Down, across, down once more ...

Charlotte Braddock - kindergarten teacher:

Recently at our school, we were asked to think about our Catholic identity, and how we could build this up even more. While reflecting on this vast goal, I was reminded of a particularly amusing, yet profoundly amazing, story dealing with one of my five year old students. This young student was having some difficulty forming her numbers. Despite my efforts to describe the process of writing a four using a catchy phrase, her numbers continued to appear quite odd during our whole group instruction.

One day I went to After School Care to work with her one-on-one on these peculiar looking fours. I sat down beside her and began describing the process by saying, “Down, across, down once more, that’s the way to make a four.” Only to be puzzled once again by her interpretation of my instructions. However, I did not give up. I slowed the process down even more saying, “Down, across.” At this point, the light bulb went off inside my head! Her Catholic identity was shining through her writing. She was drawing a line down and then turning it into a CROSS!