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A Classroom Where All Students Are Learning
Where after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places close to home-- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world . . . Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. --Eleanor Roosevelt, March 27th, 1958, Remarks at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
When my incoming third graders cross the threshold of my classroom, in a "small place, close to home," on that first day of school, my goal will be to help each of them discover, unfurl, nurture and celebrate that uniqueness within them that makes them special. Some of them are formally recognized to receive state-mandated special services but I believe that all of my students have "special needs." They each deserve a teacher who will love, respect and understand them as individuals, help them feel and be included. I will be their partner in helping them to meet with success socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. These are their basic needs. These are their basic rights.
I have interspersed several of the many quotations that I share and discuss with my students in hope they will inspire them throughout their journey with me. I hope they will inspire you too, and encourage you to seek out and share some of your own. My third graders' global horizons are expanded through my many selections because I strive to collect inspirational words from a diverse cultural base.
Setting up a partnership of learning with my students from the first days of school is my primary goal because it becomes the foundation for learning that enables each and every child to maximize and even reach beyond perceived potential in a safe, accepting environment. Spending quality time teaching communication, cooperation and friendship skills is a top priority for me.
In Bainbridge Island schools, General Education and Special Education teachers meet regularly to discuss and plan the placement, services and needs of each of our identified special needs students as well as for children of concern not yet formally identified. This collaborative commitment to our students continues through the child's transition to our intermediate school as well.
Although the district is committed philosophically to the inclusion model for educating our special needs students, this is not a rigidly held philosophy and is modified according to what is most effective and beneficial for individual students.
We learn together in hands-on, experientially based multicultural classrooms where students work collaboratively and individually to meet their challenges. Together, from the first day of school, we begin establishing our classroom community-- a safe, nurturing and accepting place to be, which enables us all to take risks that facilitate our growth as human beings. We come to learn together that we all have different areas of strength; we have differing skill bases and individual challenges to overcome, but, we are a TEAM. "Together, Everyone Achieves More." That's our motto. We support each other. We care.
Just as children have different learning styles that we honor and respect, so do teachers. I teach and adapt components of several different programs while also developing my own project based units that support, enhance and enrich grade/state level curricular goals. This approach enables me to successfully engage all students in real world learning opportunities. As Margaret Mead once said, " If children don't learn the way you teach, teach the way they learn." I live and teach by her words. My students love to learn.
If you treat people as if they are what they ought to be, you help them become what they are capable of being. --Goethe My philosophy has also been shaped by my six years as a demonstration teacher at one of the country's most renowned laboratory elementary schools. At UCLA's University Elementary School (UES) in Los Angeles, California, teachers are charged with the responsibility of developing new and innovative teaching strategies that can be readily implemented in the public school environment. It was an exciting, stimulating and rewarding place to teach. Having since then taught 15 years in the public schools on Bainbridge Island, I feel immensely gratified to have been able to implement many of the learning strategies honed and explored during my UES days.
While at UES, I was strongly influenced by the teachings of John Dewey, regarded as one of the most influential thinkers on education in the 20th century. Those were defining days for me professionally where children were the heart of our educational philosophy. They learned by doing, by being involved in thought-provoking activities where problem solving skills and opportunities for learning to think creatively were presented in rich, real world experiences. I have also been influenced by the teachings of Carl Rogers, best known as both a clinical and educational psychologist, who was also influenced by John Dewey's work, especially the concept of learning by experience.
Before accepting the job at UES back in 1984, I had been the coordinator of the Volunteer Services for the Teen Canteen on Skid Row. Our offices were located in the Greyhound Bus station in the seediest, most depressing sector of downtown LA, just blocks away from the thriving economic hub of the city. The Teen Canteen was a drop-in crisis intervention program established to help runaways and other youth away from home. It was an innovative arm of Traveler's Aid Society, an agency that had been around to help people of the move for over 40 years.
Teen Canteen counselors ascribed to an alternation social service model based on the teachings of Carl Rogers. Our goals were to empower our clients, providing them with options while not making judgments and/or assumptions about them, their lives, or the poor choices they'd made that landed them in our offices in the first place. The goal was to get them to take responsibility for themselves. If they left our offices and went out and made another poor decision, our doors were still open for them to come back and forge a new plan. I was amazed by the effectiveness of an approach that taught people how to learn from their experiences. Being understood and valued affords us all the freedom to grow.
