The Institution has 6 rooms in each shift.

On morning shift there is: a room for 3 years, a multi-room for 3 and 4, two rooms for 4 years and two rooms for 5 years.

In the afternoon shift there are: three rooms for 4 years and three rooms for 5 years.

The No. 41 Kindergarten's pedagogical proposal aims to address the social divisions, individualism and lack of responsibility currently observed in their community. They recognize that many families face economic difficulties and a sense of rootlessness, which contributes to stress and conflict. Additionally, they are concerned about the overuse of technology to meet children's emotional needs, rather than genuine human connection.

In response, the kindergarten proposes to use education as a means to foster a more civic-minded, respectful and solidary citizenry. Their approach emphasizes attending to the affective, physical, mental and emotional development of children from an early age. Furthermore, they aim to cultivate critical thinking skills, enabling children to distinguish between information, opinion and assumption, and to actively participate in improving social coexistence.

This was my first time in a kindergarten from the teaching position, so I must say I was very nervous. As happens with all new things that have to be transmitted to families in the school, it is done in front of everyone and with a microphone, so I had to present myself in front of everyone with a microphone.

The day went well, and the children were curious about my presence. The teachers introduced me to the class and explained that I would be taking notes and observing the children.

I found it challenging to maintain my focus on observing throughout the day, as the children wanted to interact and engage with me, making it tempting to join in their activities.

What aspects of the lesson could be successful?

I was surprised by the attention that the children paid to the different songs that the teachers used as strategies to establish order and maintain silence. Children pay a lot of attention to songs, so I think it is an excellent resource to take into account for my future planning.

The day continued with this common thread: They did art based on the flag colors, and then I was invited to participate in the rehearsal of the choreographing of the flag song that they would be performing on Event Day.

. What do you find useful in this lesson that will help you plan the next one?

I found it useful to observe the organization of the day, and how the teachers managed the group. Of course, they have worked as teachers for many years, but witnessing their group management and how they achieved their objectives for the day was very insightful. I could see the scaffolding strategies in action in a real classroom.

I'm still in the observational stage but this is of great help in making my lesson plans.

This experience helped me to get to know my future students better. I learned who likes to play with others and who prefers not to, and I could observe their interactions with other children. I'm also happy to share that the children already see me as a teacher, so they call me "seño," which makes me happy.

During the three hours, I helped the teachers and the children with all kinds of tasks. Whether it was filling bubbles makers or tying shoelaces, I think that this instance connects us with the children and is a vital stage so that in practice we already have a closer relationship with the students.

This stage also allowed me to experience the strategies and organization of a class through participation. Unlike the observation stage, here I was already participating in the activities, games, and other situations that occurred in the classroom.

Choose a moment that was important to you during the class. Describe it and say why it was important.

During class, there are particular situations with children who have difficulty relating to others or who get frustrated easily, which leads to behaviors that may be violent towards other children or situations such as crying and hiding under the table. This allowed me to see how teachers solve these situations, and what the action is because this is something that occurs in any kindergarten classroom and it is important to learn how to handle them.

The teacher was alone that day, so I was a great help. Every classroom in the kindergarten is run by pedagogical pairs, there are usually two teachers in the classroom, and the absence of one is always felt. This was an excellent opportunity for me to observe and assist in how the teacher managed a group of 15 children.

Today's extra activity was physical education, so I participated in the choreography practice for an upcoming school event.

First, we had a visit from a dentist, who showed us a video about dental care. She taught the children that if they can't avoid eating sweets, they should always keep their mouths clean by brushing and flossing. She also gave each child a toothbrush.

After the presentation, the class continued with normal activities, including stages of creation and play. Then, they went out to the playground. While they played, I was in charge of cutting the fruit that we would later use for the final activity.

Finally, we prepared a chocolate waterfall for a chocolate party! Everyone enjoyed that delicious treat, and of course, the directors and other teachers from the kindergarten joined in.

The teacher asked me to start with the theme of dental care, which she had been working on. However, by the time I was set to teach, they had already completed that theme, so I had to change my lesson plan at her request. This was clarified later, but it contributed to the changes in my lessons over time.

Now, about the class, I will answer these questions:

How did the students react to your teaching, the activities, and the materials? How did they respond to the lesson?

It was our first time in English class, but we already knew each other from the assistantship, and the students were enthusiastic. They responded well to the "Hello" song and watched a short video about dental care. During this class, I received a lot of help from the teachers in charge, especially with the materials. I had prepared my own resources, but the teachers provided additional materials that were very helpful.

What aspects of the lesson require change / improvement?

I believe the management of time needs improvement. I need to pay attention to which activities the children enjoy most and allocate more time to those. I should also identify activities that could be completed more quickly to allow for adjustments. Additionally, since this was my first time as a teacher, I was surprised by my group management.

For this class, I changed the materials from the original lesson. I prepared a story about four animal friends and brought homemade colored dough for the children to work with and create one of the animals from the story.

What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective? Why/why not?

When I told the story, I probably used too much Spanish. Although I collected my own resources, I should have utilized the materials provided by Ceci. This approach was effective for telling the story, but it did not help the children learn English; they only remembered the names of the animals rather than the phrases. However, I believe the scaffolding strategies I used were effective in helping them understand what they were supposed to do with the colored dough.

How did the students react to your teaching, the activities, and the materials? How did they respond to the lesson?

The children were engaged with the story, attempted to repeat the animal names, and were happy to work with the materials I brought. Overall, I would say they enjoyed the class.

