Buddies
I LOVE teaching reading.
I LOVE teaching writing. I LOVE teaching math. I LOVE
teaching language arts. But the best part of my teaching comes when I get to
take a step back and let our Buddy program do some amazing teaching outside of
the academic curriculum. Our fifth graders and 1st graders buddy up
to develop a special kind of friendship.
In our weekly time together,
we have the students do activities that help them get to know each other, build
trust, and learn from each other. We
play games where taking turns, being patient and being a good sport is the
norm.
The fifth graders take
on the responsibility of being a caring friend—it is pretty awesome to see a
“cool” fifth grader helping a first grader tie their shoe! Our first graders get the extra attention
from a positive role model that they know in the building and will get to see
them every week.
I feel so much pride
when I see the older students playing a simple game of Top It and not think it
is too silly and give the eye-roll (you know what I’m talking about). I feel
validated that this is a wonderful program when walking down the hall, the
first graders get so excited when they see their buddy passing by. The fifth graders must feel like celebrities.
You can see the friendships starting to get nurtured so early in the school
year.
By having
buddies, we are fostering a climate in our school where we are building strong
relationships and becoming better citizens.
I LOVE the
Buddy Program!
I love the buddy programs!! Both grade levels love sharing who their buddy is. Plus, the 5th graders are always looking out for their 1st grade buddy - they ask how they are doing in P.E. or how their fitness testing is going - they want to make sure they are working hard! :)
ReplyDeleteAny program that fosters community building AND supports learning is a win-win for everyone. Very cool.
ReplyDelete