Why I'm Not Planning Our First Morning Meeting
Our first day of school as a homeschool group is just 5 days away, and we planning our first few weeks of mini-lessons, discussions that will set the tone for the first year of our learning together. We are reading and organizing ways to introduce engagement, passion, curiosity, and growth mindsets.
We will begin our collaboration time each day with a morning meeting, as many classes around the country do. And that first day, there was a time in my past when my main goal for was to make sure all the rules were clear: No interrupting lessons, no getting up without permission, no late work. I once started off the year with a lot of "No's". I can only imagine my former students going home after that first day, plopping down on the couch, and feeling completely uninspired.
This year, day 1, I have nothing planned. Inspired by this Spring 2014 article from Teaching Tolerance, I am planning nothing for our morning meeting, other than asking the students two questions: 1) What do you need from the rest of us in this space to learn? and 2) What would you love to learn this year?
Because they are capable of answering these questions. Because our "classroom" is their classroom. Because our collaboration is their collaboration. Because they can create the rules, and I trust them.
I can't wait to hear what the children have to say.
We will begin our collaboration time each day with a morning meeting, as many classes around the country do. And that first day, there was a time in my past when my main goal for was to make sure all the rules were clear: No interrupting lessons, no getting up without permission, no late work. I once started off the year with a lot of "No's". I can only imagine my former students going home after that first day, plopping down on the couch, and feeling completely uninspired.
This year, day 1, I have nothing planned. Inspired by this Spring 2014 article from Teaching Tolerance, I am planning nothing for our morning meeting, other than asking the students two questions: 1) What do you need from the rest of us in this space to learn? and 2) What would you love to learn this year?
Because they are capable of answering these questions. Because our "classroom" is their classroom. Because our collaboration is their collaboration. Because they can create the rules, and I trust them.
I can't wait to hear what the children have to say.
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