The ice is smooth, the Zamboni just made it slicker. Skates slip and slide, yet the players, expert skaters, take to the ice effortlessly. Entering the field as if they were born there. I observe, students making their way into the room, beelining it for their favorite seat. Settling in, rummaging through their backpacks.
It looks like the game is about to begin. The loudest of the group can be heard as they walk down the hall. Their voice bellows, like the starting horn to a hockey game. Sticks smack the ground. Puck tossed into the ring. Players gather to their places, eyeing the puck.
The class becomes more full, the energy begins to vibrate. You can feel the anticipation. It is lab day and they know there is something cool about to happen- equipment has been laid out on each table. Mystery baskets with signs saying do not touch until told to do so. Some students are bending over to try to peek inside, to no avail.
The puck ricochets and the action begins. It falls just out of reach, as students must wait for instructions. Sticks flailing, bodies falling, the action has begun to play out in their minds, yet they are stationary. I speed up my introduction, eyeing the inquisitive hands that begin to reach for the baskets of lab equipment.
What may to some feel like chaos, mayhem- I discern as pattern and flow. I can anticipate what is going to happen faster than it does. I see the details of a spilled basket, and catch it in time. I make my way around the room- listening. Watching the puck move from stick to stick.
Waiting for the first shot at the goal. Cheers erupt. I can see them figuring things out, discussing the process, beginning to plan their strategy. Another goal. Cheers louder this time. Students up and interacting, masked and distancing. Yet, the energy is contagious- it is fluid and active.
A classroom lab is like a hockey game. Loud and mobile. Students standing and sitting at their tables as they work through the experiment. It is beautiful to watch. Like players in a hockey game they bump sticks, smack pucks and make goals- and as an educator, I simply watch in bewilderment and awe at their pure imagination and curiosity.
The final horn screams out a conclusion. An end to the game. Students look at the score board and notice their success. They slide off the ice, take off their skates and shake off another day of adventure. The mayhem slows and they walk out into the hall, crowded with spectators of other games, of other stadiums, of other learning experiences.
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