Obamania

So the question my first graders asked on Valentine's Day was, "Can we have another fun party tomorrow?" As we were not having a party, we were clearly having an "activity", I said, "Please say activity and put the cupcake papers in the trashcan." To their laughter. Parties are not academic, I don't really like them, and I really was in an activity based in writing, with some sticky, annoying side snacks. Studying and writing about Love Bugs as poetry pieces is serious business for me.

Oh , no, not that question....that's not what pulled me to write once more about real life in my first grade classroom. Gabby asked, "Why don't we get a day off for Women Pezidents, too?" I thought this was interesting as she recalled we were going to actually be off for President's birthdays and had something she wanted to know about it. With frosting on her face.

In point of fact I think we really should get a day off for women "Pezidents", maybe to mourn not having had one. It would be perhaps a way to honor the women who have to face that fact everyday on their way to busy lives. Or explain it to their classrooms. Or report it to their classrooms. Or it could be celebratory, kind of like the White House taking credit for victories that haven't happened yet. But it can happen, I say every year to the girls.
I keep hoping in my lifetime, but in the lifetime of these children would be very neat.

So I began thinking too about Black History Month.

I promised a post a night this month on Black history, failing to realize I get sick a lot, lose posts at an increasing, alarming rate, and lose focus regularly. But I'm back "on point."

In the classroom my work on Black History has been a little better, as I pulled together ways to work with 1st graders that fit into the proscribed curriculum. Sadly that mandated material did not address this month celebration, but as I have done with Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, the anniversary of 911, Katrina, dates of statehood, on birthdays of figures that matter such as our Presidents, I've had a brief time in the morning as we put up the calendar days where we hear about "This Day in History." But sometimes I could tie actual doing and classwork to a concept arising from national themes.

This month in differing ways, such as introducing "the blues" and "jazz" with examples to hear and songs to learn, I have tried to tie Black History pieces into our room. We have read of Dr. King, studied Africa and it's location, looked at batik prints, enjoyed food from different cultures and reached out to expand our horizons. Even enjoyed learning a number of new authors including Faith Ringgold. Here is a great teacher site on her work.

Next week we will be quilting. Animal quilt pieces to go with our assigned theme in reading in the Houghton Mifflin series. Amazing Animals. This theme so prominent on my Focus Wall (unlike Black History) which is a required and time consuming decorative wall element holding all the literature unit proscribed pieces. (Changed every three stories requiring three hours of my work.) In doing this quilting project I'm pulling in Ringgold books and looking at her quilts and at story quilts as through this quilt we can tell a story about the animal world. If I were more ambitious I'd have it be a different quilt for every group table structured around animal environments/biomes. They may need to wait until next year for this. I'm harboring a new pneumonia. I'm developing this one piece at a time, and with our current pacing this would be too much.

On Valentine's Day I read to my class a lovely book version about Harriet Tubman, by Jacob Lawrence. (Nice plan here incidentally.)
This lesson took over the recess break actually, after their reading a small support reader in the new History/Social Studies materials needed a follow up. That small text was entitled "Harriet Tubman" but it raised more questions than it answered for them and was something you couldn't walk away from, they just had too many questions.
Slowly with young children you are bringing pieces of the patchwork that is America, her history, interpretations before their eyes. But young children hear in very ego-centric ways. So lessons need to be thoughtful and considerate. It's a bit much to introduce slavery and the Underground Railroad and something called "the north" in a 16 page small support reader with 15 words on a page. So I went to art and sang a song of freedom.

It seemed relevant to discuss Presidents too, this Valentine's Day. We have been anticipating being off a couple days and the First graders have been talking about leadership, the idea of Presidents and America. I'm not sure they really grasp that skin is different colors (and the wisdom in that is inescapable) , that we elect Presidents, that we live between two oceans, that Mexico is a different though connected country (to this Ramona said to peers in a recess argument, "Yes, it is a state my Dad drove us there."). I'm not sure I want to introduce this construct of women presidents and whether we have had them or not. Whether we can have them or not, whether we will have them or not. And I'm really not sure what to say about their race and Presidents either. And I'm not sure whether or not to address who has held the leadership role of our nation in those terms, but several children made interesting comments which I always try to record. These comments were made in times where we were transitioning or I was listening to lunch talking, or early morning talk.

"If my Daddy was the President then he would probably get us a car to go to the capitals in and he would see people out of the window. But he doesn't like the traffic."