The interpersonal relationship between the teacher (as facilitator) and the learner was also a key component of Carl Rogers' work and remains a strong influence in my teaching. Simply said, there are three attitudes to help a teacher facilitate learning: The teacher needs to: "be real", being him or herself in a genuine way with the students; honor the learner, thereby creating a basic trust where they know their feelings and opinions matter; have an empathetic understanding of the learner so they feel understood from their point of view. I know and feel in my heart that these attitudes continue to make a difference in my life, the lives of my students and their parents.
While it is my professional responsibility and obligation to make sure that grade/ state level curricular goals and objectives are met for all of my students to the best of their ability, how I facilitate this journey for my students needs to be left to my professional judgment reflected through my individual teaching style. My "realness" must be allowed to flourish and engage my learners. When, in the name of assessment and teacher accountability, the emphasis continues to shift towards being "on the same page on the same day," my colleagues and I begin to question why we entered a profession that so stifles creativity and misplaces value on sameness. Contradictions abound.
We need to keep working hard to accommodate as many different types of learners as possible, providing them with options, empowering them to actively engage in experiential learning, allowing them to make mistakes, learning from them and moving on, in a safe and trusting environment.
Each person exhibits a unique intellectual profile with preferred methods of approaching and solving problems. Thus a standardized approach to education faces the serious problem of inevitably neglecting many students. --Noel White, Tina Blythe and Howard Gardner Establishing that environment begins before the first day of school. My students who have qualified for special services already know that I am their teacher. In the final two weeks of our spring term, I meet with their parents and our special education team to facilitate their transition to the fall term. I have also met with several students in my classroom over the summer, having them help me set up the room, organize library books, check all the markers, sharpen pencils. These are special moments when I can establish that first connection of trust and friendship that enables them to feel like they matter to me.
Several of these kids will have assisted me ahead of time by calling all the children in the class, requesting that they bring a long stemmed flower from their gardens on the first day of school. I always bring extras. This responsibility is a natural way for them to feel connected to their classmates. I model the calling for them and coach them through a few calls until they are ready to go it on their own. Prideful smiles stretching from ear to ear are flashing after their first solo call. On the first day of school I take a picture of each child with his or her special flower. I save this photo, along with the countless other pictures I take during the year, for their end of the school year's personal scrapbook project.
One of our first activities will be to sit in a circle on the rug and take turns introducing ourselves. We do this while placing our flower in our community vase in the middle of the rug. Children are encouraged to share something special they'd like us to know about them. They also share a personal goal for the school year. I usually start this activity both to break the ice and model the procedure. I am always amazed at how responsive students are. There have been several instances when I have needed to assist a child who was initially shy. I had a child with selective mutism who quietly whispered in my ear her responses and a few with language articulation challenges that need interpretation. The rest of the class waited patiently. Within a month she was not only confidently speaking up she was becoming more actively engaged and audible in reciting her poetry selection during our weekly Friday afternoon recitals in front of a supportive parent audience. When we are done with this activity I might say, "So, how are you feeling about school so far?"
We talk about how we are feeling compared to the days and moment before entering the classroom that first day. The emotional weights of worry, doubt, anticipation, uncertainly start getting lighter as children's voices are heard. I will be asking them this question in a spontaneous manner throughout the day. Towards the end of the day, invariably someone will pipe up with, " We're FINE!!! HOW MANY MORE TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO ASK US THIS QUESTION????" Case closed. We're feeling good! They already know that I was feeling just as nervous as they were about the start of school, wondering if they were going to like me and feel good about being in my class. For some, this reality astounded them. Again, being "real" with students makes you more human in their eyes.
I take a few minutes to orient students to my goals for the day before reading, Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. I am a creature of traditions. For 14 years I have worn the same schoolhouse flour sack dress ONLY on the first and last day of the school year. (I also have matching earrings and necklace to complete the ensemble. Kids love tradition and cannot believe how soon it is when I have that outfit on again!) That is also the only time I read and we discuss the key concepts of this book as well. What a contrast between the level of conversation on the first and last days! Were "Off to great places" together in September but in June we are saying goodbye for they are off to great places in the 4th grade. The book is full of cleverly presented guiding principles for living our lives. We discuss, list and post all the catchy expressions and refer back to them throughout the year.
