Bashful, the Kindergarten Dwarf

That's me, Bashful, in the peach pants!

Every year I ask my second graders to write an autobiography of their lives.  One of the first things they have to do is write about their earliest memories.  Try as I might, I cannot seem to remember much before Kindergarten.  My mom tells me stories and I love to see pictures of myself as a girl.  One thing I know for sure, I was a very shy child.  Mom tells me that when I started preschool I didn't speak!  The teachers would ask Mom if I talked at home.  Mom would chuckle and explain that once I got in the car after preschool I hardly stopped chatting!  I remember in Kindergarten when we did "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."  My teacher asked the class to choose who would be each character.  When she got to the question, "And, who should be our Bashful?" the classroom errupted into shouts of, "Jennifer!"  I remember feeling really good about that.  I remember making the paper bag vest you see me modeling in the posted picture.  I remember doing my best to be a fine actress!  Perhaps because of my positive experience doing a play in kindergarten, I have chosen to do plays with my second graders each year.  I would never let the students decide on the roles their classmates should play, though.  I think the teacher needs to make those decisions.  So, each year I work hard to make sure every child has a speaking part and that sometimes the kids that are not the best readers get some of the biggest parts.  This can do wonders to boost a child's esteem and drive to learn.  So, are you wondering when Bashful came out of her shell?  I'm not sure I truly ever did.  I still would describe myself as bashful at times.  But, there are certain things that helped me crawl out of the shell to some degree.  My second grade teacher, Mrs. Brueske!  She was the best teacher I ever had.  She set a goal for me at fall conferences that each day I needed to raise my hand JUST ONCE.  I remember what a struggle that was for me at first.  I remember wanting to please my teacher so much that I would do it.  I knew she believed in me and would be nice if I said the wrong thing when I raised my hand.  I knew my teacher loved me.  I strive to be a teacher like that!  Another thing that helped me get over some of my shyness was my involvement in music.  Music has a way of moving through me and giving me freedom to express myself in no other way.