January
Last spring, while waiting in a drive-through restaurant a flock of birds landed in the tree beside my car. These were no ordinary birds, for their appearance immediately held me captive. Initially, I was struck by their unique color—a vivid ombre of chartreuse and Easter-basket green. At first, I thought, “Now where did all these parakeets come from?” But as I kept peering at them through my windshield, I quickly dismissed that idea, for they were not parakeets. They were so beautiful! I knew I needed to capture this moment, so I took a photo with my phone. Elegantly and expectantly perched on those branches, they had me mesmerized. I felt as though they were equally enchanted with me. The lapse in time could not have been more than two minutes. However, it was magical. Then, as swiftly as they flew into the tree, they fluttered away. On cue, I pulled forward to receive my meal.
At the start of the spring semester, many teachers experience that familiar reluctance at the thought of returning to campus. We begin reflecting on a return to the same behaviors and feelings that undermined our attempts to prepare and teach lessons, encourage student achievement, and accomplish learning targets during the fall. When we ask each other how our winter break was, many of us will respond, “too short” or “not long enough.” For us, the magic of the holiday dissipates as soon as we pull through the teachers’ parking lot to receive our fate. But what if we change our mindset to mirror our flock of kiddos?
Visualize them gliding into our classrooms, perching themselves into their seats, and anticipating our instruction. Undoubtedly, students possess unique personalities[PH1] [PH2] , but their expectations at the beginning of the new semester are the same. Our quirky greenhorns expect their teachers to return to them with a renewed spirit too! What can we do to retain the charm of that engagement?
I recall feeling a certain emptiness when those birds flew away; it was like sitting in an empty classroom, energy and hope gone. What they taught me on that day is how important it is to follow the spirit of a short and whimsical opportunity. In comparison, a new semester is an invitation to revive how our students experience learning.
Ms. Witt
