Award Nomination (And A Bonus Update Offered As A Bribe)

Hey, this is kind of nifty. This blog has made the short list for Edublog's 2010 Best Teacher Blog Award. If it so behooves you to take a few extra clicks out of your day, I'd be flattered if you voted for Teacher Tom. You can get to the voting page by clicking this link right HERE. But make sure to come back. I have more things I want to tell you. I'll be waiting . . .

You're back! Thanks for the vote. I'm also excited to let you know that our good friends Donna and Sherry from Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning have made the short list for Best Group Blog. Please give them your love by voting HERE. But come back, okay? I have even more things to tell you . . .

Yay! I'm sure the entire continent of Australia is grateful to you. And now I'd love you to take another quick trip into the ballot booth on behalf of the talented and beautiful Deborah of Teach Preschool and Facebook fame, who has been short listed in the category Best Individual Tweeter. Vote for Teach Preschool HERE. And then come back, because I haven't stopped campaigning . . .

Okay, this is the last, and possibly best one of all. PreKinders has made the cut for Best Resource Sharing Blog. So one last time click HERE, and come back because I'm not finished with you yet.

So, now that you've done all that voting I want to tell you why. Preschool and preschool teachers kind of exist out here in a no-man's land, beloved by many for sure, but almost as often dismissed as "play school" or glorified child care, especially by those in power. This is not true in the self-contained little world here in my Seattle cooperative, but I know that my colleagues are out there fighting every day for the respect they have earned.

Juliet Robertson from I'm A Teacher, Get Me OUTSIDE Here! (a blog that should definitely have also been nominated) is responsible for getting us jazzed about these 7th annual Edublog awards, with the idea that those of us in early childhood education should have a place at the table. It sure would be nice if one or two of us could emerge on top. As far as I can tell no early years blog has ever won an Edublog award.

And for those of you who tuned in for more than just a bunch of blather about how us preschool teachers want you to love us (to really love us) I offer this update:

Still Getting The Kids To Do My Work For Me
A couple weeks ago I wrote about how the kids, unbeknownst to them, cleaned our dirty sensory table, over the course of several days.

In the end, however, there was still one more annoying task that needed to get done. I wanted the florist marbles (properly known as "dragon's tears" according to Alicia from A Magical Childhood) separated from the river rocks. So we set the tub in an overturned table with the simple statement: "Teacher Tom wants the jewels taken out."

Many hands do indeed make light work.