Zoobombers Are Wrong

Five ingredients in no particular order, except for safety:

Safety First: No one can learn if they are feeling anxious, scared, nervous and their brain is all topsy-turvy. Learning happens from a place of vulnerability, and if you're feeling safe, you'll relax and learn. Safety is about keeping scissors tucked away, anger productive and shame out the door.

Fun: People need to have fun. It's like water or vitamin D. I don't mean circus fun, I mean joy, like when you first learned to ride your bike without the training wheels.

Grace: Or forgiveness, or redemption or whatever you want to call it. No grace, then who wants to take risks? Nobody. No risks, no learning. Correct by affirming because yes, you messed up, but you're learning from it and down the road, you'll do better and these mistakes will teach you compassion.

Purpose: or a goal and plans or direction. Why am I here? Why am I learning this? Your plans are real nice and all teacher, but what about me? I'm not sure this "reading" thing you're pushing is all that awesome. A writing teacher used to say, "What's at stake?" What you do in the classroom needs to be relevant and purposeful to the individual lives of every student so they can see a connection between the classroom and their lives. When they see that connection, if it's productive, they'll want more. Plus it's a basic human need like fun and community.

Community: or reciprocity or membership. We need community to make the most of the classroom setting. Here's the speech I used to give my students: You're in a classroom because at some level you believe there's something to be gained by being around other people. So be honest and fair with each other. If someone messes up, call them on it in a spirit of forgiveness. If someone succeeds, celebrate with them. If someone's behind, hold their hand. If someone's ahead, ask for help.

I believe children need love. I don't mean hugs and kisses, I mean active engagement in their lives, curiosity about who they are, never giving up on them, never forcing your ideas onto them. You know, like for better or for worse, for richer, etc.
I believe teachers should always be learning and promoting learning. Here's my constant question: How is this helpful to the education of children?
I believe schools should build learning communities among teachers, students, and families.