Welcome to the first edition of The Ball House Report. You read that right folks! We have a new name, and this week’s Report will focus on that process. You can expect the Report twice monthly on Fridays. It will update you as to the goings on in our classroom, and give you full picture of our Brown Room community!
And now, for this week’s Report:
What’s In a Name?
The Brown Room kids began their name selection process by brainstorming during a ‘Chat.’ We talked about how we’ve been calling our class ‘The Brown Room,’ but that there are two classes called the Brown Room, and we needed our own special name. A class name should be something that makes us feel proud and helps us think of our classroom community and the things that we love.
Some ideas that we came up with were:
The Ball House
The Bunny Bum Bums
The Safety Drills (We were having a safety drill the day of the discussion)
The Whole Princess
The Cowboys
and the list went on….
We then discussed how that was a pretty big list, and it would be hard to pick one name from all of those choices narrowed down those ideas, discussing how the name should be something that felt good for everyone. After that discussion, we picked our top two. The list looked a little like this.
Finally, it was voting day! We have been voting in the classroom since the first week of school using Magnatiles, a simple way of seeing which choice has the ‘most.’ We let the kids know this time, however, would look a little different. The kids would fill out their own individual ballots at our hallway voting station. They were invited to write their names on a ballot and circle their favorite choice.
With a vote 8/5, The Ball House was the winner! When the name was shared, the Brown Room crew had many feelings. Some felt sad their choice was not selected, while others rejoiced their name was the winner. As teachers, we work to strike a delicate balance during these moments, working to bring some nuance to the moment. We discussed how it might feel sad that your name wasn’t chosen, but you could also be happy for your friend. Or vice versa, you could be happy for yourself, but thoughtful for a friend. After this chat, we heard some wonderful thoughtful words from The Ball House kids:
“We can talk about how we’re excited later at the at the park.”
“I wanted Bunny Bums Bums, but that’s okay.”
“I like The Ball House, but I’m sorry you didn’t win.”
One thing is clear, whether they are the Brown Room or The Ball House, we have a kind crew!
Questions to Ask Your Ball House Kid:
1. What is your class name?
2. What was in the Friday sandwich?
3. What happened in the book “In the Haunted House”?
