Blog-O-Ween! A Reflection On My Teaching Style

Wednesday night was my final class before Halloween and I tried something new. Usually my pre-Halloween class is a hectic jaunt around whatever building we happen to be in. I recruit two or three friends to play characters and I have them lead us on a chase around the building dropping candy wherever they go. It is stressful and exhausting and almost always not planned thoroughly enough. I also worry how parents will feel when my costumed friends inevitably give their children floor-candy. This year I did away with all the hubub, and I think it was a real sign of growth for me as a teacher.This iteration of classes has been marked by a much larger amount of work for my students. We're not just being silly, playing games, and devising a show. We are developing important skills that they're going to use on-stage and in life. Of course, that was always happening in my classes but this time I'm actually consciously doing it! We are really putting our noses to the grindstone and the kids are getting it. And they like learning, how weird!

Instead of our annual romp, our class became a hangout. A reward for being focused and awesomely creative. We did some warm-ups, made up some stories, pretended to be zombies. I handed out candy as I read them a story and they sat politely and listened with interest. It was so nice and so peaceful.

I realized that I have finally crystallized my teaching style a little bit. I talk to my young people like they're adults. The kids in my class are some of my favorite people in the whole world and they make me proud every time they make up some silly story. Every time they decide to draw a purple duck that burps rainbows I could cry with joy. My students are smarter than nearly every adult I know. Some of them even list math in their top 5 coolest things; they're geniuses!

And it's because of that respect and love that my students keep coming back. That is why they listen to me, because they know that I'm listening to them. They know that what they say, think, and feel is important to me. I even ask them their feelings about class every single time we meet. It feels good to have that kind of relationship with people, even if they're little.