A Teacher’s Thoughts

This morning I wrote that I was off to the FIRST Lego League competition. Well I am home now and our team pulled off the Cinderella Story. After scoring a dishearteningly low second round, followed by just enough points to not be last in the final round, the kids took home the prize; first place in robot design! How cool is that?!

Highlights
• Our students going first, that’s right, first on the floor. They had never done this before and had never even seen it before-going in cold. How brave are they!
• Listening to the leaders emerge and share during the design technology competition.
• Discussing the virtues of various cheese blends in Mac-n-cheese (this is 8th grade afterall).
• Watching five kids pull together and accomplish more problem solving, building, testing, adapting, learning in two hours than in the past three weeks-Learning is not linear!
• Watching them go up to receive their trophy, unexpected and not really knowing how-Learning is celebrated!
• Watching the cell phones come out to call home and tell their families how they did. Learning is valued and shared!

These are kids who don’t play sports. They don’t know about competition through the means offered in their community. These guys have not been involved in other activities. Here is something, something that works for them, something that can galvanize and allow for creating, collaborating and celebrating. Congratulations you guys and best of luck in the State Championships!