Robert Fulghum “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”

Robert Fulghum’s poem:  “The original edition of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten became an instant classic, dominating the New York Times Bestseller List for all of 1989 and much of 1990. This collection of essays was the second longest #1 bestseller in 23 years. The essays reflect the truth in everyday form—in the shoe repairman who leaves cookies in the shoes he can’t fix, in the homely Indian who becomes beautiful when he dances, in the small deaf boy who wants to rake Fulghum’s leaves. Fulghum writes with wit and wisdom about small lives with big meanings. As described in the San Francisco Chronicle, Fulghum’s stories about ordinary life ‘remind us that within simplicity lies the sublime.”  (http://robertfulghum.com/index.php/fulghumweb/books/) Fulghum web site.

As a kindergarten teacher, this simplicity of the world has changed with the dawning of the 21st Century. The children come homes where generally speaking: if they have both parents in the home, both work out side the home. Children experience immobility, poverty, lack of parental support, hunger, low self-esteem, poor relationships, lack of prior knowledge and preparation for kindergarten, loneliness, boredom, sometimes homelessness, just to name a few.

My updated “All I Learned for the 21st Century I Learned in Kindergarten” poem is based on personal experience from being a teacher working directly with 4, 5, and 6 year old children since 1990. These children have an important job as our future leaders. The early childhood years can give them a solid foundation that  includes: the relationships made, their attitudes toward school, a beginning to academic success, a belief in self,  the person they can become and about the contribution they can make to others and society .

Mr. Fulghum, sorry to say we don’t take naps in kindergarten any more, we are too busy learning the letters and sounds, counting and recognize numbers up to 100. Even my children who don’t speak English at home  learn to read and write sentences.   We do have cookies but I usually try to serve snacks with less sugar in them like crackers  because most of my children are hungry and need the afternoon energy pick-e-up.  We also don’t have time to play other than outside for recess, which is a pity, we have a core curriculum that includes: reading, math, writing, social studies, science to learn.  Things have changed in kindergarten Mr. Fulghum,  but so has the world.

All I Needed to Know for the 21st Century, I Learned In Kindergarten

By Peg Chauncey  Cramer M.A.

Friends come in all colors

Treat others the way you want to be treated

Notice when someone is in need and help them

Respect and accept others

Read every day, enjoy the pictures, and contribute your ideas

Take responsibility for your actions, apologize, and forgive

Have fun and play outside

Money is to be earned, spent, shared, and saved

Wait patiently

Don’t give up, practice, and try again

Do your best, take pride in your work, finish the task

Think, wonder, dream, believe, and care

Organize your stuff

Work together, share and cooperate

Brush your teeth, wash your hands, and eat healthy foods

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Apples are not just for eating, a mouse is a helpful thing,

and a keyboard can give us the

world at our fingertips

Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergartners

Play with letters, words, and sounds! Having fun with language helps your child learn to crack the code of reading. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child..

Talk to your child

Ask your child to talk about his day at school. Encourage him to explain something they did, or a game he played during recess.

Use your child’s name

Point out the link between letters and sounds. Say, “John, the word jump begins with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And they both begin with the same letter, J.”

Trace and say letters

Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter’s sound. Do this on paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar.

Write it down

Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing. Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage her to use the letters and sounds she’s learning about in school.

Play sound games

Practice blending sounds into words. Ask “Can you guess what this word is? m – o – p.” Hold each sound longer than normal.

Read it again and again

Go ahead and read your child’s favorite book for the 100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book.

Talk about letters and sounds

Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a game! “I’m thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm.”

Reading for Meaning with Your Child

Reading with comprehension means understanding what’s been read. It takes practice, time, and patience to develop reading comprehension skills. Families can play an important role in helping a child learn to read for understanding.

First, make sure your child is reading books appropriate for their reading level. If a book is too hard, all your child’s energy will be put into decoding and reading word for word, with less energy available to figure out what the book means. Books that your child can read with 98-100% accuracy are good choices for comprehension building.