This is also a good time to introduce students to the words of my mentor, Eleanor Roosevelt. We learn more about her life and advocacy for society's marginalized citizens in December, timed with the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th. I say, "Listen to these words. Take time to think about what they might be saying to you:"
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. -- Eleanor Roosevelt Within minutes someone has figured out that our individual successes will be determined by our attitudes. These are powerful words. What touches me most deeply is when a student reminds ME to remember Eleanor's words when I too encounter challenges in my day. We take several minutes to share times when we have been challenged and how we overcame them. We discuss some of the challenges they anticipate they'll be facing in third grade, usually learning cursive and multiplication top the list! They seem more relaxed already knowing that someone really famous has afforded us words to live by.
Last spring my students and I welcomed Pat Baillargeon, Eleanor Roosevelt's assistant at the United Nations from 1953-60, and a local Bainbridge Island resident, into our classroom community. She inspired us with her personal stories about her experiences working for and with Mrs. Roosevelt, who by then we had already studied a great deal about. We also asked Ms. Baillargeon questions about her own life. We were not at all surprised to hear that she too cared deeply and advocated for rights and services for those in need.
My students looked into the eyes of this remarkable and ever so humble woman, with a poster of Eleanor Roosevelt at about the same age taped to the whiteboard behind her, for close to an hour. There was not a modicum of distraction. As they sat before her on the rug I believe transference was occurring. This is what it must have been like to have been listening to Eleanor Roosevelt. Connections. Because Ms. Baillargeon was unable to attend their Working Harbor Culmination, they elected to present her with a mini-performance and did so proudly. " I was absolutely thrilled with their presentation, of their creativity, thoughtfulness and knowledge."
And speaking of connections . . . Here will be, I anticipate, one of the highlights of the day this year-- listening to and singing our new classroom theme song, thanks to Eric Bibb, a very talented blues performer whom I met at the Vancouver Folk Festival recently. He treated his audience to this newly released song from his Friends album called, Connected. I got goose bumps and tears filled my eyes as I listened. I told him of my intentions to teach his song to my 3rd graders and he beamed with pleasure at our getting connected through his song!
Eric's lyrics merge perfectly with our district's multicultural education goals of having each student " feel valued and respected, be successful both academically and socially, recognize and understand diverse perspective and make meaningful contributions in a democratic society." I will entice you with just the first excerpted lines:
Got my own set of heroes, that mean something to me.
I got my own road to travel, my own stories to tell--
In my own time.Got my own way of talkin', got my own way to smile,
Got my own way of walkin' my own look and style.
Got my own way of prayin', my very own way to sing--
Still, I'm connected to you, and every one and every thing-- Eric Bibb, ConnectionsThe visual and performing arts are language forms that I treasure and integrate throughout my curriculum. Through Teaching Tolerance magazine you can obtain a wonderful CD and songbook full of wonderfully inspirational songs to empower your teaching. Should you visit our classroom on a Tuesday, you'll be arriving on The Mickey Mouse Club's Guest Star Day, so be prepared to be honored by 26 enthusiastic performers! I know I am dating myself, but that was one of the only shows on TV when I was a kid growing up just miles away from Disneyland. Imagine how thrilled I was to find both the Mickey Mouse Club songs record AND a used Mickey Mouse Club shirt at two different thrift stores a few years ago! I now have my very own ears with my name on them thanks to a thoughtful student returning from a spring visit to Disneyland. I take Carl Roger's directive to be REAL with my student very seriously! Their buy-in is directly related to my inhibition about getting into the moment.
It is always my goal to have our Class Agreement posted by lunchtime on the first day. The name changes yearly by class vote, but the conversation is always the same. I ask, "What are the conditions that you need to have present in your classroom in order for you to be a happy, successful, confident learner? When you think about this, try to put your ideas in a positive tone. For example, if you don't like it when someone interrupts you while you are speaking, how would you put that in a positive tone?" This is VERY hard at first. Ultimately someone will say, "I like to be listened to when I speak." Bingo. We are on our way. We limit the list to 10 entries and discuss them as we go to get the wording the way they like it.
I try to call on a good cross-section of my students, especially my special needs kids and ones that seem a bit tentative. I might coax them through their thinking process and ask them if they'd like help when I sense they might need/want it. I always make a point of acknowledging whatever input they've given. If they pass all together, I let them know that's okay and we'll hear from them next time. It is important to always dignify whatever in contributed and the potential for contribution.
When we complete our task, often taking upwards of 45 minutes, we read it together off the chart paper I've written on, and then several students volunteer to recopy it. We all ceremoniously sign it as a personal pledge to honor the agreement both within and outside the classroom. I bring out all the Class Agreements from past years for us to peruse. Kids are amazed at the similarities over the years!
