Day 2: Cultivating Interests

The second day of class will continue the work of the first, getting to know my new students and find out what things matter to them.  I have 80 minutes to work with.  We will start out by heading to the Library, and setting up camp in a corner with comfortable chairs and access to all of the books in the school.

I’ll ask the kids to take the time to really explore the place, to find a comfortable spot, and to start pulling some titles.  They’ll be able to begin reading the text to see if it may interest them.  If they are already in a book, they will be generating a “Reading Futures” list in their journals.  While this is going on, I’ll be pulling students aside to talk to them about their lives.  We’ll discuss their life in school, their life at home, their life with friends, their goals and dreams for the future. 

I’m excited to give them this time.  I’m excited to watch them go through the stacks, and have longer than 5 minutes to figure out which book they will read.  I’m looking forward to finding books for them if they need help, to facilitate a spark or interest that they never may have known existed.

When their ePortfolios are up and running, they will digitize the document that they create today, a reference point that they can constantly change as their interests change.  The Interest Inventory is the first step in class towards empowering my students to take an active part in their path through the year, and their lives.

Are we providing enough opportunity to listen and observe our students?

Are we occasioning space for these interactions to occur, between students and book, between teachers and students?

Are we gifting ALL of our students, not just the “high flyers”, with the chance to own their educations, to become active participants in their own development?