Erin Markquart
August 17, 2012
As my husband and I took a step back to admire our newly painted walls, dismay and frustration quickly replaced our budding excitement. Our anticipation of creating a beautiful, new space in our home was quickly squelched as we watched the streaks and blotches of old, green paint slowly bleed through the newer tan color we had so carefully chosen.
Originally, in our haste to get the room ready for the 'good stuff', (new TV and couch) we opted to skip the labor-intensive, time-consuming task of applying a quality basecoat. While we understood that starting with a good foundation was an important step, we couldn't ignore our excitement of what was to come after the mundane job of painting was finished. Unfortunately, our excitement would have to wait as we reluctantly got out our paintbrushes (again!) to apply the much-needed basecoat that would provide the foundation we needed to create our new, beautiful room. While neither of us dared to say it out loud, we both were thinking, "Why didn't we slow down and do it right the first time?"
This experience left me wondering, "How many times do we as teachers, in an effort to get to the 'good stuff', rush the important basecoat of what children need in order to be successful?" When I think of setting up the Daily 5 each year with my students, I get so excited to get to the 'good stuff' that it is temping to skip the important steps needed to build our literacy independence 'basecoat'. While asking my kindergartners to Read to Self for two minutes, then three minutes, then two minutes, can be agonizing at times, I know it is an important step in the process of building independence. Without devoting time and energy to intentionally teaching the expectations of Daily 5, the undesirable behaviors may begin to reappear, just as my ugly, green paint reappeared. Laying the solid foundation right from the start is well worth the additional time and energy it takes. Then, we enjoy the 'good stuff' of teaching and learning!