back to 1st grade

So last Thursday was my first day teaching the Junior Achievement program to 1st graders. Not having much experience with 1st graders other than when I was one much longer ago than I care to recollect and when I tutored them in college I turned to my nephew Levi who is in 1st grade.

Levi states he is really NOT a phone guy so telling him his Aunt Kayla needed advice was the secret to getting him on the phone. The lesson plan was a bit convoluted so I wanted his feedback on what he thought would work. The 1st lesson was about families how they are different and how they work together.

I asked Levi how I should introduce myself and if I should tell them a bit about his background - he told me that they weren't going to be very interested in a long introduction and didn't care for much detail on my life. I also found out cool pencils and animal stickers are a great reward and I didn't need to bring in treats as they bring their own lunch to school. This part I wasn't sure of cause I did remember I enjoyed treats myself but figured he knew best.

He also told me the students would want to talk about themselves and I should make sure to call on different students each time. Levi also reminded me they like to help out and to have them help me pass out the various items. I asked him who was in his family and he told me his mom, dad, Oscar (the family dog) and his little brother so that was a good reminder that kids view their pets as part of the family though this is something I still agree with.

Well Levi's good advice and suggestions paid off. The students weren't particularly interested in a long bio of me and they all wanted to participate. The stickers and pencils were a huge hit though I heard a few of them eagerly offering to trade with their neighbors as I had handed out a wide variety. Most were eager to share and some were so excited when I called on them they went blank and realized they had nothing to say after all.

All in all I thought it went well - much better than Sam's experience though I had 1st grade in Issaquah and he had the Alternative High School in White Center so that could explain it. Personally I wanted to volunteer with younger children for whom an adult guest teacher is a treat and put myself in a situation where I couldn't mess it up too badly if I had stickers to hand out at the end.

Thanks to Levi for reminding me what matters to a first grader and that it was about them and not me. The lesson for tomorrow is about needs and wants which should prove interesting and might be a good reminder for me as well. I do know that teaching wasn't ever the career path for me and this served as a good reminder. Definitely respect those who can control a class of 1st graders by just asking them to freeze!