Allison's+journal

2/27/09 I have been working with "Alicia" a lot this week. Alicia is a kindergarten student who has a lack of self-confidence. I feel that this has a large effect on her classroom performance. She is afraid to participate in front of a large group and won't take risks. During the daily writer's workshop activity, students are encouraged to "publish" their completed books and share them in front of the class. Alicia has never shared a book in front of the class. She hasn't had the opportunity to feel the success that comes along with this accomplishment. Last week, I was conferencing with Alicia on her book. She was struggling with it and did not want to finish the book. I came to realize that the reason she didn't want to finish it was because she knew she would have to get up in front of the class to do so. With much encouragement, I guided Alicia through the completion of her book. Then, I agreed to sit with her in front of the class so that she could share her. When she was done, I made a huge deal about it and about how proud she should be of herself. I think that she felt really good about herself although she is still reluctant to do it again. (One step at a time!)

3/10/09 Alicia has continued to progress and has shown a small increase in participation in class. Every morning, students can sign up to share "news" with the class. She has never done this because of her fear of getting up in front of the class. She came over to me in the morning and said "its my brother's birthday." I said "why don't you share that news with the class?" She immediately said no. I used the classroom motivation (adding marbles to a jar to earn a reward) to entice her. I told her that we could add marbles to the jar and the whole clas would be excited. After a while, I managed to convince her. We went outside in the hallway where we practiced what she would say to take a way a little of her anxiety. She practiced several times (very seriously) and we also rehearsed some potential questions that her classmates might asked. In the end, Alicia shared her news, the class cheered when she added the marbles to the jar, and it wasn't so bad after all! (Now, if I can only get her to do it again!)

3/17/09 I have continued to work with Alicia. It is obvious that she is becoming more confident in her abilities. She has shared two more pieces of writing with the class. Not only is she becoming more confident, but she's becoming a better writer too. She was talking to me about a christening that she was going to over the weekend. She was very excited to wear a pretty party dress and to dance with her family. I told her that I couldn't wait to hear about it on Monday and that she should share it with the class. On Monday, she didn't want to share her news, but her teacher didn't give her a choice. She was called up to share her news. She did a great job and I think she felt good about it afterwards.

3/24 Yesterday during writer's workshop, Alicia was actually rushing through her book because she wanted to share it with the class! I am amazed at this transformation. She didn't finish it in time. Today, she came up to me and asked if we have writer's workshop. She couldn't wait to finish it and share it. A few weeks ago, it was like torture for Alicia to be up in front of the class and now she looks forward to it. I asked her why she likes to share her work with the class now. She said "Because now I know the words. And if I don't know, you'll help me." As I reflect, my next step is to get Alicia to realize that she doesn't need my help. She is capable of doing things on her own and succeeding. I think that Alicia's recent success is a combination of the extra support I have been giving her in addition to her growing self confidence. Now that her academics are improving as well, I hope that Alicia will become even more confident in herself and realize that she doesn't need my help.

3/31 Alicia is starting to be more and more independent. When writer's workshop started today, I asked her if she needed help. She said "No, I can do it by myself." I was very happy with her response because she usually will not attempt writing without me by her side. She is much more confident in her abilities. She is producing quality work on her own.

4/7 I had a parent-teacher conference with Alicia's parents this week. I was so excited to hear that Alicia's parents are noticing a big change too. They are seeing evidence of increased self-perception, self-confidence and pride in her work. They agree that Alicia is more willing to take risks in her reading and writing. She is talking about school more at home and tells her parents about her excitement of sharing her work with her class.