Reading comprehension skills can be developed using a before-during-after approach. Below are a few suggestions that will help build comprehension skills.

Before

Your goal is to help your child build an understanding of and purpose for what they’re about to read. Look at the book’s cover. Ask, “What do you think this book might be about? Why? Can you make some predictions?” Guide your child through the pages, discuss the pictures, and brainstorm what might happen in the story. Talk about any personal experiences your child may have that relate to the story.

During

Your goal is to help your child be an active reader. Read together and talk about what’s happening as they’re reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Talk about any surprising or sad passages, and help them visualize parts of the story. Ask your child, “Do you understand what’s happening here? What do you think will happen next?” If your child seems unsure, stop, go back and reread if necessary. Discuss any confusing parts.

After

Your goal is to help your child reflect on what they’ve read. Summarize and share your favorite part of the book. Have your child rate the book on a scale from 1 to 10 and say why. Have your child reread their favorite part or act it out.

Take the extra time before and during reading to read with your child this way. You’ll soon find yourself reading with a child who is motivated to comprehend and learn from everything they read.

Robert Fulghum “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”

Robert Fulghum’s poem:  “The original edition of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten became an instant classic, dominating the New York Times Bestseller List for all of 1989 and much of 1990. This collection of essays was the second longest #1 bestseller in 23 years. The essays reflect the truth in everyday form—in the shoe repairman who leaves cookies in the shoes he can’t fix, in the homely Indian who becomes beautiful when he dances, in the small deaf boy who wants to rake Fulghum’s leaves. Fulghum writes with wit and wisdom about small lives with big meanings. As described in the San Francisco Chronicle, Fulghum’s stories about ordinary life ‘remind us that within simplicity lies the sublime.”  (http://robertfulghum.com/index.php/fulghumweb/books/) Fulghum web site.

As a kindergarten teacher, this simplicity of the world has changed with the dawning of the 21st Century. The children come homes where generally speaking: if they have both parents in the home, both work out side the home. Children experience immobility, poverty, lack of parental support, hunger, low self-esteem, poor relationships, lack of prior knowledge and preparation for kindergarten, loneliness, boredom, sometimes homelessness, just to name a few.

My updated “All I Learned for the 21st Century I Learned in Kindergarten” poem is based on personal experience from being a teacher working directly with 4, 5, and 6 year old children since 1990. These children have an important job as our future leaders. The early childhood years can give them a solid foundation that  includes: the relationships made, their attitudes toward school, a beginning to academic success, a belief in self,  the person they can become and about the contribution they can make to others and society .

Mr. Fulghum, sorry to say we don’t take naps in kindergarten any more, we are too busy learning the letters and sounds, counting and recognize numbers up to 100. Even my children who don’t speak English at home  learn to read and write sentences.   We do have cookies but I usually try to serve snacks with less sugar in them like crackers  because most of my children are hungry and need the afternoon energy pick-e-up.  We also don’t have time to play other than outside for recess, which is a pity, we have a core curriculum that includes: reading, math, writing, social studies, science to learn.  Things have changed in kindergarten Mr. Fulghum,  but so has the world.

All I Needed to Know for the 21st Century, I Learned In Kindergarten   By Peg Chauncey  Cramer M.A.

Friends come in all colors

Treat others the way you want to be treated

Notice when someone is in need and help them

Respect and accept others

Read every day, enjoy the pictures, and contribute your ideas

Take responsibility for your actions, apologize, and forgive

Have fun and play outside

Money is to be earned, spent, shared, and saved

Wait patiently

Don’t give up, practice, and try again

Do your best, take pride in your work, finish the task

Think, wonder, dream, believe, and care

Organize your stuff

Work together, share and cooperate

Brush your teeth, wash your hands, and eat healthy foods

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Apples are not just for eating, a mouse is a helpful thing, and a keyboard can give us the world at our fingertips