Whole Child Education

I remember the moment clearly when it clicked for me. I was sitting on the couch with my three-year-old two weeks ago. We were both happy. Him watching Toy Story 2. Me sitting next to him. He reached out and grabbed my hand. For the next three minutes, he held it. We didn't say a word. We didn't need to. We just shared a blanket, enjoying each others' proximity and what was on TV.

As an often nervous parent, I am prone to overanalyzing situations involving my children. I will run through a litany of questions, chief among them: Are they happy? Are they safe? Am I doing the right thing as a parent? These, and a multitude of other questions, often blind me to what's in front of me—two healthy, happy little boys, eager to experiment with the world and all the things within it. It is my neurosis that gets in their way.

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A friend of mine's daughter took a picture of herself using his phone. She is 18 months old. He should be glad she didn't do something else with it. He captioned it, "Caden's first selfie." We call these pictures "selfies" because it's a picture taken of yourself, by ... yourself. I thought his daughter looked adorable with her big smile. I am not a fan of my own selfies because I think they bring out my worst qualities (too many to list).

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In order for me to lead effectively in my classroom, I needed to make sure I was teaching the right things. Otherwise, what were students learning? And, why were they learning it?

Students need to be personally invested in their learning in order for them to be most successful. What's taught needs to be relevant to them. The curriculum can be rigorous to the 10th power, but if it isn't taught in a way that is engaging and fun, students will not produce work that is reflective, vulnerable, risky, and potentially full of mistakes.

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