What Keeps You Up at Night?
Do you have a list? We worry about so many things like how to pay the bills, is my job secure, will I ever get rid of this pain in my back, are the kids going to make it in school. My children are adults, and my grandchildren are doing really well but let’s face it we have all been changed by the pandemic and the economy.
I recently met an 8-year-old boy from Florida whose kindergarten experience was a Zoom meeting once a week for an hour. This year, third grade, he has had five different teachers.
The students and teachers are losing.
Last night, about 4:15 am, I am wide awake thinking about what could help, fix or at least stimulate improvement and learning in our schools. These kids are our future! We need to support our education system for the sake of our communities and our nation as a whole. We cannot abandon them.
Naming things for teachers such as higher pay, lower class sizes, supplies (including books!) are well known. Students need consistency, healthy lunches, and excellent teachers and of course (books!). They both need a safe environment.
But what else? This is where my brain just took off….
What about summer sessions? Not just more of the regular school year. Modules, days dedicated to special topics, field trips, and time spent outside.
Students could:
plant a garden with vegetables or flowers or just grow one plant
put on a play and make their own costumes and props
learn how to play hand drums and have a drum circle
write their own books and draw their own illustrations
learn about NASA and space exploration
cook a meal for their class
learn about manners and social skills and why they matter
learn about the environment
learn about climate change
find out where Canada, the Ukraine and Japan are on a map
learn about improv “yes and…”
make their own videos
learn how to teach dogs to sit, stay and come
learn how to organize a closet, bookshelf or kitchen
learn about the life of a sea turtle
learn the names of local trees and why we need more trees
explore ways to be kind and helpful
experience a simulation of a “deaf” world for a few hours
write a letter to a student in a foreign country
learn about transportation from bikes to trucks, to jets and boats
listen to a book read to them for 30 minutes each day.
All of these activities involve math, science, literacy, problem solving and creativity.
I eventually fell back to sleep, my mind at ease. I needed to feel hope for these children, teachers, parents and the rest of us living in this world. I hope someone reads this and takes all my ideas. They are not really my ideas. However, it is not random either. If the ideas came to my mind, I feel I was meant to write and talk about them.
Obviously, the situation in our educational system is complex and will require individuals in leadership roles to initiate programs, change attitudes and bring us into a brighter future.
It can be fun to stimulate intellectual curiosity and try new things while allowing teachers to do what they do best and watching children flourish and prosper. When children and teachers are enjoying the experience it works!
