Big Pumpkin

My first year of teaching was memorable to say the least.  I was split between two different schools and in two different grade levels.  I was part time at each school but it seriously felt like double time.  I credit that first year with learning how to juggle but I probably survived because I didn't know any better.  I distinctly remember October if that year.  I had over worked myself staying late every evening, working more when I got home and turning around and doing it all again the next day.  October came and I was beyond tired.  I questioned if I was capable of my ability to do this job on a daily basis and often felt inadequate.  I had a really amazing support system and one of them introduced me to the story Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman.  I LOVED the book but my kids loved it even more! The book and cassette tape saved my life (and sanity) that year.  For some reason, to this day I love that book because it reminds me of the hardships that first year brought and the countless lessons I learned along the way that have helped me better my instructional practices to best meet children's needs.

I shared the story with my kids today.  Sadly, the cassette tape died a death over the last couple of years.  After listening to the story, we continued to practice retelling the story with Unifix cubes.  I like using this story because it is very sequential. As we listened, children picked the cube that coordinated for something in the book.  It was interesting because there is a ghost and a mummy as well as a vampire and a bat and typically children want to choose white and black for obvious reasons.  My children picked other colors when necessary and based their decision on details in the book.  It is really interesting to hear their justification of their color choices.

Moving on from the Unifix cubes, we began using our retelling rope that we use at the end of the day to retell important events to also retell the story.  After we retold the story, I had used our rating scale to set the objective for the lesson and one little boy told me, "we need to rate our learning".  So we did!  

When I think of Big Pumpkin, I think of October and the growth during that first year as well as the growth since.  Nine years and ten classes later, it brings back amazing memories.  In the world of teaching, October is a magical month.  Typically, things just start clicking and the countless hours of prep, planning, and assessing seem to pay off.