The Rookery

This is one of my favorite weeks at Prairie Creek.  The students would probably say, "That's because you're not doing anything!"  And there is some truth in this.  I'm not the teacher this week…they are.  And what a joy it is to see them take on the role of "expert" with such confidence.  Four Herons taught today as part of their honors projects – and each held their audience's attention for a half hour.  Their topics ranged from the orphan trains to Andrew Lloyd Webber to chess to the classification system of Carl Linneaus.

How, I wondered, did these kids ever come up with these projects?  Then I listened as their peers asked question after question – specific questions springing from a genuine interest and a desire to know.  I went downstairs to watch a few fourth grade projects – and I saw a group of Chickadees rotating through presentations on video games, the violin, vaccines, basketball and the arctic.  Each audience of fourth graders and kindergarteners was also asking questions (my favorite being, "Ummm…what are the signs that you might be catching smallpox?"  The presenter assured her she wasn't.)

During personal projects the students are immersed in a culture of curiosity.  Everyone around them is interested in things.  Everyone is asking questions.  Seeds are being planted for future interests and passions.  Just as importantly, everyone is teaching.  We are learning from each other.  Students see that knowledge isn't something imparted by a wizened few.  It is something that they can discover and share themselves.

This sense of agency, of being a creator of knowledge, is central to the success of the progressive classroom.  We don't use grades or stars or even praise to motivate students.  Instead, they motivate themselves through the desire to figure things out. They want to know.  From a very early age, they have seen how others question, learn and teach and they themselves have questioned, learned and taught.

This week culminates in Honoring Night (6:30-8:30 pm) to which everyone is invited.  To me, it celebrates the fact that these fifth graders have proven themselves ready to question and discover independently.  They are ready to learn (and teach) anywhere they go.  We couldn't be more proud.