You can see going off track is a 1st grade specialty, so after quite a few follow-ups on cars and driving...

"If my Dad was President he would give food for all."

Or, "When my Dad was President we had to live in a white house. It was so pretty."

As you maybe can see, or perhaps missed, from this the notion "Dad and President" seems to be there in my little Sheltered Immersion First Graders. Firmly. Was that coincidence, how could I know? I did ask if I could be President and they laughed holding onto their sides. Asking if Dr. Puglisi could be President several seemed to think he already was.

I had to think about that, several students at age 6 thought my husband who comes over in his suit to sing and play guitar with them is the President. They know he is a Superintendent who has a guitar and likes to sing "the baby blues " so maybe he is the one. You kind of have to laugh. Or I did, as we went through art school together and some of the confessions of Presidential candidates strike me on first thought. As I think of this husband in a white house. Almost delightful, "What about the girlfriend with the purple hair, Sir?" But back to point. They knew about Dad's and Presidents.

One very interesting part of our President talk was it allowed me to talk about voting, something we still have not mastered. We vote on something everyday. What holds up my first grade is an age old voting issue actually, deciding and casting two votes over "just the one". We can't get that down. One person, one vote. I've finally given over to them that maybe not this year will raising a hand just once work. It cannot at present work as they vote for everything over and over. Two different things vote for both, or re-vote if a friend asks them. Secret ballot is also out as they love to reveal instantly to all around them the content of the vote. And write two choices. And can be talked into vote changes. This leaves coming up to whisper in my ear which is time consuming and I think how I caught this nasty flu. And walking to one side of the room or another as fast as you can in a frenzy which I call, "Show us with your feet". Vote with your feet works for us. So far aside from the very strange look of it, this sorting like through a strainer as a system seems to get me answers to two possibility choice issues. In a three party race I'm not sure. How they picture in their minds America voting for President is comical.Several described it. They see a map with little people on it running to one side or the other. I know, they told me so. And for now, I have to accept this. And now I kind of see it too.


After discussing voting for a President states came up, this presented another iffy proposition to try and wade through. To the question how many states are there, they do always get 5o. But to this question I hold my breath, "And who has been to the state of Los Angeles?" I say. It's almost always a full class hand raise. So I did steer clear of the Electoral College, as I wanted to bring out my big Presidential posters and take a look at our Presidents.

On looking at the paintings in little ovals and having a good listen as we sounded out their names, Gabby found one in a puffier shirt and commented , "Nice Clothes." And this rather turned the session once more in another direction as they had lots of clothing comments. In teaching Presidents I find it almost insane that I found myself teaching that clothing changes through time. But eventually I could talk about "the suit", a thing that interests them a great deal. And how a suit does not a President make, a point to be made about my husband's visits to the room.

We talked just a little about Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, two Bush Presidents and the many years that we have seen in America under the leadership of these men. And one child asked rather hesitantly why they were all so old so I pointed out that I am old and teaching with something called "experience". Khalel pointed out this means I have lots of books and nice things, which is not Leadership precisely but does define at least some small part of who I am now. And being silly ex-Presidents do found outstanding libraries. But I waited thinking about how to talk about elections. One child beat me to it...."My dad says a guy named Bambam is running and he's going to be the first black man to live in a white house."

So then.

It was really nice this year to say that there have been other black candidates for President, and women too, that we are in the National process of trying to decide who will be able to lead in the future. I had just recently watched Obama in jeans sans suit with his wife sitting discussing his run for office. I've been asking my friends, associates and acquaintances what they think about this candidate. I feel very hopeful most answer. But of course in teaching, answers are value neutral. I can note to the children only that again we see candidates that reflect America's diversity which is her strength.

My students seemed to consider that much like little birds stop, tilt a head, listen and then resume their workings.

I, on my personal level was listening to Barack Obama's declaration for candidacy speech. Here's a quote from the end:

As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."

That is our purpose here today.

That's why I'm in this race.

Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.

I want to win that next battle - for justice and opportunity.

I want to win that next battle - for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all.

I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.

And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.

But the full text is very good to introduce the candidate.
Somehow here in Black History Month 2007 , this a link that for me is very eye opening.

I want to think about schools, poor children, hopes, dreams, potentials, and national leadership. And it's heartening to find his face as one of those on the horizon of choices. Makes teaching Black History, or any history a bit less, well, unspeakable.