This week I stopped in a 4th grade classroom where writer's workshop was underway. Students were intently scattering from the meeting area to continue work on their feature articles. As I scanned the room, each student had a calendar with their writing work. When I asked a student about the calendar, this author let me know that with only 3 weeks left in the school year, each student had created his/her own deadlines to complete the phases of writing and publishing for this unit of study. One young author was very excited to share his work with me as he planned out the lay-out for his piece on "TS". (He informed me that TS is Tourette's syndrome, which is a condition that he has.) His goal is to build awareness of TS by printing 100 copies of his feature article to distribute. This young man's calendar included weekend work that he had set for himself to meet the target date. This student and I celebrated his hard work and commitment to this project. I was invited back to check in on his progress and receive a final copy of his publication. I gladly accepted this invitation! Less than 20 minutes had passed when this author found me in my office as I gathered supplies for a PLT meeting. He was excited to report that because today's work had been so successful, he was ahead of schedule. We shared another small celebration. I mistakenly judged that he would be able to take the weekend off and pick up with this writing piece next week. With a smile, he informed that this work was important and a break would not be in his weekend plans. He received no arguments from me…in fact, as a co-learner I was reminded of a valuable life lesson...meaningful work keeps the student engaged and increases the motivation towards success.
1 Comment
Andrea Sumy
5/17/2014 01:13:36 pm
Love this, Rena! What a meaningful response from the student who was fully invested!
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Dr. Rena Hawkins
I am the Principal of Maple Elementary School in Smithville, MO, and co-host of the #ShareMOEdu podcast. I am passionate about teaching and learning while supporting a school environment that promotes a positive climate. #ShareMOEdu airs every Thursday on iTunes and PodOmatic, highlighting an educator who has a positive message to share. Archives
January 2020
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