And the Winner Is....

Our Award-Winning Students

I'm not going to lie...I was very proud when Parkview was selected as a Blue Ribbon school.

It's not that we need an outside agency to tell us that we've got an excellent academic program. I already knew that. I've been at Parkview since 2002, and over the years I've seen our program become better and better. Under the leadership of Dr. Mayes, we've advanced academically and  spiritually and become what Dr. Mayes likes to call a "healthy" school.

Yes, I've had to work harder than ever before. Having an outstanding academic programs means writing more detailed lesson plans, creating varied activities to reach all learners, and studying to remain current on the latest research in the field of education. So it's nice to receive the affirmations and accolades. ( But before I get too prideful, I have to remind myself that PBS would be nothing without God, so we can't really take the credit.)

I realize that most of my blogs this school year have been about the spiritual and social aspects of our curriculum---because at PBS we have the privilege of sharing spiritual things--or about our science activities, because those produce a lot of excitement. But we do have a great reading and math program. And last year, when our kindergarten kids thought they were just doing activities in the computer lab, they were actually providing the evidence needed to bring our school to Blue Ribbon status.

As they master phonics and word-analysis skills, sight words, and comprehension strategies, these T1 students are well on their way to becoming fluent, independent readers. They're learning to open up books and read stories for themselves. Right now we're working on "close reading," examining the text to see what it really says. Our little emerging readers may be surprised to learn that if they read closely, they'll discover that it's the cat (not the rabbit) who hops. They're learning to take advice from Mary Poppins, who says, "The cover is not the book, so open it up and take a look.'

The cover is not the book, so open it up and take a look...

for under the cover one discovers that the king may be a crook..

Chapter titles are like signs, and if you read between the lines, you'll find your first impression was mistook.

For a cover is nice, but a cover is not the book.

 And while I'm proud of our math and reading scores, I do have to share a few fun pictures from our science lab where something is always blowing up or going down.

We're learning that matter takes up space. 

Vinegar and baking soda produce a gas that blows up a balloon.

Watch the crayons dripping down.
Heat causes crayons, which are solids, to melt.

Apple juice changes from liquid to a yummy solid.
Here's someone who's savoring the tasty results of our investigation.

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

Last week Mrs. Pam Welch, a representative from the Daughters of 1812, came to the class to read a story about The Star Spangled Banner and to donate the book to the PBS library.

In 1814, Baltimore’s Fort McHenry endured a 25-hour long bombardment by the British navy. The morning after the siege, American soldiers hoisted an enormous American flag over the fort, and the sight inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics to our national anthem.

In some ways, patriotism is out of vogue these days. So why do we still recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, and why do we teach our children to stand for the National Anthem? Because, despite all our faults, America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We shouldn’t take that freedom for granted. There are still many countries where Christians are persecuted, women’s rights are restricted, and speaking against the government could result in imprisonment.

America is still a nation which believes in “liberty and justice for all.” We may at times fail to fully put that belief into practice, but that only means we need to work harder. When we show respect for our flag, we’re acknowledging that we affirm the principles of liberty and justice, and we strive to work together to make those ideals a reality.

Is America God’s “favorite” country? Absolutely not. In heaven, every tribe and every nation will worship Him. But we are privileged to live in a land where we enjoy so many freedoms. We need to pray that those freedoms will continue.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” I Timothy 2:1 ESV

Some of our PBS football players also paid us a visit.

Nothing Is Impossible

Big Buddies came to help us.

We're writing around the room.

We're practicing sight words.

We're learning to spell.

We're writing in our journals.

It's always fun when your big buddy is your sister.

Hmm...what do I like to do at school?

We're learning to listen. 

Red, green, and yellow apples...

We're measuring our apples.

Does it sink or float?

We're tasting our apples?

How do you like to eat your apples?

It was 3 o’clock, and bunch of squirmy T-1 kids, book sacks on their backs, sat (sort-of) criss-cross on the multi-colored rug.

I asked my standard, end-of-the day question.

“What was your favorite thing about today?”

One child raised her hand and said, “The spelling test.”

