I've been thinking about my first blog for about a week now and before I get started, I will say - there was definitely this underlying pressure involved with coming up with something I thought would be of interest. Would anyone want to read what I write? Do I have anything really important to say? But then today, a staff member talked about his reflection of a recent book he read and how this year he is going into the school year not caring what anyone else thinks. If he wants to be goofy, he will be goofy - if he wants to dole our high fives or fist pumps, he will do that too. So there I was...inspired and encouraged to just begin to blog until my heart's content and not care what anyone else thinks! And so away I go....
With a little over a week until the start of the 2015-2016 school year, a lot of thought, planning, purpose, and collaboration have gone into what I hope to be an AMAZING school year. Of course, there are a lot of cool gadgets and gizmos that will hopefully, ignite the spark to learning. From 3D printers to Lego construction to Genius Hour to stationary bikes to white boards boards for challenge questions (thanks Twitter peeps for so many inspiring ideas)!! The possibilities are endless.
However, gadgets and gizmos aside, what I really hope to make happen this year are awesome learning experiences for students. I want students to come to JAMS daily with a fire burning inside of them for the unknown; at the same time, I want them to leave yearning to come back and excited to talk to anyone and everyone about their experiences. This won't happen on its own. Although many students love the socialization of school - seeing their friends, etc. It will take more than just that to lure them into daily amazing experiences and the idea that school is cool! It will take intention and effort from every adult. It will take building connections, personalizing learning, supporting risk taking, and so much more to make this happen - and why shouldn't it happen; kids deserve it!
I've heard students describe the school day as "boring" where they learned "nothing" at one time or another as I'm sure others have as well. What if THIS year had the potential to be different? What if THIS year students were able to explore curiosity, discover new learning paths, and have fun - THIS is what learning should look like. No student should be burdened with memorization of facts or content. Instead, each and every student should have the opportunity to make memories each and every day. It will be the memories made in each classroom that will make for one AMAZING school year. So why not now? Let's all make it happen!
