The Rug - Week of 19 - 23 October 2009

In America (and other countries, I'm pretty certain), it is quite common to call the students to the rug or carpet, to do Calendar Math, Show and Tell, read a story, or whatever. Valerie and I begged every day for a rug and we finally got one--not a cheap Walmart-variety rug, but a really nice, large, heavy, soft rug. There isn't room in the classroom to keep it out, so I have to take it out and put it back every time I use it.

Not wearing your shoes on a rug, and wearing your shoes everywhere else, is a BIG DEAL here. I am starting to understand--outside is so filthy dirty, what with the construction, this being a new city (dirt and sand everywhere!), this being a city (pollution) and with people spitting everywhere! No one cares where they spit. So your shoes end up filthy, so of course you don't want to walk on a rug on them, especially if you might end up sitting on that rug.

So... The kids are wild on the rug, thinking this is wrestling time. I finally made a sign that goes over the 4 rug rules with picture cues--I drew a picture of the rug and wrote "RUG." Then I wrote the rules: "1) Sit quietly." After "Sit" I have a stick figure sitting criss-cross. After "quietly" I have a face with mouth closed. Then, "2) Hands in lap." After "Hands" I have a picture of a hand. After "lap" I have another sitting stick figure, with an arrow pointing to the lap. The next two rules are "3) Sit in a circle. 4) Not in the middle." This is so the students sit in the a circle, around the edge of the rug, so I can see everyone. I wish now that I had added a "Don't move" or "Stay put" rule because they keep moving!

The funniest thing about the rug is how these kids follow no rules. They are completely wild--and they do understand my rug rules, and can show me what they're supposed to do. Yet they won't obey the rules. However, the no-shoes-on-carpet rule is something I've never had to mention, and they obey it religiously. It's like breathing to them--it comes naturally, and isn't to be questioned. My students will take off their shoes so they can wrestle, fight, and scream on the rug. It's amazing how ingrained this rule is. It also shows that they are capable of following the rules.

They love sitting on the rug, and as wild as they are, I try to do it every day. I remind myself how my students last year were awful at sitting on the rug. Yet I persisted, and we had a routine--exactly when we met on the rug, exactly what we did--and finally the majority of the students got around to behaving on the rug.