Day 53

Time

This is a slightly different post than my usual one. I don’t have a student voice for today — I’ll get back to it tomorrow — but something happened today that I wanted to bring up. I’m almost always moving around the room. I carry my notebook with me and jot down a few notes.  Normally I’m there to see what the students are doing, learn with them, and guide them in any way they see fit.

Today, I was the distraction. At the beginning of class, the students worked through a document — related to the global flow of silver — and wrote their understandings. We shared, gave feedback, and reflected. Then the students started to work on their own process.

My Problem

The students were working on their projects/inquiries. I grabbed my notebook and started making the rounds to the students. Every student I talked to, I interrupted. Their work flow stopped. Their concentration impeded. When anyone is a state of flow, they should be left alone.

However, teachers are trained to be in the mix. It’s our job to help. But, sometimes we are the problem. We are involved at the wrong moment. We don’t let the students wrestle with their work. At least I do and did on this particular day.