Jill Jensen IDEAS

This past week I got to visit with the kindergarten classes. I get a bit nervous before seeing this grade level for the first time, even more so than with other grades. For one, they are the only grade level that doesn’t know me yet. Since I see the rest of the grades every year, aside from students that move in, these are really my only new students during the year. This is also the grade I have the least amount of experience teaching and feel like I’m still on a steep learning curve with how to ‘speak’ kindergarten, what I can expect of them and how many is too many directions at once. All of the nerves go away though the second I step in the room. Out of all of the grades, these kids are in it for pure joy. EVERYTHING is exciting! The smallest piece of information can cause gasps and oohs and aahs, and who doesn’t love that!

The theme of the week was tools. To build off of what they have been learning with their classroom teachers, we spent the week learning about some basic tools of scientists: a loupe (a magnifier to look up close), an equal arm balance to see heavy and light and a dropper to move small amounts of water. When I’ve done these lessons before, students visited the science lab. In hindsight, these lessons were pretty regimented, strict and artificial. Students used the loupes to look at nature items I provided for them. They used the balances to compare four specific items I also provided for them. Droppers were used in a very controlled way to examine colors on filter paper. If I hadn’t given up my classroom, or gotten my fellowship, I probably would have done it the same way again.

Being outside in the previous weeks and reflection work around the fellowship brought me to the a-ha moment that we could learn how to use these tools in a more authentic situation AND visit some outdoor spaces of our school yard. So, we used the loupes to examine the leaves, wood chips, flowers and sidewalk of our front gardens. This lead to discoveries like the buildings pillars are made of tiny rocks! Nature also provided us unexpected finds like a katydid in a lily and bumble bees in the sedum.

We used the balances in the outdoor classroom to find things that were heavier, lighter or the same as an acorn. When students finished this searching, they discovered their own challenges, like finding out how many acorns it took to balance a rock, or that there were different kinds of acorns outside. Some students used sticks to draw in the dirt, look for animals or create shapes or patterns.

We used the droppers to see which surfaces made the water from the droppers make a bubble, and which ones made a puddle. Since it was a hot, steamy day we also used buckets of water and paint brushes to paint our names and witness evaporation first hand.

I was pleased with all of these lessons and feel like much learning happened for both the students and myself. The biggest take away for me was why didn’t I think of this before? Why was I previously so strict about how these tools could be used? Why didn’t I provide an authentic use for these tools in the past? I’ll try to not dwell on past mistakes too much and instead take this as an inspiration for moving forward. I’ll be looking at ALL of my lessons moving forward with the lens of How can I take this outside?

In the meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy the waves from the lines in the hallways, the hugs when entering the room and the “Hey Science Lady” shouts from the playground.

This last week has allowed me to continue to connect with a variety of grade levels for some outdoor learning. Most classes are starting with a tour of our school grounds. We start at the prairie, head through the forest, then down the hill to rain garden. I have repeated this lesson five times now, with likely many more to come but it never gets old. Why is that? Some of it clearly has to do with me and the fact that I just love being outside. But typically, I’m not a fan of repeating myself. So how is this different?

I realized that even though I had been to the same three places over and over again, it was really different every time. One class found a dead mole, another the jaw bones of some rodent. One class found a yellow moth that was content to rest on a student’s hand for awhile while we were swarmed with Painted Ladies in a different class. Once class found a Cicada shell in the prairie, another discovered one stuck the bottom of an Oak Leaf. Watching the wonder in students as they made these finds was inspiring. Their passion for discovering and observing was filled with enthusiasm and was infectious. So much so that I’m ready to do it again and can’t wait to see what we find next time.

I was able to take four of the fourth grade classes on a longer hike last week. This is significant for several reasons. One, it was the first week of school. It can feel risky to jump into an activity for an extended period of time so early in the year. The classes are still getting to know each other, figuring out the rules and procedures and how to work together. Two, the walk took us off school property. This requires permission slips, parent communication, organization and medication from the nurse’s office. This is also a lot to tackle given the time of year; the uncertainty of parents that are getting to know you and one more thing to organize when there is already a mountain. I’m happy to report it was one of the best first weeks of school I may have ever had.

It turns out you get to know a person pretty well when walking next to them for a mile. The walk alone to the park ended up building a huge sense of community. Students were able to connect with classmates about interests and commonalities. Summer adventures were compared and new friendships were formed. This time, that wasn’t even really a part of the experience we had planned, turned out to be the best time spent. The park itself was nice too. We were able to see what a non-Buckthorn filled forest looks like, what lives near a pond, collected some water to examine later, listened to nature sounds and compared a pine forest to an oak forest all before turning around and walking the mile back to school.

I was pleased that students got to observe and experience multiple examples of communities in nature. We’ll be able to draw on these experiences throughout the year. I also realized that sometimes the things you don’t plan for can be equally valuable.

Here’s another great example of how a teacher sees community being built through outdoor learning: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-benefits-of-outdoor-education-michael-becker

My first hiccup in my vision for a re-set of my job happened this week. While meeting with a team, the conversation quickly went to ‘we want you to do the same thing you did last year, just in our rooms’. Gulp…

This was not the conversation I was hoping to have. In my head, I would meet with each team and talk more in depth about my vision for science this year; how I wanted to be more of a partner in instruction, how I wanted to get everyone outside and what we might do to work toward that.

I didn’t think I’d run into my first speed bump quite so quickly. This day ended with a three-hour car trip up north. While I certainly didn’t intend to, I found myself dwelling on this conversation quite a bit. I spent time reflecting on what my goals are this year and the rationale for making these changes. I also found myself reflecting on an article I recently read about embracing ambiguity: https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/4-tips-for-navigating-ambiguity

‘Ambiguity makes people feel uncomfortable – it’s a fear amplifier.’ Which made me realize I’ve had all summer to work through my fear and discomfort. I’ve had time to process how I might work with teachers this year. I’ve also had a lot of imaginary conversations in my head explaining my thinking. The conversation with the team on Thursday made me aware that everyone else needs time to work through a change in routine. I also realize that it’s time to start having some of my imaginary conversations in real life, no matter how difficult they might be.

Another key insight from reading this article was realizing one of the biggest changes is the lack of a firm plan. In the previous model of my job, lessons were set, the number of days for each unit was known, and it was a fairly well oiled machine. Some staff members will feel that things weren’t broke so why change?  It’s also hard to reassure people when I don’t have a well articulated plan, but rather a vision. I’m hoping the plan will come from working together.

So one team wants to start the year with things the same, and I have this huge need and desire for change. My first reaction to this was thinking of my job as a tug of war. The tug of teachers wanting me to fill a niche role, and providing the same experiences and lessons for their students and the pull of the open ended possibilities of breaking out of that role and seeing what else we might create or build. The problem with the tug of war analogy is that someone gets pulled over and looses. I give in and do what teams ask or I hold firm and say no. This isn’t really the model I want either.

After several more days of thinking and reflecting, and listening the Cat Stevens Song ‘On the Road to Find Out’ I heard the message I needed to hear: ‘So much left to know, I’m on the road to find out…. The answer lies within so why not take a look now’. When I look inside my heart, I know what I want to do. But, I also want my colleagues to be on this journey with me. Rather than pulling against each other we need to work as if on a teeter-totter, each scooching toward the center until we can find a balance.

So I’ll be re-visiting this team sometime next week to try to have this conversation again. What if we took the lessons they want to do but did them outside? What if we use the tools and skills in a different setting? If the goal is to learn what and how, can we learn also learn the why along with a where? Fingers are crossed, deep breaths will be taken and time and trust will be addressed.