K-2's dance party was first. I thought the gym was going to explode with joy and giggles. The music was loud, the kids were pink-faced and sweaty. One little girl ran up to me and said, "Dance Mrs. Peele, dance!" I told her I didn't know how and she said, "Well, all you have to do is jump around!" So I proceeded to jump, and lead a conga line, and shake my hips among 3-foot tall 5, 6, and 7-year-olds. The only kids not dancing were the kids lined up to get water, huffing and puffing and catching their breath on the sidelines. It.Was.Awesome.
3-5's dance party was next. I went back to my office to get some work done and decided I'd drop by toward the end of the celebration. Then I got a message that our AP needed my help in the gym. I rushed towards the gym with all kinds of crazy images flashing through my head of kids getting injured while dancing. But I walked in the gym and it was nothing. Truly - nothing. There were maybe 4 kids dancing a little here and there, and the rest of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders hugged the walls. I was being beckoned for help in getting these kids moving! I, too, felt a shyness come over me... I know... Me and shy is like an oxymoron. But the mood in the gym was TOTALLY different than what it had been for the earlier dance party.
It got me thinking about the difference between students in grades K-2 and students in grades 3-5. The younger students in the school are almost always willing to try. They usually do not lack confidence, but are more in need of direction and guidance in all they pursue. These students have a strong sense of self-efficacy, believing in themselves and their abilities. It is in grades 3-5 that students begin to falter in their self confidence. Rather than needing facilitation and guidance, these students begin to doubt themselves and thirst for someone to believe in them. While all teachers must, well, teach, we must handle students of different ages in different ways. Younger kids will often jump, or dance at the chance to try something new, while older kids are a little more hesitant and need the, "Hey, you can do this" nudge.
As for me and my dancing? Well, I finally found my motivation after witnessing a 5th grader literally take everyone's breath away with her Michael Jackson impression. But it wasn't just her - There was also a 3rd grader who, the entire time, stood in his own little area and danced like no one else was in the gym. And I told myself, you may be in heels, surrounded by about 100 kids, and you may not have put your dancing skills to the test in awhile, but, "Hey, you can do this." So I did - And I only stopped once I was pink-faced and needed a drink of water.
Don't Forget!
-January 24th-February 4th: DIBELS MOY Benchmark Assessments
-January 28th: Career Day
-February 2nd - 4th: Moore Elementary Science Fair (for 5th graders)
-February 2nd - 4th: Moore Elementary Science Fair (for 5th graders)
