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Dear Parents, August 2008

I am looking forward to spending the school year with you and your child. I am sure the children are as ready and eager as I am. Who could ask for more? This is my 14th year teaching in Dover. I am very excited to be working with you and your child.

To help you understand how I work with the children and to give us common terms to use with the children, I thought I would tell you a bit about myself and the way I run a classroom. I hope that this background helps you understand your child's account of the day. Basically, I am trying to mold kind, safe, conscientious, problem-solving students. Over time the children learn to become independent and secure in who they are. That is my goal.

My 3 classroom rules are:

1. Always try your best

2. Be a good friend and talk respectfully to each other

3. Treat all the classroom materials and other's materials with respect (carefully)

I truly love and enjoy teaching kindergarten. I have as much fun as the children. I have very high expectations of my students. When they do their work, I expect that it will be careful work, not quick, and that they will put in their "best" effort. For coloring, I expect the children to use at least three colors, include background (is it day or night- sun or moon, is it inside or outside - grass or floor) and to add details. (This means that eventually their people will stop floating in space and that they might also have clothes on rather than having none). I remind the children of this all year long and usually by January they are including all of these details on their own.

I also expect the children to follow the classroom rules and accept consequences responsibly. I am consistent and follow through when children forget the proper behavior. I remind them of the expected behavior and tell them that I know they can achieve it and that I hope to see it. (My expectations are based on quality work, safety and respect).

If I have spoken to a child about inappropriate behavior and I notice the behavior again, I call the child to me, (away from the group) ask the child why he/she thinks I have called him/her over, and explain to the child again why his/her behavior was unacceptable. I then ask what could be done next, that is appropriate. Sometimes this is all I have to do to alter behavior. Other times I need to remove the child from the dangerous or disturbing location. I may tell the child to choose a new area (or toy) to play in/with where he/she thinks he/she can play safely. On occasion, I will need to have a child sit in an open, safe place to calm down and regain self-control. We call this the “calm down” spot. The child is asked to return when he/she feels control has been achieved.

To teach the children these social skills, I model how to talk to each other during a conflict. “Instead of saying 'Stop it' to _____, you need to explain to____ what it is you need/want to be changed. For example you could say, ‘I was playing with that toy; please don't grab it away from me. When I am done you may use it.'“ After the first few months of guidance, if I see two children having a conflict, I expect them to try to work out the problem on their own first. If they have attempted to solve their dispute on their own and have not been able to resolve it, then I encourage them to seek out an adult to mediate and help solve the problem.

I find that this modeling, discussions we have during Open Circle meetings, and conversations about books we have read, help the children positively gain the skills they need to work with each other. I believe in teamwork and making everyone feel safe and accepted. I explain to the children that everyone makes mistakes. It’s okay. It's how we learn. We need to understand that everyone is different. We all have something we are great at and we all have something we need to work on and to improve. That's what makes us special. We need to teach and help each other.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you have any questions or need to speak to me, please call me at Chickering before 8:10 am. If it is not urgent, you can talk to me after school, via email, or just drop me a note with the best time to reach you and I will get back to you.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Mrs. Amy Cohn

cohna@doversherborn.org