These last couple teaching experiences have been great. I've never had the opportunity to take children through a program like this before, and I love it. At this point I can see myself doing this as job somewhere during summers. The first group was third grade and mostly Amish, while the second group were urban first graders: quite the drastic change from one day to the next! Both groups, however, had a few children who asked me a question aside from the other students: two Muslim girls told me that they didn't eat pig, and I was able to say, "me neither!" and we were able to just have a nice moment where it was ok to be different; one little boy came to tell me that he had seen a daddy long legs by the pig pen, and I was able to follow him over and tell him about harvestmen; a little girl asked me if cottonwood leaves came from the trees nearby, and if the leaves we saw scattered about were the same ones we fed the goats, and I was able to kneel and point out the dancing leaves in the distance. Nice, simple, moments.
These moments are really what I'm hoping for - rather, I hope to make some good memory. In fact, that has been my teacher's prayer: to make some good memory.
Dostoevsky says it much better than I could in the novel Brothers Karamazov:
You must know that there is nothing higher, or stronger, or sounder, or more useful afterwards in life, than some good memory . . . You hear a lot said about your education, yet some such beautiful, sacred memory, preserved from childhood, is perhaps the best education. If a man stores up many such memories to take into life, then he is saved for his whole life. (Dostoevsky, 1880)
Whether or not they remember the same moments I do, I hope and pray that the children I encounter leave with a good memory, a good sacred beautiful memory, of a leaf or bug or the cider or anything else, but a good memory.
I love this idea of creating memories! I would say that memories are what makes life rich. There is a quote that I has meant a lot to me, but I don't have it with me right now, so I will try and give the gist of it.
ReplyDeleteWe let go, and we hold on, and sometimes we don't even know which it is we are doing.
We don't always know what memories we are creating for the students, and we won't know if those memories last a week or a lifetime or anywhere in between. If we hold on to the idea that we are seeking to create a memory, or a moment, and pay attention to the opportunities that are presented to share those moments, we will continue to be energized, and engaged with the students.
I am glad you are enjoying it. It sure is fun. Also, if you mess up it does not matter, because all you have to do is fix it or if it is not a biggie ignore it, because no one will know. Stay cool.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I am enjoying seeing every ones teaching styles and learning from them. I like borrowing techniques when I see something I like. I also enjoy seeing everyone else have fun with this. You would never know Jason didn't have experience with teaching groups of kids before this because he really throws himself into the role and has fun with it.
ReplyDelete