seeing the student

Some people may walk into a classroom engaged in academic choice and see students playing and drawing. But, are they really seeing the students? Are they on the ground listening to the children in the block area discuss how to build a strong foundation? Are they pulled up close to the art table where children are authoring little books to fill their classroom library? Are they in the midst of the dramatic play space, where children are negotiating parts in their script?

Are they seeing the value in the children's work, exploration, and play?
Are they seeing the learning?
Are they seeing the students?

Teaching begins with seeing the student. It is often in the ordinary moments that we see our students, we see their interests and passions, their strengths and their goals, their hopes and their struggles. These are the moments that can go unnoticed - thus the student goes unseen.

An ordinary moment and a glimpse of the student. . .

The children continue to choose kind notes during our academic choice. The table is full of names with pictures, folded pieces of paper, markers and pens. I notice many children drawing hearts and add an "art punch" shaped like a heart to the materials. I fill a basket with colorful paper letter tiles and model gluing the tiles to a note - using the first letter in a friend's name. Clayton eagerly asks to join kind notes.

Clayton wants to write a kind note to Evan. But, he's hesitant to write the letters in Evan's name. I remind him about the letter tiles and suggest he build Evan's name. Clayton carefully pulls letter tiles out of the basket, holding each tile next to the letters in Evan's name, trying to find a match. He continues to sift through the tiles. He works hard for the entire choice time - searching, sorting, and matching. He builds and glues. He eagerly uses the heart punch.

This ordinary moment in the midst of academic choice helps us to see Clayton as a student and as a peer. His concentration and engagement was supported by his desire to share a kind note with a close friend. There are rich literacy elements to this observation - letter identification and word building. I found the child's persistence and stamina, fueled by the desire to write a kind note, to be an important part of this observation. Following academic choice Clayton shared his work with his peers, telling them how he built Evan's name. It was an authentic ordinary moment full of information. 

 

 

Later in the week I spotted another kind note tucked into a child's cubby. It was such a sweet little surprise waiting to be found, I had to capture it. There is a lot of love amongst our new community.