Making Schools about Learning Again
I have to say I was one of those kids for whom “school was okay.” I didn’t hate it, but neither did I love it–and I was, and am, a lifelong learner. I like learning, even when it’s hard–I get great pleasure out of figuring something out, gaining new knowledge that I can then use, and then, often sharing it. I like the struggle that comes with solving a puzzle of some kind. I have handheld games (that require strategy to play, such as Othello and Yahtzee) all around my house and lake place. I have a game shelf in my classroom kids drool over-and then go home and ask their parents to get those games. My kids know I love it when they teach me a new game, especially one where they (initially) can beat me. (Okay, I’ll admit it, sometimes they keep beating me!) But what really gets me going is an opportunity to interact with others over a topic of interest and depth–one like discussing an issue like in Hurt Go. Happy about animal testing, or looking at articles online and trying to help kids think like historians as they debate whether John Smith was an historian or liar. (See Did Pocahontas Save Captain John Smith? and Was John Smith A Liar?) I have to think, I have to study and I have to question,