Things are different in the 180 classroom. Without points to push and pull my kids, I have to use my words. From Sappy Sy Rhymes to the newly implemented #MyRoomMessages, I try to find ways to encourage and inspire my kids to make the most of our time together. I have no carrots or sticks to force them, so I use my words to compel them.

I’ve always, it seems, had a penchant for the authentic. Things and deeds are better true, and if they are not…well, then, they just don’t seem to matter as much to me. So, in the classroom, as I frequently mention, I have little interest in compliance, for I find it generally inauthentic. Instead, I seek commitment, and though I seek it, it is really not for me. It’s for my kids. I want them to commit to their learning. I want them to take ownership and responsibility. In that, I find authenticity. In that, I find hope for more than the now. I find hope in the “then,” when they have moved along their path away from me and the opportunity we shared.

In the end, I believe I am simply a provider of opportunity and support. And it is this belief that drives my approach. And so, I do differently. And the further I venture into different, the more different it becomes. In general, I feign posting learning targets on my board. For, (as my pattern reveals) I find them contrived, so instead, I post things–consistently of late–like the MyRoomMessages. Does it inspire and encourage my kids? I want to think so. Do my kids–all my kids–work diligently 100% of the time? No, of course not. In fact, I’d like a number of kids to step up their game, if you will. And so, I interrupt their learning at intervals and ask them questions like, “Who could look me in the eye and say they’ve made progress?” Or for their daily Journey Journal reflections, “If I can’t trust you, show me your entry.”

Of course, there’s more to my madness than words. There’s a foundation that I set on day one and have been building on ever since: relationships. Words matter. But words mean less without connection. When we’re connected words seem to matter more, so I spend the time and energy on connections. 

Some days, if I am honest, I wonder if I have wandered too far, but even as I wonder, I wander, seeking better. Sometimes, I have to backtrack…okay, a lot of times, I have to try it again, but I’d rather try and fail to succeed than stubbornly stick to something because it’s the way we’ve always done it, even when we know it’s not working. So here I am, daring different. And I guess that’s what I’ll keep doing because I don’t know the way back.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…putting the finishing touches on our projects.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all. 

Do. Reflect. Do Better.