It is the eve before the first day of school and I am as excited as a kid on Christmas eve! It’s silly really and as embarrassed as I felt to write this I was just thinking that I hope when have been teaching for 20+ years that I still feel this way- excited!
Today while I was deleting picture from last year (to clear some space for this year!) I saw this picture. This is a picture taken by either one of my grade four students or a kindergarten student. We were out on a nature walk with our buddy class looking for signs of Spring, a pretty standard Spring time activity in the world of education. This year I decided to give the students Ipads to collect evidence of what they saw rather than trying to remember and generate a list when we got back. What I found when I downloaded those pictures was amazing! The things they noticed and the way they looked at things was caught – right there – in those pictures. Things that 6 and 10 year olds wouldn’t be able to say were being shouted loud and clear through these images. Look at this bright red berry! Look at this tiny leaf budding through the muddy ground, look at the sun and the blue sky and how they contrast against the empty trees! Look at the river with the high water levels! Look at the flower, mid-way opened! Look close at this baby leaf!
This picture reminds me now and will remind me throughout the year to consider the perspective on the child. Look at how low the angle of this picture is. I never get to see the world this way, yet it is so important to me that I remember this is how my learners do. This picture also reminds me of the journey my students are on, that it is a bright one. Lastly, grade four is talked about as a transition year, a bridge to the world of being a “big kid”. So here we go kids, lets start crossing that bridge and keep a little perspective while we do!
Check out a couple of the other fabulous evidence of students being observant and thoughtful:
Love feeling the energy and seeing the learning.