Watching Dancing With The Stars

Slice of Life Challenge # 25 - March 25, 2011

I wonder if anyone has ever thought of the difference between the quickstep and the waltz in dancing, and applied it to their students? The quickstep seems to rise above the music, hardly landing before it moves on to the next place. Yet it is enthusiastic, pulling people along into its vacuum of action like a tornado. It moves and grabs, moves and grabs.

The waltz, conversely, takes its time and allows one to savor the sound, be intentional in the movement, and drift deeper into the meaning of the music. I enjoy both dances, having watched them often enough on Dancing With the Stars, and don't want to choose a favorite. They both possess unique attributes. I work hard to have my appreciation for different kinds of students be applied in the same way. Each has his or her own lovely ways about them.

Additionally, thinking of my conversations with students as I evaluate their work, for some very odd reason, when Dancing With The Stars started a new season this week, I began to hear the judges’ words in a different way. This time, because it was the first performance, I heard them be cautious with their assessment, trying to offer at least a little credence to the dancers’ efforts. The judges wanted to help motivate the dancers to improve, certainly not to give up hope after only the first program! (It’s not economically advisable.) I thought for the most part that they were sensitive, supportive, and motivating—how I’d like to be as a teacher.

I rarely look at the differences in order to judge who might be the better learner, only to see how someone learns better. This is a bit awkwardly put, but I really mean that as everyone is different, each teacher has to use the personal ways students learn, and learn to teach that way. Some students might have more challenges at first than others, in order to meet some criteria, but really, we all don't have to get to the same destination by the same path ever. As I watch the dancing week by week, I see those who may have been struggling mightily at first actually present lovely dances in later performances. As our students are all so different, I wonder about us teachers as we ask them to do the same thing, and excel the same way; and I continue to wonder and question why. And I wonder if it’s economically advisable?

Now the Writing Begins

March 4, 2011 - A Slice of Life from Friday afternoon

You heard me talk of the launch of an essay writing group on Monday, of personal topics & the search for meaning by individual students/early adolescents. I had to miss the Wednesday session because of a conflict. On that day students worked with the two other teachers to plump up the writing by asking questions. It's the lesson that tells a story like, One night, I was frightened by a strange noise. My mother saved me, thank goodness. The end. Any questions? The point is made that it's such a 'thin' story, & needs to be fattened up, plumped up, whatever word that you prefer to use that means "more details".

Today was first draft day/typed. Students on Friday are not always at their best. They have worked hard during the week & Saturday fun beckons. This group met after lunch, after recess, & was not a pretty group. It was time to wake them up with enthusiasm, or at least with surprise! That is why I told them that today was the day for new writing, new ideas, but same topic. In other words, revision. They looked at me without much energy, but, great kids that they are, they listened. They listened to some explanations & examples of leads & how they work. They offered their own ideas of good ways to start. We were out of bed & waking up! Since I had missed Wednesday, I didn't know what each had chosen for a topic. I felt like celebrating. They wanted others to know about things like sibling rivalry, the importance of extra-curricular activities, the homeless problem, issues of education in Africa. I am humbled. These students are 11 and 12 years old, & definitely are moving into the wider, mostly thoughtful world.

More about our revising next time. . .

First Writing after vacation

March 1, 2011 My school just returned from a week's break. Just as I was moving into a good rhythm of work and play at home-no out-of-town trip this time- I have jumped back into work, beginning new goals of teaching, & learning, with our students. I have been welcomed into many classrooms this year, & this time, one colleague & I are beginning a 3 week intensive to write personal essays with her class. As I begin with the group, students are so attentive, laughing when I think they might laugh, thinking about the topics under discussion, & answering some of my questions rather tentatively, but they do try to respond. These upper elementary students are just on the edge of adulthood, & now I am working hard to motivate them to consider choices, to decide some things they believe are important, & then to write to tell others what they think about them. It's easy to write down one's opinion, but crafting personal essays that then broaden one's outlook by doing some further research is the more difficult part. This is the goal, that students begin to gather the beliefs, but then strengthen them by finding out what others' think. The group again asks questions. One of the first of course is 'how long?', & another is 'how about this?'. These first hours together we are all a little nervous, but when I respond to the topics of important things, I am reminded of Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book, when she starts with "The important thing about ____________ is _______________, & I remind students of these lines, empower them to tell what they believe is important, & why. I share a bit of my own writing; students seem ready to write, & the rest of the time until lunch, we do.