Starting the following Monday, we will be reading our Class Agreement aloud every Monday, singing, Connected followed by the recitation of our Chinese proverb that celebrates our connectedness to our world:
If there is a light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
This year, I will have a student for whom these activities and discussion might be over his capacity to comprehend. He has significant language comprehension challenges as well as being prone to significant anxiety attacks. Knowing his family, his sister having been in my classroom 4 years ago, will enable us to work together to help this boy make whatever connections he is able to make at his own level. The child I am speaking about has recently left me a phone message to confirm he'd like to help out in my classroom before school begins, with his sister, my student four years ago. I could clearly hear his mom in the background helping him to leave a clear, friendly and polite message. I am beaming with the pleasure of and validations for making these early connections with this child who deserves to have a successful year with me.
One of the ways I afford children leadership opportunities is when I have a substitute teacher. When possible, I pre-select one of my identified special needs students to lead this activity. They know in advance that they might be called upon and there is always a "helper" identified in case they get stage fright. Personal empowerment comes from serving a meaningful purpose in front of your peers. Because we have a Class Agreement that creates a safe and trusting environment, students readily step up to the plate to serve. I consistently get wonderful notes from my subs, appreciating the climate of kindness, cooperation and connectedness. This is wonderful validation for a time consuming process!
There are numerous other activities students become engaged in those first days of school to build community, foster friendships and develop a level of trust within the classroom. It gradually becomes apparent where every child is coming from and where their strengths, challenges, vulnerabilities lie. Throughout our activities I am observing, guiding and modeling appropriate ways to interact.
In an effort to enhance my students' learning potential, this year I will be introducing and integrating Anne Green Gilbert's body/brain warm-up activity called, Brain Dance. I leaned about this technique and its effectiveness with special needs kids last spring when I took a workshop sponsored by The Bainbridge Island Arts Education Community Consortium. (Check it out on the Web to better understand the theoretical foundation at www.creativedance.org) There are 8 patterns to cycle through, intended to ready the brain for learning and aid in the development of appropriate behaviors and social skill. I was impressed by how much my students LOVED learning and moving through the patterns. They especially loved the "vestibular" spinning movement both because it was a big, complicated sounding word that I assured them their parents probably didn't know . . . AND because it was fun to do! This was not only an activity we did before standardized testing, performances and presentations, it was often requested as we listened to relaxing music: "Ms. Mendoza, this is great Brain Dancing music!"
By the end of the first week of school students are ready for Feeling Cube circle. This becomes a Friday ritual of immense value and importance to my students. They are not at all pleased when we have to miss it on occasion. Feeling Cube is very similar to the concept of the Native American talking stick. We create a safe circle by holding hands, raising them above our heads and gently move them counting 1-2-3. Now the circle is safe for people to take turns rolling the cube and sharing a time they felt or feel: HAPPY, SAD, SCARED, LOVE, NERVOUS, EXCITED, trusting that they will be respectfully listened to and that whatever is shared stays within the classroom. (As we get into the year, children elect to substitute an emotion word instead of rolling the cube. WONDER, PROUD and AMUSED become regular substitutions. One can also choose not to roll and just go to the word they choose should they have a strong urge to share a feeling/event.) I set parameters for sharing feelings, offering outlets to discuss personal issues/worries/concerns that might not be appropriate to share within the group.
I have been doing Feeling Cube circle for over 20 years now. My former students, many in college, still remember Feeling Cube and the story of Joe. I came up with Feeling Cube out of desperation in an attempt to help 5-year-old Joe deal with his unpredictable rages. I also had come from a work environment at the Teen Canteen where I witnessed the consequences of low self-esteem on the poor and often dangerous decisions young adults were making. I had at that time a 5 year old whom I was determined to connect with through whatever means I could. I relied on and trusted Carl Rogers's teachings to guide me.
Joe was an angry child, already well known at UES by the time I came on the scene as the new team member in Early Childhood Unit. Joe was truly a "special needs" child who desperately needed help. As a toddler burn victim being raised by a well intentioned but highly dysfunctional single mother, Joe showed up almost everyday in military fatigues with a smile nowhere to be seen or accessed. I still have the photo he let me take of him (and each of his classmates) sitting in front of a big red heart for Valentine's Day. When I showed it to him he instinctively grabbed it from my hand, clutched the closest pen and drew a black line through his cautiously smiling face. "I HATE THIS PICTURE!!!" Somehow he allowed me to have it back, promising never to show it to him or anyone else ever again. My heart hurt with his pain.
