Organic Energy is the Soul of the Classroom (188)

Voluntary Organics

I hate messes but I take comfort in spaces that are like a cacophony- challenging to take in at one glance. I love things to look and feel organic. To build a real classroom is to give up a measure of control. To let the energy escape, find enclosure, and swirl about until it finds a new medium. Energy is the soul of the classroom and if we do not let it loose voluntarily, it will release in unproductive ways. 

When we are writing lessons, creating activities for our classrooms- we have a vision. But what we imagine we are designing is never what we actually design. What we see as our final product is never what we actually set out to create. Because tinkering, creating, and building lessons is an organic process. The delivery is even more organic- and thus, our energy, the soul of the classroom needs to remain organic too.

The famous quote goes "Every system is designed to get the results it gets." The demands of teaching has created a system. One that is transforming, but a system, nonetheless. We pontificate, elaborate- while students concentrate and demonstrate. There is a well-defined process at work here. When this process loses its organic nature- there is a swivel of focus. Student attentions tend to oscillate, and we have to ripple our energy and pendulate our strategies to keep up with their setting.

Logistics over statistics earns loyalty. Planning, organization, engineering, and coordination are much more powerful and indelible than figures of results. As we always say as educators- it is not the grade, the data or the figures that really matter- I mean to someone they are. But, we as teachers know it is the path, the learning process, knowledge acquisition that means the most. Students will remember how we taught them, what they did- not their grade. They may be shooting for an A, but when all is said and done- it is the journey they take home with them.

Zoom Summer Camp, JH Edition

Today I taught in another Zoom summer camp. This time it was with junior high students. We did a lesson on viruses, bacteria, and other germs. They were given a bag for each day of the week, a five-day camp, and for today they were given a petri dish with agar and some gloves and swabs. The petri dishes were already covered partially in bacteria or fungus (they were not created in a sterile lab) and we discussed why they were already ‘infected.’

Then I had them choose a place in their house, they thought was the dirtiest. They swabbed that location and then they rubbed the sample on a clean spot in their dish. Almost all of them choose the bathroom or floor. But a few went with doorknob, remote control, phone etc. Then we watched a video of the dirtiest spots, dispelling or proving their hypotheses. I had them wear face masks and gloves and after we sealed the petri-dishes they washed their hands and wiped down the surface of their desks.

This was a great way to start talking about the differences in transmission, virulence level and why we are social distancing. We talked a lot about germs and why we wear masks. Why we should wash our hands with soap. The truth about hand-sanitizer. It was a relevant and engaging lesson, as this is impacting them directly, every day. I let the discussion stay very organic and it led to some great engagement and interaction.

The energy of the lesson was the soul of our Zoom classroom and it was a fun first day indeed.