the table in order to get off to a good start in September. Her sounding board is her teacher aide, who is by every consideration a teacher in her own right. (Get that piece of paper Ruthie) Martha compared this years to last years. Last years kids were right on target academically because they came with better preparation for school. This years students were more needy as a group and lacked social skills. A lot of this year was spent on building the children's character, independence, learning how to work together, along with the academics. Martha was building the necessary foundation for her student's to succeed not only in school but more importantly in life. On the day of the Kindergarten closing ceremony, parents knew their children grew that year. That day and report pickup day, parents showed with smiles and tears of appreciation that learning did take place this year. They knew Martha came everyday to work school for her students. Martha with the help of Ruth, gave each child a beautfiul portfolio of their work and written messages from their classmates. Photos from throughout the year adorned the cover and inside each child's the portfolio. There was the evidence of their growth. I guess the best evidence is the way the children carried themselves by the end of the year. I end this academic year with this small snapshot in the life of a Kindergarten in the barrio. Martha says we may have a book somewhere here. :)
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