The Classroom Is Not Just About Book Smarts

Why do we send our kids to school each day? The obvious answer is so they get an education. However, the things our kids learn go beyond being "book smart." Students learn, daily, how to be collaborative, teamwork, empathy, respect, responsibility, perseverance, grit, and the list could go on and on.

For instance, on Thursday we had a short lesson on teamwork. I shared a video of the Astros winning the World Series. In this video, clips go back and forth between footage of Hurricane Harvey to the Astros playing the games. Afterwords, students talked to each other about examples of teamwork they saw. We watched another video that highlighted teamwork and empathy, which was followed by students thinking of a time where they could have used some help from a teammate/classmate. I asked them to write how someone could help them in the future when they are having a hard time or need help. I am proud to say that each day our class is helping each other out more and more. Students are reminding each other to use the resources I have given them, they are helping each other get in line or get to the carpet quickly, they help each other with Google Classroom, and more.

I think I could go on and on, however, I am going to end this post with asking you for a favor. When your child gets home from school, not only ask what they did today, but also ask them who they helped or if they received help from a classmate that day.

-Ms. Tooley