What is the most important school day of the year?

The most important school day of the year would have to be the first day of our summer program. This year it starts on Monday, June 30, 2014. I am so excited to have an opportunity to incorporate all of the technology tools that I have discovered by connecting with my PLN this semester. In the summer, the pressure is taken off learning in a structured way. It’s like eating a delicious piece of chocolate cake without the calories; it’s all about the chocolate, or the good stuff — learning! Any learning that takes place is a bonus the kids get to take with them into the next school year. One month is too long for the mind to go without nourishment. July is the time of year when most students become stagnant. Our Recreational/Vocational Program prepares our students to become career-ready and incorporates the necessary skills under the radar of the traditional school calendar. How wonderful it will be to add Google Hangout with other classes or Skype students at other summer camps. The iPad will be used for educational content, but why not apply some of those common core standards of reading, writing, speaking and listening to a blog or vlog? It is so important to carve out time to highlight the positive things that your kids are doing to enhance their lives.

Of course we will have private tutoring in the afternoon, but the morning will be filled with volunteering, cooking, and vocational preparation. Mainstream classroom rules have no place in this space. Do you know how freeing this can be for a teacher and student? Imagine a day when you get to put the academic rules on a shelf and explore PBL.

Here are some examples of the magical events that happened on day one last year.

-When we took a walk to a bookstore, one of my students, who struggles with impulsive behavior during sharing, was completely captivated by a read-along.

-Another student used her language skills to order food from a restaurant, practice greetings, and check-in at the library computer room information desk.

-A struggling reader choose a Japanese anime book from Barnes and Noble and showed it to the group. He showed me that I was reading it the wrong way. Silly teacher — this book is printed in the opposite direction! Who Knew? ( Check out the link at http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/feb/03/manga-top-ten-teens under “Blue Exorcist”)

-One of my adult learners was so inspired by the fashion that she saw in the stores that it gave her the courage to go into the store and ask for a job application. She also learned about the ways that the community gives back to places and people around the world that are less fortunate. You can see examples of her favorite styles on her blog page. http://audra0823.wix.com/writer-in-action

The first day of the summer program was the catalyst to all of these events.

How could a teacher make their classroom a place that would take this positive outlook on a school year and push it forth into the rest of the year? The day-to-day grind is a trap that I have fallen into myself this past week. I can see and hear myself radiating toxic energy and I try to turn it around, however, we are all feeding off each others’ bad vibes. It is the last week of May and the countdown has started to the end of the year. Is that it? Is it the fact that we refer to the close of a school year as the end and then it gives it the meaning that we have attached to it? When I took a moment to reflect, I realized we had missed taking our campus walks for the past few days. This is something that we do starting the first day of summer and do everyday of the program without question. Exercise gets the blood flowing and releases endorphins that makes you feel good. It is amazing how much one small addition, or omission, can effect your entire emotional response. I am going to bring this back tomorrow and try to remember what it feels like to teach during the summertime. Maybe if we start to plan some of the activities that we will do on the first day, it will prompt us to feel more optimistic about the transition, or beginning of a new summer program, not the end of another school year.