It was quite evident that Joe was ruling the classroom, resulting in having the boys be especially cautious and wary around him. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of Joe. In order for us all to feel safe, I had to help get Joe to feel safe. In the initial days of Feeling Cube, if Joe rolled SCARED or LOVE, he would push the cube away in disgust. "I am not SCARED of ANYTHING!" Or, "LOVE is a GIRL word." Predictably, the boys following him would either pass or roll again if they rolled LOVE or SCARED. If Joe didn't do SCARED or LOVE, far be it from them to do so. A breakthrough came on day when Robert, sitting ahead of Joe, rolled SCARED and immediately launched into a recap of his nightmare where his sister, Magali's shoes started walking out of her closet and onto his bed. He was visibly still processing this nightmare when he passed the cube to Joe, who hesitated. He looked at me. He looked at Robert. Pause. "I have this nightmare that I getting burned up all over again." No one said a word. I fought back tears.
In Feeling Cube, only the person talking can share. When we were all done, however, I went back first to Robert but also wondering where Joe was inside. I asked how many other kids have nightmares? MANY hands went up. Several shared. Joe then called out, "We should make our own nightmare BOOKS!" Child-centered learning in its prime! Books were made, covers creatively and distinctively decorated. Parent helpers, aids, my UCLA student teacher were always available as scribes.
I was Joe's teacher for 3 years, moving up with him from the Early Childhood to Lower Elementary Unit. Joe was one of those kids who grew on you. His little soul was brimming with potential for greatness. I was able to helping Joe learn how to get what he wanted without creating problems for others. I gave him leadership opportunities that facilitated the emergence of a healthy level of self-esteem for the first time in his life. Kids looked up to him as a leader and holder of truths on many levels. We learned in an environment that raised children's awareness and respect for diversity, our need for encouragement as we face challenges and our need to be understood. These were and remain life long lessons in humanity for all of my students. Our diversity makes us unique, rich and infinitely interesting!
At age 22, Joe is still in my life. We talk at least once a year with the phone ringing usually after 10P.M. Joe has visited me twice in Washington in the past year. Those visits were the kinds of the moments that I know for certain I chose the right profession in life. Joe is a wonderful young man, with a huge heart, still full of compassion for those people marginalized in our world. He has been an advocate for social justice since he was 6 years old. I will always remember the day when he verbally chastised one of his classmates for being insensitive during our rug meeting for calling the seemingly homeless man walking across our play yard a "bum." I had trouble with his delivery, but his message was right on . . . it is not for us to judge and label people. There is still that old familiar obstreperous, defiant streak in Joe today. He redefines "walking to the beat of his own drum." He is a bright, articulate, relatively self-confident man who has wonderful dreams for his future.
With a third grade social studies focus on Pacific Rim cultures and international trade, there are numerous avenues to teach children about the world around them, engaging them in ways that help them realize that they have the power to make a difference in the world. During my summer vacations I have traveled to Japan, Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Europe and next summer will go to Turkey, where my 25 year-old son, Andrew, is teaching English. I thrive on finding creative ways to integrate my travel experiences into my teaching so that my students can, in a sense, become "virtual travelers" through the stories I tell and the units of study I create. Being exposed to rich, exciting and diverse cultures allows children to discover the many ways our cultures share both connections and contrasts. This is a powerful, meaningful and rewarding experience for students and parents alike.
In this article I have chosen to highlight just a few of the projects that my students are actively engaged in during their year with me. (Since brevity is not my strong suit, I want you to be able to read all of this in one sitting!) No matter what their "special needs" all of my students have been and will be involved in the production and selling of our 12th Annual Kids Can Make a Difference Calendar in our community. Funds raised are used to construct school classrooms and libraries on Bainbridge Island's Sister Island, Ometepe, Nicaragua. Students work in collaborative partnerships, making decisions, finding room to compromise and supporting each other during moments of personal challenge, and there are plenty! My identified special needs kids work right along with us, getting support only as needed or requested.
The pride and ownership of this project is the natural motivator for success. There are many opportunities to witness and assess components of Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements at play in this project that parents never fail to observe and commend. I will be making my third trip to Ometepe this year to present the calendar proceeds with the high school delegation. Several of my former students will be delegates; visiting the first school library they funded, with me, their former 3rd grade teacher!!!
