Fridays I like to do something out of the ordinary, when we can. Since we had been doing the same drill for grammar for two days previously, I decided to see what they learned about teamwork when they were at the Marin Headlands. What I saw today was impressive.
I told the students that, if no one gets more than one wrong on the grammar page, the whole class gets a prize. Since, generally, the mistakes made are out of carelessness rather than not knowing what to do, I wanted to see how they could work together to eliminate those careless mistakes. I wish you all could have seen your students at work.
As soon as I let them start, groups formed. People who usually did well partnered themselves with students who needed help. I saw helpfulness and cooperation to begin with, then, when problems were found on the page, I heard music to a teacher's ears, arguments about grammar.
"Crossing is a noun."
"No, it is a verb."
"Ms. Grier, is crossing a noun or a verb?"
"It can be both," I said.
I smiled, because they were working out their own problems, and thinking them through together. Sometimes I can be most helpful by being unhelpful.
I saw students who usually didn't hang out together, being pro-active and making sure that their classmates didn't fall behind. I saw them organizing themselves, each one taking on a different task. I saw some students self-appoint themselves as the one to sit with students who looked confused and help, kindly. I saw kids who struggle with grammar getting up and sitting with one who usually does well. At the end, I saw smiles on the faces of all of them, because as a class, they succeeded.
Each one of the sixth graders is talented in multiple ways. Some have that grammar gene going for them, and some have different talents. What I loved about today was that everyone was included and no one was left out. Together, they all succeeded.
On Monday, we will go back to our usual method of learning grammar, but today was special. The prizes, well, I laugh when I think of them. Mostly trinkets left over from my bookstore and the days I taught second grade, nothing much, really. But they worked hard for a prize they don't know about. Today they each learned different lessons. For some, they learned that their talent shouldn't be only kept for themselves, but it should be shared. For others, they learned that they can depend on their classmates for help.
It was just one of those moments in time. Not a big deal, really, but one that made me smile. Parents, your kids are great, and I enjoy their company. I am glad we looked outside the box to try something different for a Friday.
