While I did not connect globally, I realize now that I did connect with my students in a not-so-usual-Ms.-Wolpowitz way. It reminded me that I need to be sure that I continue to keep a focus on our classroom community growth and learning while I'm investigating and enjoying my new global adventures on my Flat Classroom Teacher Certification journey.
Confusion was definitely on the face of my students' today when they walked into math and digital art class to see me sitting on a stool with a book in my hand. First of all I rarely sit and secondly, they have only seen me refer to math textbooks. Today was World Read Aloud Day and I took 10 minutes from all my classes to share and discuss one of my favorite passages from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I read the scene where Santiago is leaving Tangiers (p.59) to return to Spain and he reveals that while the King's words and watching for omens did guide him forward, the King had failed to mention the obstacles he would face on his journey. This led to brief but magical chats about their journey through school. Many shared that pep talks drive them crazy because adults try to make them focus on the positive and don't always admit that it is going to be hard going. They also volunteered that they focus on the treasure (grades) and don't give enough love and care and respect to the journey, as the Alchemist suggests later on in the book (p.125). One 14-year-old commented, "I guess since I am in school I should take the most from it that I can" after 4 pages being read, out of context, out loud!
And thus the magic of reading and the brilliance of the words of Paulo Coelho.
Perhaps I should do this more often! Perhaps next year I should try and get Paulo Coelho to read aloud to them via Skype. Perhaps next year I should try and connect to other math classrooms and read aloud together. I think I am starting to get in the #flatclass grove.
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