Time to Play

Today I had the opportunity to sit down with another teacher in my school and “play on the computer.”  We used glogster.com to create pages for her wiki space, created slide shows to display class pictures on her wiki, and discussed uploading a video that she had just made with her class.  To hear us talking you would have thought we had just won the lottery, and in many ways I guess we had.  A student working nearby actually looked up and said, “Wow, y’all are having fun!”  The truth was we were, or at least I was.  

School had ended for the day.  It is cold and rainy here.  Tomorrow is the last day before spring break and testing starts the week we return.  I actually spent some time on test prep with my students today.  All of these things could tend to dampen my mood, and yet fifteen minutes of sharing something I was excited about with someone else who shared my excitement cleared the skies and put a smile on my face.  Fifteen minutes.  That is all it took.

What kind of a difference could I make in a student’s day if I gave them each their fifteen minutes?  

Now to be clear, I think choice in the classroom is very important.  I believe student interest is vital in the classroom and we work largely on projects and problem solving.  But as my kids walked out the door today I am afraid that what they will remember from today is: desks in rows, silent practice, and a bubble sheet.  

I find myself conflicted.  In fairness to my students I want them to be prepared for the format and procedures of testing.  They do not line up with our usual classroom procedures.  I need to expose them to that, but at what price?  

So today I had my fifteen minutes.  And tomorrow, I hope it continues to remind me that we all learn more when we learn from each other.  I hope that my students head into their spring break excited about what we are learning.  I hope that they  leave having had  their own time to “play.”