Oh, how much growth we’ve seen these first two weeks here at Harbor City School!  At the start of any new school year, it is crucial to spend a substantial amount of time establishing classroom norms and routines.  This is even more important for children who are entering school for the first time!  We call this element of what we teach the social curriculum.  Preschool children, many of whom are unaccustomed to the structure of school and large-group play, are learning all about how we work together as a classroom community.  This includes seemingly simple tasks of lining up to go outside or washing our hands before and after we eat.  It also includes the more broad tasks, like the classroom jobs I mentioned earlier this week.

The Harbor City Tugboats are doing a fantastic job mastering all of these new skills!  Each child has had a chance to practice at least one of our 4 classroom jobs, and we’ll introduce the Job Chart at Circle Time next week.  We’ve also been practicing greeting each other every morning at Circle Time, practicing saying, “Good Morning!” and saying each others’ names.  When we began working together just two weeks ago, walking in a line was challenging for friends who’ve never had to do so before.  Now, we quickly line up and file down the stairs (always holding the yellow rail!) When we venture out into the garden or the playground at the Bremen St. Park, one of our neighbors always comments on how disciplined and well-behaved the group is!  Although I’m always proud of the Tugboats, it is especially heart-warming to see their hard work rewarded by relative strangers in our community.  Transitions that once were chaotic and required specific directives and instructions are beginning to happen almost seamlessly.  Many children now automatically put their rest items in their Nap Cubbies or return their cups to the Drink Table without directions from a teacher.  I’d say they’re getting the hang of it!

Soon, you can expect to see more of the academic side of the curriculum.  While we have continued to provide enriching educational experiences and projects in the classroom, many of them have been vehicles for the more foundational social curriculum.  As the children continue to master the structure and routine of the classroom, we’ll be able to spend more sustained amounts of time on exploration and adventures.  We will be able to deepen and broaden the knowledge and experiences that each child brings with him or her into the classroom each day.  We’re looking forward to welcoming new friends, as well as Parent Teachers, into our classroom very soon!