When students start building their scale model of a working harbor vessel in the spring, all students will meet with success, supported by their classmates, parents, "retired crew" from the previous year, and our school community. Last year, my best builder ever was one of my most academically challenged children. He was the star of the construction yard, helping out and giving advice with confidence.
When the evening of our Working Harbor Culmination arrives, families and friends gather in our gym to enjoy a student-led performance that includes the singing of sea chanteys, a Sailor's Hornpipe dance, recitations of maritime poetry and speeches that cover the diverse aspects of the study. Weeks and weeks of efforts culminate when their working harbor comes alive. Students assume command of their vessels treating the audience to an authentic simulation of life in the working harbor including the actual dialogue that is exchanged, between ship captains and Vessel Traffic Service as they navigate in and out of "Elliott Bay." The key components of this dialogue were adapted from an actual recording provided by the commander of the US Coast Guard VTS station in Seattle during his presentation to my class years ago.
Our "Elliott Bay" was created during After School Club, a clever way to milk more time out of the kids to meet our deadline! With the added enticement of parent-provided snacks, I had almost my full class excitedly committed to staying after school for close to a week. My special needs kids were active participants in helping to create an artistic, mixed media, 26-foot long by 6 feet high panorama mural of the natural environment behind Seattle's working waterfront, a block community representing all the important waterfront services promoting trade, and "Elliott Bay" itself which consisted of copious quantities of blue butcher paper authenticated with pertinent navigational markings taken from an actual navigational chart. Our working harbor LIVED!
During the performance it was virtually impossible to identify my "special needs" students because they projected themselves as the self-confident, prepared ship captains that they were! When necessary, I coached them individually, worked with parents to assure their success and never ever let them feel they were not up to the task. I believed in them. Several of these children eagerly signed on for "extra duty," jumping in to assume far more responsibility than one might imagine they were capable. At the end of the night, Parents of these students in particular had tears in their eyes, overjoyed by their success. Their comments to me reinforced my firm conviction that meaningful engagement, clear expectations, accountability, and validation were keys to personal success. Yes indeed. They truly did live by Eleanor Roosevelt's words.
The day after Culmination they all came in so excited and proud of themselves. They talked and talked about all the feedback they got from their families. This was a huge production, but through it all they stuck together because what they were doing really mattered to them. Kids were very protective and nurturing to anyone who they sensed was either not pulling their weight or stressed out for some reason. Time and time again I would overhear little pep talks. And yes, several times my "special needs" kids were the coaches. When I opened up the conversation to a discussion of why they thought they were able to pull this event off so successfully, it wasn't long before someone said, "Because we remembered and believed in Eleanor Roosevelt's words! -- "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."
In conclusion, I believe to the core of my being that making connections with students through creating a classroom community together that is a safe and respectful place to learn, where all children are honored and respected for who they are, where the curriculum is engaging, relevant, rigorous and fun. It is the teacher as facilitator who steers the students' ships through both calm and rough seas, encouraging and supporting them as they take risks in their learning to become more successful, responsible, caring citizens of the world. Each student is my " special cargo." Each deserves to have his or her needs met in whatever way I am able.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! 98 and ¾ % guaranteed. KIDS, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! You're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way. --Dr. Seuss in Oh the Places You'll Go! At the beginning of each new school year I wonder, "do I have it in me for another year?" Intellectually, my enthusiasm for teaching continues to be energized by the connections I make with my students, parents, by our local and global community. However, Let me be "real" too, a la Carl Rodgers. I am not kidding when I am grunting as I lower myself down to and up from the rug several times a day! My students think I am staging this to garner sympathy, which they eagerly dole out and I willingly accept, but my grunts are for real! I figure this is yet another "teachable moment" in which I'm in a great position to model for my students how to age with dignity, humor and style! There is a delightful symbiosis going on where my students energize me year after year and I in turn get swept up in their joyful responses to our learning adventures together. My wish is for all of us to reach for the stars in our teaching, making what we do in our classrooms matter for all of our students all of the time. We owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves. Have a great year!
Alice Mendoza and a student
Alice Mendoza is a 3rd grade teacher for the Bainbridge Island School District, on Bainbridge Island, WA. Shas been teaching at Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary School for fifteen years. She works as the District Coordinator K-12 of Multicultural Education, a member of the District's Special Education Committee and the Facilitator of the Wilkes Student Council of 3/4 graders in a Pre-K through 4th grade school. She welcomes feedback and dialogue generated from the article at amendoza@bainbridge.wednet.edu.
©September 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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