Try It This Way

August 2, 2013

"Try it this way," said my big brother on his last visit to my house. He was referring to the "hand whistle" that I had been attempting to learn for more than 50 years.

Yes, you read that correctly. My big brothers were masters at putting their hands together (think making a snowball) and blowing through their thumbs to make a whistle. It is a sound that still catapults me back to being a little girl growing up on the farm with my large family. They would use the whistle to call each other, to get our attention, to call the dog, or, I was certain, to send a cryptic message intended for "big brother" ears only, not for the ears of the "baby". 

I am embarrassed to say that I have tried more times over the past 50 years to get a whistle from my hands than I can count.

So it was not unusual that while sitting outside on our deck recently, having dinner with my brother and his family, the subject of the "hand whistle" came up again. I was bemoaning the fact that I still could not produce the coveted sound. Sitting beside me, he put his hands together (the same way he had shown me literally hundreds of times) modeled the technique and said four simple words: "Try it this way."

Now I am positively certain that he had modeled this approach as well as many others over the years. But in that one magic moment, I saw it differently. Or maybe I just needed to see it for the 5016th time. But this time, when I put my hands together, I produced the whistle!

As the end of July draws near, many of our thoughts are turning to those students who will be coming through our doors for another exciting year of learning. This is a good time for me to remember that each student not only has different needs, but also requires different approaches to their instruction. I am grateful for the Daily 5, which honors learners wherever they are in their academic journey. I value the time the Daily 5 structure provides for me to work with individuals, teaching to their greatest needs, so I can be there when the "magic" happens for them.

And I will think of my experience when I sit next to a child and am perhaps tempted to wonder why previous teachers didn't teach something. They probably did. They probably taught it over and over. So I will pick up where they left off, knowing that to get to the 5016th time, or whatever the magic number may be, I need to provide another round of instruction, take a different approach in the teaching, and be patient. The whistle will come.

Thanks Dan, for helping me learn.