Friday, December 13, 2013

Robert Redford Made Me Think

Everywhere I go today my students tell me they are tired of school, there is too much work, they are burned out, they are stressed. I have stopped to help problem solve with some and let others go. The Friday before the last week of a major break is rough in a high school, but it also brings to light why we're all here in the first place: to learn.
In All Is Lost, Robert Redford plays an unnamed sailor, stranded at sea on a badly damaged yacht.
This morning on my way to school I listened to a really great interview with Robert Redford on Fresh Air. In it he discussed how he struggled in college and ended up being asked to leave. He said he moved to Paris to become a visual artist, but what he said afterward is what has stuck with me today, he said, " this is when my education truly began." He discussed how he traveled and experienced the world and different cultures and languages, and that this is what gave him meaning in his life.

The question this left me with is: how do I create lessons, projects, interactions where my students feel this same connection with the world? How do I help them branch out to see the world is worthy of their exploration, if they just give it a chance?

I am working at creating a more authentically connected classroom. It is a learning process. I want them to write and read authentically to create questions they want to answer. I want them to poke and prod and create a place where it is safe for them to do this. Having a connected classroom has helped my  students engage in places outside our walls. I want them to keep going.

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