With the spring pollen assaulting my allergies, I thought it would be fitting to think about how teacher’s can grow and nurture student talent in our individual classrooms.
As you may have realized from my posts, I am a very creative-mind and appreciate things the quirkier the better. I was lucky enough to always have teachers that appreciated my unique ways of doing things. Some students under the ever-increasing pressure of test scores are not having such a lucky experience though.
Why worry?
What makes children different is what gives them a competitive edge in any market. The ability to creatively solve problems and live as a strong individual is invaluable in these economic times where jobs are self-directed and there are not as many personnel available to answer questions that may arise in the workplace.
What can a teacher do?
I’m not sure because I don’t have a classroom, but I have a few ideas!
- Know your students: If you know what they like, you will know what you need to add into your teaching. Listen to what they do and find out about their extracurricular activities. Make sure you show up to plays and games and compliment your students involved in them in front of the other students the next day in your class. It will give them pride in what they’re doing and encourage them to keep with it.
- Create open-ended projects: Let them make songs, perform a play, create and athletic game, or anything they feel speaks to them. They will still learn the material, but it will be put into a context that will be exciting for them and hopefully some of the other students with similar hobbies.
- Leave time for free expressive activities: Post a creative writing topic on the board or let students draw something one day and create a project based on their drawings. The possibilities are endless!
I would love to hear from current or past teachers about things that have proven successful in your classrooms so that I can improve my future one. Thanks!
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