A few weeks ago, I gave my students an assignment. It was a difficult assignment (which they knew) and it was a timed assignment. I started with a few minutes, set my timer, and let them go.
In a surprising twist, they all dove right into the problem. They read it out loud. They talked with their partners. They paused to think and write their thoughts. They tried to solve it on paper. They referred back to the instructions and notes.
In the middle of their discussions, just a they were fully engrossed, understanding they could understand, and knowing they weren't there yet, but knowing they could do it, the timer went off.
Generally, when my students struggle with a problem, they are relieved to hear my timer go off. They lift their faces with sighs of relief and give me all their attention to know how to solve it. They take diligent notes and are happy to move on. Sometimes they have already stopped or have spent the entire time complaining about the amount of work or degree of difficulty of the problem.
This time, when the timer went off, there were screams. Outrage. Blatant and deliberate ignoring of the timer. The shouted words, "Could you leave us alone for two minutes?! I've almost got it!"
And really, when your students are that invested, what can you do but let them work until the problem is solved?
The "unicorn" moment for teachers! It doesn't always happen, but when it does, you've got to let it go. I love this story, it fills me with hope and inspiration, that soon, when this pandemic subsides we will have more and more moments like this in our classrooms. I am grateful you reminded me about one of the best parts of being a teacher!
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a really magical moment in your classroom! Isn't it amazing to watch kids grow and change as the year progresses?
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