Is Your Heart in Your Room?

I was at the city dump, landfill, tornado disaster site I mean my classroom today. I started thinking.

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Did you know that young children have not developed inner speech to govern their behavior yet? This means there is no little voice in their head that might be saying I should not hit my friend because I'll have to sit in time out or If I wipe my boogers on Ms. Price's rug, she will move my clip. This means they cannot think of the consequences for what they are about to do. Have you ever told your kiddos If you talk as we walk down the hall, you will owe me time on the playground. You then have the children repeat what will happen if they do. You take a few steps and someone starts talking. There was no voice inside this child's head governing their behavior and making a connection to what they do and what the consequences will be. Becky Bailey says that setting up a list of behaviors and the consequences that will happen if they don't behave that way often doesn't help because young children think in pictures. I'll talk more about this in another post. Becky Bailey talks about this on one of her Conscious Discipline cd's and I always have a WOW, light bulb moment when I hear it.

Okay, the squirrel is gone and I am back on track. =)

I started thinking about all of the hours teachers put in getting their room ready. I know a lot of what we do makes us happy and creates a more positive and inviting learning environment. But I seriously doubt one of my Firsties is going to say, "Ms. Price, I love how you covered those drawers with that pretty paper." I am also pretty sure that cutesifying  all of my clip boards will not cause my kiddos to be more engaged and able to learn better.

We spend so much time in our classrooms....it really is our second home. But then I think about what I have at the top of my blog Before you reach their heads, you have to touch their hearts.

I can come up with creative activities and be an awesome teacher but not make any effort to smile at my children or hug them or encourage and praise them. Will they learn? Probably. Will I reach all of my children? Probably not.

I have always told each child in my room that when they walk into my room they walk into my heart...I have also told them I will hunt them down and have a Come to Jesus talk with them if I need too! =)

Last year I looked up during a lesson to see a young man standing at my door. Right away I knew who he was. He was in my very first class....aka my guinea pigs that I should have stapled a note to apologizing for whatever I did...or better yet did not do to help them be ready for 2nd grade.

He was finishing up his junior year and wanted to tell me about an assignment he had for his English class. He had to write about 2 teachers: his favorite and his worst. He said that he had to go all of the way back to 1st grade and me to think about his worst teacher.

Ha....only joking. I was his favorite teacher. =)

He said he knew he was a TOOT, a HUGE STINKER, and BAD to the BONE. He also said that no matter what he did he knew I loved him, forgave him and still expected the best from him.

He probably could not have told me what the room looked like or even if he knew what his favorite lesson was. He remembered the way I loved him.

As you get your room ready and mark the crafts off your to-do list, think about what you want to do to touch the hearts of your children. Also, remember that Because of You a difference can be made.

I'll be back soon to share about what I am doing with these. =)

Hop over to visit Erica at Sprinkles to Kindergarten. She is having a great giveaway and you have a chance to win some items from my TpT store and much more. She also has a fabulous blog and is as sweet as can be.

I would love for you to take a few minutes to leave me a heart note. Each one is such an encouraging blessing to me.

From My Heart to Yours,