The Light

I think that a growing mind is like a light bulb. But not in the stereotypical sense. You know, the way most people would describe it--where you're just sitting in class, listening to the teacher talk and....SNAP, your "light bulb" goes on and you just magically know what the teacher's talking about. No way, I do not believe learning is like that kind of light bulb. 

To me, it's much more like those lights that flicker for a minute before they snap on. As a teacher, I see quick glimpses of light as a child learns. There are moments when I think, "Yes! She's got it!" or "Yep, he can do it!" and I'm thrilled--the light bulb is lit. But days later, I'm thinking "What happened?! They knew it two days ago and now, I have to reteach it!" and suddenly I'm not so sure. I convince myself that the light bulb burned out, or maybe I didn't know how to turn it on in the first place. 

However, on glorious days like today, I'm reminded that children's lights flicker first before they truly start to shine. Those moments of darkness, confusion, or uncertainty are only temporary. I shouldn't be discouraged or deterred just because I'm watching a student's light flicker on and off--that flicker precedes a brighter light--one that will never burn out.

One of my college professors told me that confusion is a good thing because it means that understanding is right around the corner. It makes sense, doesn't it? When I'm learning something new, something really difficult, I'm normally confused at the beginning--hence the "flickering." The dissonance, uncertainty, it means that I'm learning something completely new--and it's totally blowing my mind.

So on days like this, when the bulb's flickered for days but is now glowing steadily, I sit back and enjoy the light. 

Ron Clark Revelations

This time of the year always gets me thinking about my most memorable teacher experience outside of the the classroom. Two Octobers ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for the Ron Clark Academy Conference. 

Talk about memorable. 

That conference rocked my socks off. I was completely amazed at the things that this small, independent school was doing! 

I was able to observe numerous teachers instruct their classrooms during the conference. They were dancing on their desks, singing at the top of their lungs, and most importantly, sharing their love for learning with the students every day. Now, I'm a fairly energetic teacher, but Ron Clark and his staff put me to shame. They were "on" the entire duration of the conference...they wore me out just watching them! 

But you know what? It totally made me step my game up as a teacher. After watching the RCA staff at the conference, I knew that this was the kind of teacher I wanted to be--Every. Single. Day. 

So every October, I revisit either my notes, a video, or books I received from the RCA conference to reflect on the commitment of excellence (and energy) I made to my students and to myself...here's my pick for this October--RCA staff puts on a "Step Show" for their students on the first day of school. Enjoy! 

Just Jazzed

We visit the American Jazz and Negro Baseball League Museums tomorrow.

I have NEVER been so excited for a field trip! 

First of all, this trip ties in so well with our social studies curriculum! We've been studying influential figures in Kansas City's history. This is the first year we've focused on a specific time period (1920-1950) and group of people (Jazz musicians and Negro League Baseball players).

I'll be honest, I didn't know much about this part of Kansas City's history before we started this unit. Sure, I've been to 18th and Vine to listen to a friend play at the Blue Room. I've attended performances at the Gem Theater and even danced at the Rhythm & Ribs Festival behind the two museums. But I'd never spent a Saturday afternoon at either museum.

Well, that's just what I decided to do. 

I spent two hours on a Saturday morning at the American Jazz and Negro Baseball League Museums with my teaching partner. We decided to preview the museums to prepare ourselves--and in turn, our students--for the upcoming field trip.

We armed ourselves with notebooks and pens, ready to record all of the information we'd learn along the way. There was so much to see, I couldn't write fast enough. There were so many objects, facts, pictures, and displays to connect to the information we've learned in social studies class. We were practically pressing our noses against the display cases, hoping to absorb as much jazz and baseball as possible. We wore headphones, pressed buttons, and whispered, "Hey, over here! Wouldn't they like this?!" to one another. Partially through our self-guided tour, we wandered into the Blue Room, a traditional-style jazz club that is part of the museum exhibit. We ran into a maintenance staffer--Elliot, I believe, was his name--and he imparted so much knowledge about the Historic 18th and Vine District, I thought I was going to run out of pages in my notebook. I mean, the man lived this history--he was there, he saw it, he knew the very people we'd been studying in class. For goodness' sake, his own sister married the son of one of the baseball players we're studying! Needless to say, this preview trip fired me up about bringing my students to the museums.

As if I needed more of a reason to be excited, my very own mother, a talented artist and poet, will be part of  American Jazz Museum's "Beyond Words: A Fusion of Poetry, Visual Art, and Jazz" exhibit. My students will actually get to see my mom's work at the museum--how's that for a tie-in, eh?

During lunch, we'll walk stop by the Mutual Musicians' Foundation, a spot that I just recently discovered over the summer with some of my musician friends. Talk about history, this place has been around forever and has housed some of the world's most famous musicians. Now, this is still a working establishment, so there's no way I'd bring my kiddos inside, but we'll stand on the steps and just imagine the jazz goin' on in that place.

I swear, just thinking about tomorrow's field trip gives me teacher goosebumps. But you know what, that's because we planned this field trip the right way. We taught the information before the field trip--that way our students will engage in the material on a much deeper level. Because they've heard the stories and studied the facts, they'll have answers--not guesses--to the guide's questions. Their eyes will light up when they see Charlie Parker's plastic saxophone because they know what it's made of and what it's worth. They know to look for the neon signs hung in the museum; they know these signs belonged to just a few of the 50+ jazz clubs that covered a four-block area of the jazz district.

Oh, did I mention that in addition to all that, my students will get to participate in a Jazz Storytelling session before their tour? Just go ahead and add it to the list of amazing things we're doing tomorrow.