Kids, Learning and Compassion

This past Wednesday, I had some big takeaways from Genius Hour. I usually set up the work flow by asking kids Who their partner will be, What project do they want to undertake, Why this is important to them and whether they intend to inform, persuade, entertain or, new today, Share some love and compassion with others. To my excitement, two girls paired together to create a poster for friendship, complete with original art, a detailed handshake and a story to go with it. The whole class is very proud to have this on display and hopefully make a difference for someone who needs a friend or compassion.

 

The Power of Cross Pollination

One never knows where a great idea will come from. It could be that a certain cloud inspires an idea, or a cut in a block of wood lights a fire in an old project. If children and teachers don't share ideas with one another, how will these smallish ideas become great ideas that lead to learning opportunities? A parent approached me after school and mentioned that her son has been building more and more these days, and that if he's not building, he is explaining his ideas and the process he followed. I was trying to keep my excitement contained, but was so excited that I couldn't help myself. This is a quiet guy, who has great ideas often, but they usually stay in his on mind. He is finally sharing them out and inspiring others- gotta love First Grade and #teamK12.

Another story about cross pollinating. Last week several of my students put on a performance during Genius Hour. This featured The Cat in the Hat and some other stuffed animals. It was a hit, we all laughed with each other. Today, several boys did a similar show, but this time included music and dancing (same stuffies). After the performance, one of the children who had the original idea came to me and said, "They are doing what we did, but a little different. Awesome!" She was proud, excited, and happy knowing that her idea was so well loved that it had become the passion of another.

Pretty cool stuff happens when ideas are shared. Keep sharing.

MT