100 Days Sharper...I Mean Smarter

Close your eyes and picture this in your head for a moment.

Okay, don't close your eyes, but read on and pretend you did, okay?

~100 five year olds, wearing grey wigs, suspenders, bushy eyebrows and shawls. Inflatable walkers, miniature canes, reading glasses and house coats.~

This was our day in Kindergarten on the 100th day of school last week. If you can actually believe it, our school district hit 100 days of school! WAHOO!!! Counting to 100 is a Kindergarten-based standard, so what better way to celebrate the growth of that skill than by dressing up as 100 year-old grandmas and grandpas?

The 100th Day of School is always a day of celebration, where we acknowledge the milestones we've made in the school year. Specifically, we hone in on our counting abilities, participating in activities, crafts, games and projects that count to 100. Outside of those math skills, we also celebrate how much we've grown over the past 100 days in other subject areas.

I love thinking back upon the first day of school and thinking how far my students come when we hit day 100. As any Kindergarten teacher will share, the first day of school is like a wild, chaotic jungle, full of animals trying to navigate the foreign world around them. We, the teachers, represent the zoo keepers, and we spend our days taming and training the cute creatures, while also providing food, shelter and other basic needs. While this analogy is utterly ridiculous and makes me laugh even as I write it, I appreciate it's accurate representation of what our first days of Kindergarten are like each year.

Nevertheless, we went into the 100th Day of School full of excitement, anticipation and a strong sense of pride! As we counted up to 100 days in Number Corner, we cheered for our ability to reach those high numbers and officially hit triple digits! We strung 100 beads onto string for necklaces, each bead representing a day of learning, growth and perseverance. I gave my students 100 day pencils to showcase how much "sharper" they'd become since day one of school. Our grade level paraded around the building with aching backs and wrinkly faces, and we acknowledged that learning and going to school can be hard, but it is so worth it. These were but a few of the many activities we did on this special day, and they meant the world to my kiddos.

So what now, right?

100 days down, 80 more to go!

The 101st day of school hit us HARD, filled with tired eyes, lazy bodies and a sense of contentment. We found time to think back upon the exciting day we had, and we took time to have fun with our learning. We also took time to just sit, relax and enjoy ourselves after working so hard for 100 days.

I'm so proud of my young learners and the progress they've made this year. I'm proud of how much I've pushed them in their learning, but I'm even more proud of their resilience and willingness to keep going when it's been a challenge. The standard for academic achievement is incredibly high nowadays, and I know my little ones only have so much endurance and stamina before they hit a wall. Just as I shared in last week's blog post, Any and All Success, we celebrate all our successes, no matter the size or impact. Getting to the 100th day of school is a big success in my book, and worth all the acknowledgement and praise.

In these next 80 days of school, I hope to see even more growth and excitement in our classroom. I hope to hit new milestones and make bigger goals in our learning. I hope I continue to find ways to make the hard parts of school, the fun parts of school. Between now and the last day of school, there's so much potential for these students, so much opportunity. The world is their oyster, right?

No matter how many days you've had in school with your own learners, how many days you've worked a new job, gotten through a leadership role or simply tried something new and stuck it out, I encourage you to celebrate that success and be proud of the work you took to get to this point. You're stronger than you were the day before and you're smarter and more experienced than you were when you started. So what if you've gained a few gray hairs since then, or maybe your back is starting to ache more often? If my Kindergarteners made it through all 100 days of school without touching their Life Alert buttons, what do you think you can do?

Sharing Perspective. Encouraging Perseverance.

~Kendall