Whoo! Day two of the Slice of Life Challenge. Stick with me on this one. I promise this post has some fun in store.
When you have a group of squirrelly fourth-graders on a beautiful spring day,
And you have them for two full hours’ worth of literacy studio,
And you know that some of them have the wormies and squirmies and the like,
And you know that a movement break is more than called for,
And you reach into your improv game bag-o-tricks,
And you pull out a fun one called “Yes, let’s!”
And you tell the kids to start walking around until someone shouts a crazy suggestion,
And you tell them the proper response is to shout “Yes, let’s!” and then begin doing that thing,
And it so happens that all eighteen of you wind up on the floor crawling like babies,
And your evaluator comes in, unbeknownst to you, for an informal observation, do you freak out, apologize, and pretend nothing happened? Or do you thank the universe for its impeccable timing, dust your knees, herd everyone back to their spots and return to business as usual?
Those of you who know me can probably guess that 1) I have no pride, so 2) I figured it was a pretty accurate snapshot of how things go.
Of course, the subversive rabble-rouser in me maybe wished she had caught the conga line:
Thanks to Kim K., my indomitable partner in crime, plan-time buddy and taker of this photo.
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
This is awesome! A perfect way for your administrator to sneak a peek into the real world of learning.
Right? And I’m not quite sure it gets any REALER than this =))
I love when a post is also tomorrow’s lesson plan. Thanks for that new energizer!
I’m sure your class made that visitor’s day! Joy on parade!
Exactly. Those smiles speak for themselves!
Yes, let’s! What a joyful activity, approach, life lesson.
Thanks! It’s the embarrassing parts that keep me niiiice and humble =)
I’m all for dusting off and going from there, but that’s just me! Sometimes, you celebrate life and dance like no one is watching! I’m glad there are teachers like you out there, helping our students see that the celebration of movement is part of the journey! 🙂
…and like I often tell my students, I want to be having fun right along with ’em!
Wonderful! As much fun to read as it was to imagine. And I loved the photo.
Thanks! I will take JOY wherever and however it might creep (or conga-line, or baby-crawl) in.
So much joy!! So glad I caught this vibe today. Between crawling and conga line, I wonder what some of the other outrageous suggestions were. 🙂
ohhhh the suggestions! Between this class and the others, we’ve fallen down, walked in slo-mo, slithered like snakes, hopped like bunnies, sat around doing nothing, hobbled around like old people…
Teaching and learning should be fun. We need to lighten our minds before getting back to the seriousness of education. I had an administrator who would have jumped right in and joined the line.
THAT I’d pay cash money to see! As for me, few folks can accuse me of taking myself too seriously…
This sounds and looks like SO much fun! I bet my own eighth graders would love a game of Yes, Let’s!
I’m sort of bummed that the conga line wasn’t the topic of the observation. There’s so much joy in your post. Lucky students!
Ha! I mean, there are *probably* some learning standards happening there right? Interpersonal relations? Oral communication? Kinesthetic learning?
When I come here, I know I am always going to come away with laughter and warmth…and so it is, again. I told my own principal and several others today that there must be more FUN at school. Yeah, I know about data, standards, proficiency…. but where’s the JOY of learning?? I say Yes, let’s all crawl on the floor like babies and conga our way to the stars. These are the moments kids will remember all their lives. Everything else can be looked up, LOL.
Thanks, Fran. Yes, FUN. We can only hope that fun and joy will find some traction. There’s SO MUCH that we as teachers and children can and should reclaim. Fun and joy? Well…that’s a start.
Too often teachers try to be perfect and have a perfect plan for their observations. I love when administrators get to see reality. It’s so much better!
Oh, I’ve definitely had my share of observations gone awry. As for perfect, one of the things that I think connects me so deeply to my students is that they see me mess up – and recover! – on the REGULAR. =)
the “wormies and the squirmies”–I think a round of Yes Let’s sounds perfect, and what an entry into a formal observation! Love when reality makes itself visible. 🙂
Thanks! I probably prefer informal observations for that very reason.
I LOVE this game, going to borrow it, and this post resonated with me! I have an ongoing mindset when any walkthroughs occur that I’m being observed all day, every day by 23 young humans who are much more critical and blunt than any administrator might be. Keeps me on my game. ;0
Please DO borrow it! I’ve been working on making my movement breaks more meaningful and fun. Heaven knows how NECESSARY they are at all ages…
Ooh, I love this … and I definitely think I need an improv games bag of tricks! Hi, Lainie! Looking forward to catching up with you this month! 🙂