Today a child demonstrated disinterest as a guest speaker made a presentation.
I was not too happy since I had invited the speaker in. I had words with the child. Then later I thought more about the situation.
The children have been involved in a very large number of wonderful events and together they have risen to amazing levels of achievement. While I've worked to run a student-centered classroom and meet all standards, I wonder if I made enough time for student voice and choice.
So today when the child was disinterested, I think it was due to overload more than simple disinterest. How can we choreograph a year that's just right?
One idea that I'll try next year is to invite the students into the planning more giving them voice and choice with a greater share of the days and year.
On the other hand, with large classes of young children, you're not always going to strike it just right for everyone and there is the need to teach every child how to be polite and respectful even when a program isn't their favorite or one they are ready for at that moment.
There's work to do on my part to move forward. As I've stated before, I'm delighted to teach the same grade again as everything won't be new and there will be a chance to deepen and better my craft. Education calls us to do many tasks well at once--often we'll succeed and often we'll face challenge. The key is to reflect, revise, and move forward with the children you serve as the focus.
