Allison Behne
January 4, 2013
I recently attended my husband's holiday party where a corporate comedy magician was the evening's entertainment. My plan was to sit in the back and hide, as I am not a person who likes to volunteer in events like this. Not only do I try to disappear in the crowd, but I often miss much of the event because I spend so much time worrying about being called on. How silly is that? I am an outgoing individual and have no problem speaking in front of others, yet when put on the spot, I freeze. I am happy to say, I made it through the evening without being noticed, and I learned a thing or two in the process.
The first thing I learned was that worrying about something can make an activity much less enjoyable. I did enjoy my evening, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have without the consuming worry of being called on. This makes me reflect on my teaching. Do my students fear being called on? Are they getting as much out of my class as they should be? How can I create an atmosphere where my students can relax and enjoy their learning process?
The second thing I learned came from the magician himself. During his performance, he spoke about the mystery of magic. He said one of the great things about magic is that it can take something simple and make it amazing. A deck of cards is simple, but when combined with a magic trick, it becomes amazing. He referred to various professions that can turn simple into amazing. A painter can take a simple piece of paper and a jar of paint and turn it into an amazing piece of art. A musician can take seven simple notes and turn them into an amazing song. A chef can take a few simple ingredients and turn them into an amazing dish.
I continued to reflect on the teaching profession. We go from simple to amazing every day! We help students take simple letters and turn them into amazing words. We teach them to take simple words and make amazing sentences. We teach them that a simple story can become something amazing when we use our vocabulary skills to understand the words and our fluency skills to read with expression. Every day we have the opportunity to take a child's learning from being "required" (simple) to being "amazing" through our enthusiasm and commitment to learning. And truthfully, how amazing is that?
I challenge you to think about your role with students. What is it you do that moves simple to amazing? My guess is you will be pleasantly surprised at how amazing you truly are!