As I look forward to my week off, I am thinking about what will get done. Though I won't get finish all that I think I should, I also know that I will schedule time to create.
Growing up in a town of 500 people, boredom was a constant companion, though in my family, one wasn't allowed to just sit. Value was placed on producing-- whether it be helping out around the house or creating something from scratch. I learned that boredom was a catalyst to creativity.
With nothing to do, little money to spend, there always seemed to be enough to cover the cost of my creations. There was always fabric, and always a new idea. I learned to make something from (almost) nothing, putting together new clothes from original drawings. For me, boredom meant that I learned many things that one can only teach oneself-- self-reliance, creativity and abstract thoughts were turned into real objects.
Our kids, your kids-- they are so busy that sometimes I am concerned about their "boredom" time. One needs time to dream, to sit under the clouds and challenge oneself to see how high your kite can go, preferably, your homemade kite. Unscheduled time resets one's brain and allows what has been learned to sink in, and lets the brain rest to be ready for the next onslaught of information.
As a teacher, we struggle with homework time. We know research points the way to less homework: http://www.nea.org/tools/16938.htm and http://tinyurl.com/yfzbel9, but we feel compelled by what is around us to make sure each student is as prepared as we can possibly help them be. We are pressured to give homework just as much as students are pressured to complete homework.
I tend to compromise. My homework tends to be project based enrichment of what is done in class. Whether it be a story to write, or an end of the book project, it is often an exercise in project planning. Students learn to plan their own time around the project deadlines, giving them an option of doing it all at once, or little bits at a time.
This week, as your students are off, of course, I want them to work on their projects-- I am hoping they are fun and that they learn something they want to learn. I am also hoping for them, time... time to dream, time to play, time to create, and yes, even time to be bored.
