I Guess They Are Listening

Teaching kindergarten, I often wonder if my words are falling on deaf ears. I feel that I repeat the same phrases daily... so often in fact that I have considered investing in a recording device. I often wonder at the end of the day if they have gleaned anything from their seven hours they just spent in school. I still don't know the answer to that question in its entirety, but I do know they must at least sometimes listen.

At lunch today as I was eating with my students, one of my students (who often needs just a little extra time for mastery) was talking to a friend. This student pointed to the lunch special of rice and said to the friend emphatically,

"This is rice. Now, what is this???" A classic Mrs. Anderson phrase if ever there was one.

The friend promptly answered, "Rice."

The student finished, "Good job. It's rice."

I had to laugh. They may not be engaged in meaningful learning, but at least they are picking up on my mannerisms and sayings.