“Show Them What A Potato Is!”
Recently, my Kindergarten Team gave our yearly presentation to the incoming parents of next year's Kindergarten class. We could finally meet in person this time and not virtually as we have during the COVID-19 years. We were excited to see them face-to-face and have them see and hear all the good things their little guys would do in September.
I work in a relatively small district, but we have four Kindergarten classes, and the average size is between 18–20 students. At our presentation, there were only a handful of parents attending. Some parents came together for one child, and some parents came alone. Overall, the following year's group of 78–80 new students was represented by only 20 parents. That’s not many.
Now I understand we are all busy, and maybe it wasn’t a good night for most. Okay. We didn’t take names or ask questions. That’s not what this is about.
During our presentation, which was a 20-minute slideshow that we each took turns sharing, I think I may have scared them when it was my turn to talk! You see, I’ve been doing this for a really long time and, I love what I do. I know my craft. I know my charges. And I know my audience.
My part was the last slide to let the parents know what they can do to help prepare their child for this new adventure. #1 READ TO YOUR CHILD! I reminded them of the benefits of reading together and how great it is. #2 HELP THEM MANAGE THEIR LUNCHES! These little guys need some help opening their lunch boxes and eating within a certain amount of time. A harsh reality, but better if they’ve had practice.
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And then, #3…KEEP THEM OFF HAND-HELD TECHNOLOGY! Yikes, heads snapped up, and I got some serious side-eye! What is this crazy lady saying? YES! LIMIT THE TIME YOUR CHILD IS SPENDING ON YOUR DAMN PHONE! (Well, I didn’t put it like that, I left out the ‘no-no’ word!)
You see, kids are spending way too much time focusing on a small screen and not the world around them. We see it in our primary kids. We see it in adolescents, but I’m not talking to those parents right now. Research is everywhere about how it can harm developing brains over-exposed to all those pixels. Plus, and this is a big one for us, it’s limiting their fine motor and vocabulary skills. These are great kindergarten skills that are hard to introduce when they have been delayed by over-exposure to a small screen.
So, being that we are meeting these parents of next year’s students face to face, I took the opportunity to hammer the point home. “Have them color while you’re waiting at a restaurant. Talk about the things you see while driving in the car.” And then this… “At the grocery store, show them what a potato is!”
My team standing behind me just about lost it! But, being worldly Kindergarten teachers, they’ve mastered the art of keeping a straight face! “Show them what a potato is,” we all laughed together afterward, “I thought I was going to lose it! What made you say that?”
I really don’t know, I was in the moment.
I don’t know if my point hit its target. I don’t know if it made any sense! I hope it did. We will soon find out because we can tell when a student is read to and when a parent spends time with them. And, we can tell if a child is spending too much time looking at a screen instead of the world around them.
So yes, show them what a potato is! And maybe a turnip too! And while you’re at it, draw one, color it any color you’d like, and tell a story about it!
