Background

So I changed the background on my phone today.  Small change, I know; yet, it’s amazing how great an impact something like that can have on your whole mindset. The new wallpaper has a cute little message that acts as a reminder to be, see and do good. It may not sound earth shattering, but for me, by changing what I see each time I reach for my phone, it got me thinking about the “background” elsewhere.  What other small, seemingly inconsequential things impact our daily lives in ways? What other kinds of messages are we sending?

I have small signs around my classroom; quotes and sayings that are meaningful to me. I hope they send the intended message, primarily that I am here, that I want to be here, and that it might not always be easy, but we’ll learn and grow together.  It’s part inspiration and part reassurance…plus a little bit of fun, silly, and nerdy along the way, which never hurts. I followed the example set by Joy Kirr’s tweet about messages on pencils and recreated those. I even had students get in on the action.

Taking inventory of my deliberate messages got me thinking about my unintended ones. I wonder if I’m sending any of those, too.  It may be time for a reflection to that end (kind of like the Genius Hour check-in I did at the beginning of the new calendar year). I don’t need to wait until the end of the year to see how anything worked out.  Although, in case you’re interested, here’s an example of the kinds of questions I ask when that time of year rolls around. I wish I could remember the original source where I adapted this. I love that it ties back the learning process to what’s meaningful to individual students. I hope that the anonymity of the survey helps me to collect honest feedback. My goal is to use the students’ experiences reflectively and thoughtfully so I can troubleshoot what didn’t work and keep improving my practice for them.

Good intentions, however, can only take us so far. The things we “subscribe” to send messages and we absorb those, intentionally or not. One of my former students recently wrote an article for the school paper, positing a similar idea. She wrote about music and how it can be internalized. I don’t disagree with her at all. I believe our experiences help us to interpret the world around us, and it’s always uncanny how art imitates life, or, at the very least, reveals the larger picture of what we’re piecing together at the time. For instance, it’s ironic that Pandora would bring up Emilè Sande’s song, “Read All About It Part III,” as a suggestion for me.

You’ve got the words to change a nation

But you’re biting your tongue

You’ve spent a lifetime stuck in silence

Afraid you’ll say something wrong

If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?

So come on, come on

Come on, come on

Emeli Sande – Read All About It Part III

I want to encourage students to find and tell their story, to share what is important to them.  Genius Hour has helped me show students that they have the tools to set goals, find resources, solve problems, and ultimately put their own story out there.  There is a peace that come with that, and I want my students to know what that feels like. 

So what’s your story? Is it the same as what people are reading and interpreting…or is it something as yet unwritten?