Real Living

We recently took a trip to Moab, UT where we stayed in a refurbished, quirky school bus turned RV for a couple of days. The Magickaravan, as it is named, was very cool and we could tell as soon as we met the owner and our soon to be hiking guide, this was not any RV, this was his home, travel companion, and it held stories, like the one I am going to share.

Moab is a nothing like anywhere else.  Dry, desert land with beautiful red rock formations, home of Arches National Park.  We set out on an afternoon canyoneering with Matt, the owner of Magickaravan, a seasoned hiker and adventurous and passionate about geology.  My daughter was with us, she is seven years old and we weren’t exactly sure how she would take the hike, especially since it involved climbing and repelling….a 60 ft. repel.

The hike started out with Matt sharing about the terrain and various plant species as we headed into various small slot canyons, through water holes and repelling short distances down the canyon.  Lacey, my daughter, was loving every minute and Matt was an excellent guide and mentor along the way.  He would teach certain foot placements that would make small crawls through tiny crevices feasible without hesitation…providing us and Lacey with the tools needed to have a great hiking experience.  

The day was ending near and our final descent was among us.  Matt mentioned there was another way to climb down instead of repelling if Lacey was not feeling it, but we kept moving forward in hopes that she would do it.  We reached the top and as we began to prepare equipment, the fear began to set in for Lacey….along with the tears.

At this moment as a parent do I force her to go down and she will then forever be scarred of any type of rappel or heights in her life, or do I call it and say we will climb down? Well, I let her feel the emotions, sit with them…..and waited.  Gear was place on, tears continued to fall, but she did not give in.  The next thing I heard was this “I’m scared, but Lacey, you can do this.” Yea, pretty powerful self-talk right there.  I sat and resonated with her words, soaking them in and realizing how my daughter gave me such a teachable moment.

We have so much to learn from our young generation.  After we all rappelled down the 60 foot canyon wall, I looked over at Lacey and she looked different…..more confident…..relieved….and proud.  Her whole presence was shifted and it was delightful to witness.

When we step out of our comfort zones we learn so much more about ourselves.  In those moments when we are scared shitless and instead of turning away, we show up…..we shift.  We grow, we change and isn’t that what life is all about, real living?

I think so…

Thanks for reading,

Mel

 

XOXO

 

 

After the repel

Unleashing Talent

#IMMOOC Blog Buddy Blog

Nike has an add that is about unleashing human potential.  We as educators are constantly trying to unleash student potential.  At our Community School we are constantly unleashing community and partnership potential.  By giving students the freedom to critically think and problem solve we are giving the opportunity to unleash, what we don’t even know is “leashed”.  That my friends is exciting!  

A simple question posed to students, “Where would be an optimal place to put a community garden?” The students began thinking of sunlight, water, wind and other various environmental concerns in relation to our garden.  By asking this simple question and stepping aside, allowed the opportunity to unleash potential for students to take on leadership roles; sharing their knowledge of what is the best conditions to grow vegetables, types of soil and even where the sun rises and sets.  

 

George Couros states, “Should we be a sage on the stage or the guide on the side or the architect of learning?  The answer is that teachers should be all of those.  The art of teaching is figuring out when you should be which one.”   Innovation is about adding value to learning in a way that afford opportunities for creativity and curiosity.  Humans are curious by nature, but somewhere along the way we have developed a way to “do” school.  By providing questions, student voice, choice, modeling authentic passion and experiences we we unleash the talents, the learning.  Sometimes this feels like a big task, but really it is about going with the flow of learning.  

Heidi and Melanie

empathy. trust.relationships

Building relationship and a culture of trust in my position is crucial. Without a foundation of trust in the classroom, it is hard to learn from one another and sail through muddy waters.  If I have a hard time learning and growing from someone I do not trust or have a relationship with, then I would think my students would as well.  Bottom line, it is important!

So…I make an effort to stay present within the classroom and get to know my students.  I intentionally find out their passions, what motivates them.   I go to their basketball games or swim meets.  I have authentic conversations with students waiting in line for lunch or packing up at the end of the day.  I ask how they are doing.   I empathize when they are late to school because they missed the bus.

empathy.trust.relationships

xo,

Melanie

Would I want to be a learner in my classroom?

Would I want to be a learner in my classroom?

What is best for this student?

What is this student’s passion?

What are some ways we can create a true learning community?

How did this work for our student?

These are some REAL questions, I mean, let us get down and dirty with ourselves and be real.   Honestly, sometimes, well many times I think sitting in my class would be boring, downright pull out my hair and stare off into space boring.  Those lessons that you need to teach before the state test and it is crunch time.  The lessons that everyone else is teaching because it is on the timeline and it is what comes next.  I think we can all relate to this as an educator at some point in our teaching career.

I am at fault all the time and I am not perfect by any means…thank you grace.  But, do you know what saves me, asking these questions above.  When I stop and reflect and sympathize with my students and their needs.  When I am reminded of what is important and what is best for students.  When I am inspired by others and their strengths and passions.   When administration tells me to try it and helps with overcoming any obstacles in the way.   When I empower students to take ownership of their own learning and I step back and smile.  Those moments, those small little seconds in life, remind me of what really matters as an educator…..providing what is best for students, by giving students the voice and choice.

 

xo,

Melanie

daydreaming is valuable

Twenty-first century education is not about the test; it’s about something bigger. -George Couros

Mindset. Innovation. Change. Opportunity. Adventure. These words provide a freedom and an open door for me as an educator to challenge the status quo.  Am I challenging the status quo and keeping what is BEST for students at the foundation of decision making?  I truly believe it is an essential question we must ask ourselves on a daily basis.

Challenge the Status Quo

I have a student who is a phenomenal rapper.  It is his passion, and he is good…real good…like he will make it to the big time good.  I often catch him daydreaming during math, he is in a completely different world than working on graphing fractions on a number line.  I refocus him from his dreaming because in my mind I need him to be graphing fractions.  I mean, how important could his daydreaming really be when fraction work is in front of him?

I swam my way through High School, my stroke was fly because I was the only  freshman that could somewhat swim the stroke without looking like I was drowning and we needed a 50 flyer for the relay sectional race.  It became my signature stroke.  Now, I wasn’t a great swimmer, didn’t break any records, but I enjoyed the practice and the team relationships.  I will never forget our amazing coach Mrs. Lien.  She would take us through a visual practice where she would have us visualize our event we would be competing in from start to finish.  We would visualize feeling strong and swimming fluidly through the water and finishing by winning the race.  I loved this practice, because it helped me feel confident and it set my mind to focus on my strengths and what I could do, not what I couldn’t.  I won races and I lost races, but I gave every race my best.

I wonder how many times do we disrupt daydreaming in class because it seems disrespectful and rude?  What if daydreaming is a way a student can feel confident in what they can do?  What if daydreaming is a way a student can wonder and then make it a reality?  Some kids rely on daydreaming to cope with life, because in their daydreaming they are strong, confident and win.

How can I be an educator that encourages daydreaming on a daily basis for my students?

Let us challenge the status quo together!  Thank you for reading.

Xo,

Mel