With a soft music playing in the background and late morning sun filling the room, my sweet little group of fourth graders focused quietly on creating their personal geography maps either in the shape of a heart, an island, a hand, a quilt or a garden patch. I had just spent time reading and commenting on their thoughtbooks. I was genuinely surprised how much they had written already, how much effort they had put in the presentation, and the ways they showed their thinking. The pages included lists, bubble and double bubble maps, behaviour over time graphs, stock and flow charts, summaries and opinions, explanations, sketches and questions. A little bit earlier we had had a fish bowl observation where two students with opposite opinions had carefully listened to each other, practicing how to use clarifying questions and paraphrasing.
The silence of being immersed in creating, the amount of thinking my students had demonstrated, their respect to listen to each other - my heart wanted to swell out of my chest and I barely could hold back tears.
This is the magic that keeps me in the classroom.
You can feel the magic in your classroom from your description. What a joyful time for kids to be learning together again.
ReplyDeleteI can feel the magic, too! You create a place where magic can happen. I love the thought of you and kids creating together. It makes the world feel smaller.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the kids now appreciate being in school? They understand that being together can't be taken for granted. School is a magical place that brings hearts and minds together.
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me heart ache to be back in the classroom again. I am trying to create this magic via Zoom. I especially love the imagery in this line: "The silence of being immersed in creating." You have inspired me to imagine what that would look like during remote teaching. Although it is not at all the same as being together, I think it is possible to harness this feeling.
ReplyDeleteThank you for nudging me to write in my absences from our shared space. I so appreciate your friendship!
What a beautiful picture of a lovely classroom. This magic is so evident here!
ReplyDeleteOh, Terje, you are a master teacher! Kudos to you for creating an environment where writing, thinking, and listening are the cornerstones of your magic. I love the variety of choices you provided for your students to create their personal geography maps. Think what our future will be with students like yours at the helm.
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