The Innocence

March is National Reading Month.  Our school does a great job coming up with themed activities; we have contests between grade levels with the amount of books read and we also do a scavenger hunt competition.  Additionally, on Tuesdays, everyone (including teachers!) wears a t-shirt with words and jeans. The words on the t-shirt are supposed to promote reading.  Seriously, my favorite day.  Any day somebody's TELLING me to wear jeans and a t-shirt is a good day.  And, to top it off, you can look spirited.

Now as you know, I teach Kindergardners.  As you may NOT know, they're not avid readers yet.  Many of them still sound it out by stretching the letter sounds.  For example: the word CAT would be read cuh-a-tuh.  CAT! The word DOG would be read duh-o-guh.  DOG!  The word ELEPHANT would be read, e-luh-e-puh-ha-a-un-tuh.  Eluhepuhha....um I forgot.

Typical t-shirt designs:
Words are ALWAYS on the boobs

I wore a Hope College Dance Marathon t-shirt this past Tuesday.  It said: Dance Marathon.  Giving Hope to Kids.  Now, some of these words are tough, and they require "sounding out."  Sidenote: when we (teachers/administrators) come up with days like this, we don't really think of the things that could happen.  And here's what I mean.  We don't take into account that when a child doesn't know a word, he sounds it out.  How does he do that?  Of course, by touching each letter and making the corresponding sound.  Yes, I said touching.  That's how they do it with their books.  And when they mess up, they start back over at the beginning of the word (remember how many tough words were on my shirt?). They don't see a difference between books and t-shirts. Can you guess where the words on my t-shirt were written?  Where most words are.  RIGHT across my boobs.  How many times did I get felt up by a Kindergardner that day?  I'd probably say close to 87.

Signed,
Miss V.