Well, that was a first. Usually the favorites include playground and centers time, or sometimes chapel and science lab. The Spelling Test has never come in first place. Not even close.

Three or four others chimed in, “Yeah, I liked the spelling test, too. Did you grade it yet, Mrs. Kemp?”

I hadn’t graded the tests yet, but when I did check them, every single student had passed. I think the students who cast their vote for Spelling Test knew they had aced the test. They were proud of their success. Maybe some had even struggled with spelling in the past and had discovered new-found confidence.

We’ve been working on having a can-do attitude. I’ve told the kids that I don’t want to hear, “I can’t,” or “I won’t” in regard to schoolwork.  I want to hear, “I’ll try,” or “I’ll do my best.”

The term for this attitude is “growth mindset.”  Some skills may take longer to master. Some students may have to work harder than others. But the goals are not beyond reach.

Last week’s Bible verse reminds us that God can help us with any job He’s called us to do. In the case of my little T-1 scholars, that would include passing the spelling test.

“For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Investigating God's World

We're using our sense if taste. It tastes good!

We don't like the bitter.

I prefer salty.

Investigating Magnetism

Like poles repel. We can use magnetism to push the car.

How many paperclips can the horseshoe magnet pick up?

How about the bar magnet?

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34

If you ask PBS early childhood students what they know about the Bible, they’ll tell you it’s “Absolutely, Positively True.”

That’s not just blind faith… God invites us to investigate and discover for ourselves that He is real, He is good, and He is in control.

The more I study the Bible, the more I realize that the truth and reliability of the Bible. Its theme is consistent: God created people with free will; His people rebelled against Him; He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin; He loves us and offers us forgiveness and new life in Jesus. Even the difficult passages (the minor prophets!) become clearer as we study them in their historical and cultural context.

God speaks to us through the Bible. As the students learn to read, they’ll be able to discover that, from cover to cover, it tells the story of God’s love for us.

God speaks to us through creation.

“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…” Romans 1:20

God’s world is a complex, intricate, orderly, and delicately balanced system. The class has been learning about using the five senses to explore. Last week they also experimented with magnets. As the kids explore God’s world, I hope they come away with an appreciation for the God who created it all.

And I hope they’re developing a relationship with Him, talking to Him in prayer, and listening to the still, small voice that speaks to their hearts. Even in their young lives, they can “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Inquiring Minds

Learning to Read: Putting Sounds Together to Make Words

Writing the Room: Finding Words All Around the Classroom

Listening to Stories

Using Our Sense of Sight in the STEAM Lab

Using our Sense of Touch

Using Our Sense of Hearing

Using Our Sense of Smell

Teamwork: Rolling the Dice and Adding One More

The Wiggly Tooth that Came Our During the Math Lesson

Ready for the Bible Lesson

True story...

I was shopping for shoes last Friday after school, and I noticed a little boy playing among the shoe boxes.

"I think I know you," he said.

"Where do you go to school?" I asked.

"I go to Parkview, " he said. "You taught kindergarten."

"Yes," I said. "And you look like a very good kid." (He'd been in another kindergarten class and is now in first grade. I was impressed by how patiently he waited while his mother shopped.)

"Well," he said, "no one is good all the time. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Yes," I agreed, "The Bible says all have sinned."

"But Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins," he said.

Then he thought for awhile.

"But you can be mostly good if you try," he added.

"You're right," I said. "God can help you do what's right."

Here was a kid with a great outlook on life.

This is why I teach at a Christian school. It's  a great privilege to be able to teach truths from the Bible...truths that will help children have a solid, healthy worldview. It's a privilege to teach children to read so that they can discover those truths for themselves. It's a privilege to teach them to investigate the world so that they can see how wonderfully all of nature works together and points to a Creator.

But wait, there's more...

As I was leaving the shoe department, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a tall, slender girl and her brother. Both had once been in my kindergarten class. Though they are both in middle school now, busy with all kinds of activities like dance and football, but not too busy to stop and give their former teacher a hug.

That another reason why I teach at Parkview: I have the opportunity to watch children grow into  kind, respectful, and Christ-honoring young men and women.