Do you ever have those moments when you take a second to stop and scan your classroom and you think,” Oofta! This place is a disaster!”  If you haven’t…. Please tell me your secret to keeping seven year olds tidy!  But if you’re like me, this scene is more of a daily occurrence. :) 

From the very beginning of my career I have always believed that if the kids are the ones doing the work, they are the ones learning.  Now, I will tell you, that way of thinking does not always lend itself to Pinterest worthy bulletin boards and Facebook posts. I started teaching in kindergarten...need I say more?  But what it does leave you with is a classroom full of students proud of their work, students who are 100 times more sure of their work's purpose and students who are gaining more understanding of the learning.    

Just last week, my classroom, to one passing by, may have looked like a scene of utter chaos.  But to me and my students, we were in the learning zone!  Paper scapes were everywhere. Glue and popsicle sticks and construction paper scattered the floor.  Students' discussion filled the room (along with a little music..because why not?).  It was a messy, loud, beautiful sight.  I overhear a table of students talking.  One student said, “Look at this mess!  We have stuff everywhere.”  The other student turned and said, “That’s okay!  We are getting a little messy, but we are learning and having fun! Right, Mrs. Rigsby!?”  Music to my ears! 

If you are wanting Pinterest worthy, I can understand that.  There is a lot of pressure and eyes on us as educators that make us feel we need to live up to certain expectations.  But I would encourage you to examine the ‘Why” of you needing that picture perfect project.  Is the student at the center of that project and the learning?
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So, will my classroom look like a tornado went through it on a daily basis… probably.  But there is beauty in that mess.  You just might have to dig down past all the construction paper and glue to see it. :) 

By the end of the morning my students had written over 20 different letters to workers in our community, thanking them for working through the nights, the bitter cold weather, and leaving their families behind so we could have heat and power to our homes. They took time to decorate each letter and used their best handwriting. They worried about spelling and even wrote some jokes to make the workers laugh. I have delivered the letters to the appropriate places for our community workers to read and feel the love. 
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This particular morning wasn’t planned. This was completely student driven and teacher supported. On this morning, amongst the craziness of what our day and week had held, my second graders showed true empathy for their community workers and for their classmates. There was no better way to start Valentine’s Day weekend.
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Then the students were sent out with a National Geographic article about these bug-eating plants. They were given sticky notes and got to work reading to find answers to our questions. Students were engaged and excited. You could hear so many different conversations happening. Students were talking to each other about the answers they were finding, discussing their misconceptions about how the plant works and proving each other’s predictions from the text! 
The perfect lesson doesn’t have to be expensive, incorporate a fancy technology project, or take hours to plan. Sometimes all you need is a good hook and an interesting topic to get the ball rolling. ​