I teach 7th grade and if there is one thing I have learned about 7th graders, it is that sometimes they do goofy things. Sometimes they see a hole in a chair and stick their head in it only to find that they are now stuck. Sometimes they say something that unintentionally makes their peers laugh. Sometimes they take a risk but fail miserably.
And for the longest time, it was no big deal. For the longest time, we laughed at our mistakes, used them to create a community where we could fail together, laugh when things didn’t work, and then go home knowing we tried.
[The True Power of Technology]
But I have noticed in the past couple of years that this feeling of security in our classroom, that this sense of community where we can take risks and not care as much if it doesn’t work seems to be harder and harder to accomplish.
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cross posted at http://pernillesripp.com/
Mass consumer of incredible books, Pernille Ripp helps students discover their superpower as a middle school teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin. She opens up her educational practices and beliefs to the world on her blog www.pernillesripp.com and is also the creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, a global literacy initiative that since 2010 has connected more than 1,00,000 students. Her book Passionate Learners - How to Engage and Empower Your Students is helping teachers change the way students feel about school. Her other book Empowered Schools, Empowered Students is meant to give others the courage to change. Follow her on Twitter @pernilleripp.
