In my last post I wrote about the need for the district to be cautious of trying to take on too many improvement efforts. My analogy (in that post) of driving a car at a fast speed, also applies to our classrooms. One of the challenges that our teachers face is finding how hard they can push their students to learn. If they are too soft, the students do not make adequate progress and if they miss the mark and push too hard, then the kids burn out and school becomes a slog. Further complicating matters, is that our digital native students often have a difficult time staying focused in a traditional classroom.
I attended Soldotna Middle School’s Turkey Trot today. This is an annual event where the 7th grade competes against the 8th grade in a series of fun games such as blowing a ping pong ball across the gym floor while suspended in a sling of bath towels. Although the staff tries to maintain a semblance of order during the games, (I’d call it pandemonium) the main purpose of the event appears to be to scream as loudly as possible. While the games and competition are fun, I sense that the main reason for the Trot is to offer that diversion or balance to our students’ schooling that we may overlook. It was a great way to begin the Thanksgiving break.
Finding the right balance with our students
In my last post I wrote about the need for the district to be cautious of trying to take on too many improvement efforts. My analogy (in that post) of driving a car at a fast speed, also applies to our classrooms. One of the challenges that our teachers face is finding how hard they can push their students to learn. If they are too soft, the students do not make adequate progress and if they miss the mark and push too hard, then the kids burn out and school becomes a slog. Further complicating matters, is that our digital native students often have a difficult time staying focused in a traditional classroom.
I attended Soldotna Middle School’s Turkey Trot today. This is an annual event where the 7th grade competes against the 8th grade in a series of fun games such as blowing a ping pong ball across the gym floor while suspended in a sling of bath towels. Although the staff tries to maintain a semblance of order during the games, (I’d call it pandemonium) the main purpose of the event appears to be to scream as loudly as possible. While the games and competition are fun, I sense that the main reason for the Trot is to offer that diversion or balance to our students’ schooling that we may overlook. It was a great way to begin the Thanksgiving break.
Happy Thanksgiving.