I told my little ones on the first day of school, "We are going to be together, in this tiny little space, for a long time. We need to learn how to work together...like a family, like a team." They know that if one person gets in trouble in Library they are all going to have to suffer the consequences. In our class, we celebrate each others achievements, and show compassion in times of struggle. We do not scoff, criticize, or poke fun at the ideas of another comrade. Instead we discuss, compare, and analyze the similarities and differences between our thoughts as a whole and use our results as a way of demonstrating that not everyone has to think the same way.
The transformation of 26 independent students becoming 26 independent students, working together as 1 to achieve a common goal...now that is truly a sight to behold. And just yesterday, I witnessed it first hand.
Multiplication at age 9/10. Yikes. Multiplication can be hard at any age. Heck, I still count on my fingers. And you either get it right away, or you struggle. There really is no shade of gray. During our multiplication drill today I asked a student what 9 x 7 was. Blank stare. Wait for it. Wait for it. (insert cricket noise). Nothing. Now, being that this was a drill I began to move on to the next person (bad teacher moment on my part). But, before I could fully address the same question to the new student, another brilliant mind interrupted, "Miss Ruesch, wait. Shouldn't we help him?" To which another replied, "Yeah, Man Overboard!" And suddenly, an upheaval of 4th grade cries! "No one gets left behind!" and "Pull him to shore!" My goodness. They were right. So, I asked for some suggestions as to how we might help our shipmate! One student suggested using counters. Another drew an array. And still another stood front and center to demonstrate the "never fails" finger trick. No one gave him the answer. No one laughed in his face. The buoy was tossed out by one, and was pulled in by the hands of 25. Amazing.
I say this often, but more so now than ever before does it ring true. I might be the one with the college degree and the certificate. But these kids, they teach me something every single day.
No comments:
Post a Comment