Reading young peoples experiences in the classroom and their
subsequent interpretations has been very educational for me as an inspiring
educator.
My first read was with a tenth grade student named DeeDee
right here in Alabama. His love of
basketball and his understanding of the concept “teamwork” really stood out to
me. Most kids his age seem to
forget that “teamwork” is necessary for teams to reach their potential for
success. I tried to encourage DeeDee in my response to his post for his astute
realization that “teamwork” and practice are essential components for victory
and can translate to all of his tasks both athletic and academic. 
My second read was with a fifth grade student named Helen in Buena’s Aires, Argentina.
Having personally spent time in Buena’s Aires, I was extremely excited
about this particular student. Her
post was an interpretation of a Skype experience with an American class in
which they read her the story The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. I did not recognize
this story but both my kids remembered it fondly. This story encourages kids to
not be afraid to draw even if you think you may not be very good. Being able to
see different cultures and interact with a ‘click of a button’ creates great
opportunities for both Argentinean and American students to learn lessons from
other cultures.
My third read was with Tyla Marie,
a Year 7 student in New Zealand.
This blog was by far the most educational for me. Tyla Marie discussed
her love of “kapa haka.” I was forced to research “kapa haka.” I learned that
it was a cultural dance/music that still existed in their country. Her love for music and having the
opportunity to share this love worldwide was assisted by a video posted on her
blog. I believe I became the student in this blog post comment and enjoyed the
educational experience.
My final read was with Emmy
who is a fifth grade student in Mrs. Ripp’s class in Madison, Wisconsin. This blog stood out due to the
topic. The class was writing about
why they should never use the “R” word.
Honestly, I initially had no idea what word they were referring. After researching, I realized they were
talking about the word “retard.”
It is great to know that teachers are stepping outside the box to teach
about socially sensitive topics. Kids were learning right from wrong by using
their blogs to post their opinions on the usage of such words. The opportunity for all these students
to interact with their classmates and others worldwide is proof that education
does not have to be strictly about facts and figures. These kids seemed to be working through the problem through
reading other peoples blogs and comments. Specifically, Emmy had read a book
about a young girl, Melody, with a disability that prevented her from verbally
communicating everything she took in. Emmy was both amazed and empathetic at
this girls’ plight. I was encouraged to see a student learning empathy through
these learning tools. 
No comments:
Post a Comment