Describe this lesson in terms of a metaphor:

"A Treasure Hunt for Friendship"

The activity involved forming two groups, and each group had to find the four animals from the story that I had previously hidden around the classroom. The lesson on Friends Day was like embarking on a treasure hunt, where the treasure was the joy of friendship. I carefully hid two pairs of animals—two rabbits, two turtles, two mice, and two butterflies—each representing a different aspect of companionship. As the children entered, their excitement was palpable, like explorers setting out on an adventure.

However, the thrill of discovery turned out to be quicker than I anticipated. Just as treasure hunters might stumble upon their prize sooner than expected, the children found the hidden animals in no time, leading to a shorter lesson than I had planned.

In this "marvelous adventure called friendship," we learned that sometimes the journey can be just as important as the destination. While the game may have ended quickly, the laughter and joy echoed in the classroom, reminding us all that friendship is a treasure worth celebrating, no matter how brief the adventure.

What aspects of the lesson require change/improvement?

I think I could have added another activity because this lesson was shorter than planned. My lessons are typically designed to be 30 minutes, but this one only took around 20 minutes. The children were eager to go to the playground, so once they found the animals, they wanted to head outside quickly.

This was a challenging aspect of my lessons because they take place at the beginning of the day, and some children spend the entire day in their houses. Garten time is their opportunity to play, run, and be outside. Teachers usually do a short activity at the beginning and then let the children go to the playground, as it's part of their routine. Since my lessons are always at the start of the day, the children are often more anxious to go outside. It was sometimes difficult for me to manage the group because of this.

This time, I faced another problem with my phone and couldn’t film the lesson. I realized this at the end of the class when I went to check my phone.

What do you find useful in this lesson that will help you plan the next one?

This class was full of valuable lessons. As I mentioned, this class had to focus on dental care again, so we began by recalling the first class. We started with the Hello song and then discussed dental care to reinforce the related vocabulary. I also scaffolded the game rules.

On this occasion, I made some changes to the original lesson, which was supposed to use colored cups; instead, I used colored paper bags. I also altered the game from forming a line to sitting in a circle on the floor. I made this change because I realized from my experience playing with them that they would be less likely to respect the rules while standing, so sitting would create a quieter environment.

The game involved color toothbrush flashcards, where the objective was to identify the color of the toothbrush on the flashcard and place it in the corresponding colored bag. The scaffolding was successful because every child paid attention to my instructions and respectfully answered my questions. I recognized that effective scaffolding and the appropriate use of resources are essential for a successful class.

Choose a moment that was important for the students during the lesson. Describe it and say why it was important.

During the game, each child was able to participate, and they felt proud of themselves for answering correctly. I noticed they enjoyed the game, and it provided a calm and entertaining experience for them. They even wanted to play again, so I repeated the game, and their engagement was evident.

On this day, we worked with the colors of the rainbow. After watching a video with a song, we conducted an experiment that involved using primary colors, mixing them with our hands, and then trying to create a rainbow on white paper.

What aspects of the lesson require change/improvement?

Some kids didn't want to get their hands dirty or mix the colors. They would have preferred to blend the colors themselves on a piece of paper. This made me realize the importance of "hands-on tasks." Overall, the class went well.

What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective? Why / why not?

When I presented the materials, including flashcards of a rainbow and various weather elements, I forgot to establish the rules for handling the materials. I didn’t set clear expectations, so when I finished my explanation, the teacher pointed out that I needed to improve this aspect. The children didn’t respect the explanation time; they touched all the materials and talked over me.

What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?

One successful activity we did was a game that involved dividing the classroom with a line on the floor, using either a rope or colored ribbon. Each student stood in the middle of the rope, with flashcards or images of weather elements placed on each side. I would call out a type of weather, and they had to jump to the corresponding side.

I believe this game was successful because it involved movement, which is particularly beneficial at the beginning of the class when students tend to be more restless.

An important moment during the class was witnessing the children’s engagement with the story of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I observed their excitement as they listened attentively and began to understand the words in English. This moment was significant because it highlighted their ability to process the language and connect with the narrative, showing me the impact of storytelling on their learning experience. Their enthusiasm reaffirmed the importance of using engaging materials to facilitate language acquisition.

What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the next one?

I found that the most useful aspect of this lesson was how it helped me understand the children's preferences better. In this case, I used paper and scissors to create the animals from the story, and the students were engaged. This showed me that they enjoy cutting and pasting activities. Additionally, the story was successful because it features colorful animals and maintains a common thread, which I can continue to use in future lessons.

An insightful moment from the lesson was when we played "Simon Says" using the animals from the "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" story. As Friedrich Froebel said, "Play is the highest phase of human development." This quote perfectly encapsulates the joy and engagement I observed during our activities.

In this final class, the students also created drawings for me as a farewell gift, which added a personal touch to our time together. We then shared a snack, making the experience both fun and memorable. This blend of play, creativity, and community reinforced the importance of enjoyment in learning.

Choose a moment that was important for you during the lesson. Describe it and say why it was important.

An important moment during the lesson was when a girl told me that her favorite class was the dental care lesson, where we learned about toothbrushes. I was surprised to hear that she remembered that first class, especially since I had felt it was a bit of a disaster at the time. It made me incredibly happy to realize that the experience had a lasting impact on her.

At the end of the class, the students all hugged me together, and it felt truly magical. This moment reminded me of the connections we build in the classroom and the joy of seeing students appreciate their learning experiences.