This was a delight to read. I have a essay brewing in my head about floating pens, not the same as plastic Jesus'....but your story has encouraged me to write that one next!
Some were, but there were a bunch of sophomores. A couple had me last fall for chem and then in spring for physics, and I had two who had me first period for physics and then second for chem.
And now some are threatening to come back for AP Physics.
Teacher here with the funny last name again…you are spot on that it takes time to “grow a teacher”! This kind of creativity and openness does not come immediately.
It. Takes. Time!
It takes trial and error.
It takes a willingness to be open to what your students are thinking and what they believe.
It takes an administrator open to this kind of learning experience.
I see fewer and fewer of teachers like you. The institution of canned lesson plans does not allow for this kind of creativity.
Thanks for the super-kind words, my probably cousin somehow….
I’ve had so many conversations with new and incoming teachers over the years that have ended in quiet tears as I go over my materials and talk about how I do my thing in my room. My wife and I used to do presentations about using pop culture in STEM classrooms, and in both cases, the reactions we saw were coming from the same place - we were giving teachers permission to be themselves. I guess no one teaches that in any prep program, and it certainly gets beaten out of you in the trenches.
I just think we need more people in teaching who let people know that YOU don’t make yourself fit the job; you make the job fit YOU.
This reflection is brilliant and I thank you for sharing it! Happy Birthday! Safe Travels! And keep this up - you make too much sense in a profession that’s largely become unrecognizable!
This is another solid case for experience being the BEST teacher. I loved reading this whole article and just enjoying every piece of this classroom culture that you built (allowed?, curated?) "This class was infected by authenticity, creativity, trust, inside jokes, and shared stories. My room was filled with students feeling safe enough to be themselves." The posters, the puns, the inside jokes....it all takes on a life of its own, and how fun it is to have that with the students! Thanks again for sharing your work and experience as a teacher....a breath of fresh air, and if we can get real cool with a bunch of stuff real quickly, there is so much treasure out there in the kids. Glad you found it.
Thanks for the kind words! I really enjoyed telling the story to friends initially, but as I realized, this was something that went deeper than “my kids did a funny thing.”
And you’re right - this is an experience thing, in a field where we’re being told that experience isn’t valued.
In this field, the experience in the classroom is the MOST valuable thing. You created so much engagement and meaning for those students. How fortunate they are to have you as their teacher.
This was a delight to read. I have a essay brewing in my head about floating pens, not the same as plastic Jesus'....but your story has encouraged me to write that one next!
Awesome! Can’t wait to read it!
I loved this story. I'm wondering if these were juniors. The 8th graders I loved a few years ago were just juniors and they had such a good vibe.
Some were, but there were a bunch of sophomores. A couple had me last fall for chem and then in spring for physics, and I had two who had me first period for physics and then second for chem.
And now some are threatening to come back for AP Physics.
Haha! Threatening! It’s so helpful having students again in the classroom though.
Teacher here with the funny last name again…you are spot on that it takes time to “grow a teacher”! This kind of creativity and openness does not come immediately.
It. Takes. Time!
It takes trial and error.
It takes a willingness to be open to what your students are thinking and what they believe.
It takes an administrator open to this kind of learning experience.
I see fewer and fewer of teachers like you. The institution of canned lesson plans does not allow for this kind of creativity.
Kudos to you!
Thanks for the super-kind words, my probably cousin somehow….
I’ve had so many conversations with new and incoming teachers over the years that have ended in quiet tears as I go over my materials and talk about how I do my thing in my room. My wife and I used to do presentations about using pop culture in STEM classrooms, and in both cases, the reactions we saw were coming from the same place - we were giving teachers permission to be themselves. I guess no one teaches that in any prep program, and it certainly gets beaten out of you in the trenches.
I just think we need more people in teaching who let people know that YOU don’t make yourself fit the job; you make the job fit YOU.
Keep up your work. It is important.
This reflection is brilliant and I thank you for sharing it! Happy Birthday! Safe Travels! And keep this up - you make too much sense in a profession that’s largely become unrecognizable!
Awww - thanks. I try. :)
This is another solid case for experience being the BEST teacher. I loved reading this whole article and just enjoying every piece of this classroom culture that you built (allowed?, curated?) "This class was infected by authenticity, creativity, trust, inside jokes, and shared stories. My room was filled with students feeling safe enough to be themselves." The posters, the puns, the inside jokes....it all takes on a life of its own, and how fun it is to have that with the students! Thanks again for sharing your work and experience as a teacher....a breath of fresh air, and if we can get real cool with a bunch of stuff real quickly, there is so much treasure out there in the kids. Glad you found it.
Thanks for the kind words! I really enjoyed telling the story to friends initially, but as I realized, this was something that went deeper than “my kids did a funny thing.”
And you’re right - this is an experience thing, in a field where we’re being told that experience isn’t valued.
In this field, the experience in the classroom is the MOST valuable thing. You created so much engagement and meaning for those students. How fortunate they are to have you as their teacher.