Hi everyone! My name is Carmen Jacobsen and I am very excited to have been invited to be part of a group of people who are interested in sharing their creative thoughts on education through the REEP blog!
I feel like I started my teaching career backwards. I started out working with professional adult doctors and bankers who wanted to learn English As A Second Language (ESL) paying my way through Medical School. After several twists and turns in my life, I stayed with teaching, so here I am years later.
I am currently a Pre K teacher, but I have also taught creative writing to all elementary basic level students through the after school and summer programs with Writers in the Schools-WITS and  Hua Xia Chinese School on the weekends.
Teaching is an adventure and Pre K has been an exciting part of my learning process. This is where and how everything starts in the child’s school life. I have the opportunity to see a very important transition in their life from being dependent to independent. I have the opportunity to see the beginning strokes of writing and the excitement and wonder that comes with relating print to reading. Then again, Pre K has taught me some things about life too.
- It is O.K. to be goofy and make others laugh.
- I am mad and I do not even know why.
- Don’t sweat the big stuff, I can’t change it anyway.
- I know my cow touched the rainbow and it took its colors.
- O.K., but he did it too…
- You’re not the boss of me!
- I was here first.
- I can’t do this!!
- He is in my spot!
- She cut me! (while students are waiting in line)
- They give an opinion, when they are not asked.
- They all have something to say and can’t wait.
- Listening is hard to do.
- They love to create small groups that at times choose to exclude a peer.
- Puppy love is real
It taught me that life doesn’t really change much 30 years later.
(Disclaimer: any similarities to adult life circumstances are purely coincidental.)
Welcome to the REEP Blog, Carmen! What a great article about lessons you learned….thank you for sharing with us
Thanks Erika!
Carmen, I googled about the Writers In The Schools Program and it sounds like a very interesting initiative. Please share more about it in your future posts if you can or write about your creative writing best practices for elementary school kids. Look forward to reading your new articles.
Thanks Candelario!
I love Writers in The Schools and have been with them for almost six years now. I will definitely keep that in mind.
I am passionate about the work I do with them and will definitely share some of my favorite creative writing lessons.
Carmen does amazing work with Writers in the Schools (WITS) and we are proud to know her. Please contact WITS any time for more information about our various school and community projects.
Thanks Long!
To show some of their work I would like to share this link. I had the chance to work in one of their Summer Creative Writing programs and loved it.
http://offcite.org/2011/08/31/writers-in-the-schools-summer-creative-writing-camp-mixtape
Loved this. Kids have it right, don’t they? Simple, direct, emotional. We’re always learning something from them…the challenge is to actively apply it to our lives! More, please.
Thanks Weezie!
Kids are teachers, if we are only ready to listen. That can be hard in a busy world like ours. I just try to keep reminding myself about it.
I loved the aricle too. Keep up the good work and can’t wait to read more in the future
Thanks Yasmin!
I am glad you liked it.
Great Article!! Children at PreK are at an age that they are ready and willing to learn.
And once they get what they need to do, many of them do it on their own. Thanks Jackie!
Carmen, Very interesting article. The things these young children say are so real and typical of this age group and even older. It seems as if we can learn so much from them.
I know and they can have a sense of humor. They make me laugh at some of the things they say or do. Thanks Jean!
I hope the children hold on to their sense of wonder and their desire to express their unique perspectives through their writing.
When I observe typical teens today, what has changed over the past 30 years is a significant deterioration of not just their quality of writing, but also of their quality of reflection and contemplation. This is not surprising since writing and thinking are inextricably linked. There are likely multiple reasons for this, but one conspicuous suspect is the meteoric rise of social media which promotes superficiality and fragmentation in cogitation.
Welcome to the REEP blog Carmen!
It is so true, How is it possible that we have allowed the social media to control so much of how we are and who we are.
I had a friend a long time ago who was raised with no social media. Her father was a Mexican painter and her mother a British writer. She was surrounded by books and spent her time reading, painting and writing. Her sister became a sculpurist. Teenagers nowadays seem to suffer from boredom, and are constantly looking for entertainment which seems filled by a lot of the social media. How can we bring back reflection and contemplation into their lives? Is the fragmentation in cogitation irreparable? Perhaps not for all. Thanks Han!
Loved your article Carmen! I think their innocence and sense of humor is what keeps me coming back to the classroom every single day!
I can totally relate to what you are saying. These children have a unique outlook on life, a sense of wonder that we should all safeguard as well. Thanks Laura!
So funny! So true! Makes me reflect on so many of my own experiences and helps me look foward to many more! Can’t wait to read more… keep’em coming!!!
Thanks Jenny!
Interesting article! It makes me think sometimes how children get to the point without hesitation will all their sincere feelings.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kirsten! They just tell it like it is.
Great article!!!!! children are like little sponges, and take the best every time they can!!!!
Thanks Monica! They really are. It is fascinating to see the steps we all once had to go through to grow up and have the chance to see that process in the children all over again.
I love the article!,Can’t wait to read more
Thanks Carolina!