Deep Thoughts

I was having a pretty crappy morning, all things considered. Some matters at school were not sitting well with me and I felt uneasy, anxious, and resentful. Too bad, because when you’re a kindergarten teacher, no matter what’s going on in your personal life, the show must go on! And so I proceeded to teach and be there for my students and use my playful sing song-y voice and get down low to hear their stories and tie their shoes and get them bandaids and return their hugs and quiet down their cacophony of voices and more.

It was time for shared reading and I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have the poem written out in large, neat handwriting for the entire class to see. And so, as I sometimes do, I improvised. Luckily for me the poem I was using was a familiar one and something that I’ve been teaching for years. Eloise Greenfield’s Rope Rhyme is one of those pieces that electrifies the ears of young children. Its catchy rhythm, relatable subject matter, and energetic spirit make it the kind of poem that can lift your mood and seemingly take all your troubles away.

Instead of showing them the poem on this first go around, I had them listen to it. There’s a wonderful sound recording by Eloise Greenfield and Friends with Byron Morris. Whenever I play this for my students, they immediately get up and start jumping around with invisible jump ropes. It’s totally contagious and adorable, and today was no different. Fortunately for me, this was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’m grateful for the power of poetry and the delight of children as they helped me to, “…jump, right, out!” of my bad mood.