Open Doors

Is the grass always greener on the other side of the hallway?  

     That is a question that requires an open door to find out!

     This post is to celebrate those open doors around our district.  In the past year, I have learned so much from just walking through the door and going into the classrooms in D100.  No matter which room I walk in, I always find something new to walk out with and spread to others.  

     Take today, for example.  I walked into Allison LaFalce's room at Komensky.  She was in the middle of Genius Hour, where her 4th graders get to pick any topic they would like to learn more about and they research it and create something to share with their classmates.  I walked around the room today, and saw kids researching and creating everything from The Statue of Liberty, how perfume was invented, soccer rules, making a video game, and experiments you would find in a science lab.  I was blown away when I walked up to one young man, and he said that he chose to research how Adolf Hitler rose to power.  When I asked why, he said that he had started with WWII, but then he realized that Hitler was responsible for it, and he wanted to know why.  The girl next to him was researching why people have bad breath.  Clearly, they picked things that interested THEM.  You can't get more motivation and student engagement than kids truly picking, researching, and creating things that interest them!

     As the year closes up, and the F&P testing comes to an end, I encourage you all to look across the hall.  Notice some of the great things that your colleagues are doing, and perhaps try some of those things out with your kids.  Or, invite people in to see the great things you are doing!  If you do, please send me an email.  I would love to come to your room.  :)