I'm so inspired by kids, everyday. I'm inspired by how they think, how they discover, how they believe, how they exude compassion, how they can and do change the world. The stories of these young entrepeneurs are more than amazing.
As teachers, we are constantly looking for new ideas to engage our learners beyond textbooks, and create extension activities for those who are moving fast or need a different path to content. We see ideas everywhere! The two "How to Draw..." images of a panda and koala came from the inside of my kids' cereal boxes. Thank you Nature's Path.
During a recent snow day, my five-year-old daughter started drawing the panda on her magna-doodle. Pretty soon she was transforming the original drawing ideas into a "dancing panda," adding bamboo for it to eat, and asking questions about pandas. So of course, I did a google search about pandas and stumbled across a few live panda cam sources.
Author note: I have a deep respect for researchers, and therefore find it necessary to own that I am not one. What is in this blog is what I have learned or am discovering through my own experiences as an educator. These are often anecdotes reframed to hopefully help other educators improve their practice. I have worked with many students, teachers, and administrators, but my "evidence" is layered with my biases, opinions, and passion for student learning.
This blog does not represent the science of teaching, but rather the art. It can be messy and maybe inaccurate, but hopefully it raises questions and causes readers to think and engage.