One of the honors and privileges of my current position is that I get to work with some really smart people. I mean wise folks. The folks I want my children to learn with and from.
And I get the opportunity, from time to time, to see these smart folks in action. This year, on the first day of school, MIchelle and Kyle and I took a lap around the district and happened to wander by Kevin’s classroom a few minutes into his year.
And, boy, was he in the zone. Already. Inside a few minutes.
He was introducing reading notebooks to his students when we happened by. We were approaching the classroom, no appointment, just saying hi, when we heard him say this:
We are going to have thoughts as we read, and it’ll be good for us to write those down so we don’t forget them.
And so we turned around and kept right on walking. Kevin’s students didn’t need us to interfere with some very serious exploration of what it means to be a reader, writer and thinker. Nope. Anything we might’ve done in that situation would’ve been an interruption. They were in quite capable hands.
Of course, the more I think about that one sentence, the more I think it sums up so much of what I think school should be – people exploring thoughtfulness. Thoughtfully.
And I am grateful for folks like Kevin, who works with 4th graders, because I know that they are well served because he is there exploring their thinking with them.
If your school year’s just getting going, I sure hope that you are reading something interesting, and asking your students to, and that you’re all pausing from time to time to write something that you’re thinking about down.
And if you’re not – why aren’t you?
New blog post: In Good Hands http://t.co/InyMVs4
New Post: In Good Hands: One of the honors and privileges of my current position is that I get… http://t.co/MjgHLeh by @budtheteacher
In Good Hands via Bud the Teacher – One of the honors and privileges of my current position is that I get … http://t.co/otv9fTU
In Good Hands http://t.co/oV0n9bW
Very ‘thoughtful’ blog. Please share more about how schools and teachers can improve the educational experience for today’s youth. I appreciated the respect you have for the teacher’s approach to learning.
In Good Hands #academics http://t.co/iurb8Zn
RT @budtheteacher: New blog post: In Good Hands http://t.co/InyMVs4
What school should be-people exploring thoughtfulness. RT @budtheteacher: New blog post: In Good Hands http://t.co/V4b7wsJ
In Good Hands http://t.co/Fh9gnrx #Edchat #engchat #fycchat
RT @actionhero: What school should be-people exploring thoughtfulness. RT @budtheteacher: New blog post: In Good Hands http://t.co/V4b7wsJ
Reading @budtheteacher ‘s new blog post, "In Good Hands" http://t.co/DFeilzl You should too. #nwp
RT @poh: Reading @budtheteacher ‘s new blog post, "In Good Hands" http://t.co/DFeilzl You should too. #nwp
Kudos to Kevin is right! I’d like to say that 4th grade must be able to get off to a faster start than my own grade, 1st (first day tears, “When are we going home?”, etc.), however, I DID have good literature (& song!) in my hands that I used right away: Pete the Cat, Rockin’ in My School Shoes. Oh I had those 1st graders in the palm of my hand begging for more!