A Simple Reminder to "Embrace the Blur"

Image 49/ 365: Today's short post is in honor of 

my students who can be honest and take risks.

This little post it note has been on my desk or stuck to the keyboard of my laptop for several weeks now. This simple stickie note has resonated powerfully with me over the past 2 months after one of my confident, effervescent students handed it to me in the middle of class. 

Maybe it was the fact that I thought the lesson was easy that day (how could he not know what to do?!), maybe it was the author of the note (someone typically confident beyond measure), or maybe it was the fact that it was given to me during a word study session (have you checked your spelling?)....

Whatever the cause or whatever the reason, that small gesture of him reaching out has helped me pause and rethink my pace, my plans, and my instruction. It has also renewed my resolve not to assume anything, and to provide tools and means for students to communicate with me in different ways. Despite our best intentions and thriving knowledge of best practices, it's easy to get into a groove, to think that all is well, and to gauge groups of students as a whole. 

This note, simply written on a sticky has been one of the best reflective tools for me this year. Like I said, it serves to remind me of many things, not least of which is the fact that the human factor is always in play--and to embrace the blur between teaching and learning. 

#kidskeepingitreal

#mykidsrock