Vision
10/31/2020
Students enjoyed learning from our guest marine engineer, Rett Tanner, this week. As students listened to how engineers came up with the inventions for scuba gear, I recognized the truth in Pacific Northern Academy’s mission statement: We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage, and integrity. Students showed courage by asking questions and showed integrity by showing our guest respect, but what I really noticed was their vision. Students were fascinated by all the “what if’s” they could come up with. Some may consider questions like, “What if you run out of air?” or “What if a shark swims up?” silly, but these are the questions that guide engineers to the next great invention and questions that will help them accomplish their personal visions for the rest of their lives. At the start of the year, students came up with their hopes and dreams for First Grade. Many said things like, “I hope to read lots of books” and “My goal is to have fun this year.” Doing this gave students a vision, or “a sense of purpose and direction” (Bowman) that helps students see that our class rules, daily goals, and the decisions we make each day all play a part in assisting them in accomplishing their hopes and dreams. In fact, every couple of days, students are asked to come up with a goal. Some say they want to win the soccer game at recess, some want to read three books, and others set a goal to finish a particular assignment. Doing this establishes an intention for the day and gives the students ownership of their learning. As the day progresses, they are reminded of their goals and are asked to reflect on what they need to do to accomplish them. Many times throughout the day, students are offered choices. Some of these choices are decided by vote. Doing this helps students see what adults in the community do and will do this coming Tuesday and also allows them to see how their vote can change what their classroom community does. Students are also offered choices during subjects like reading. For example, they may choose to read to themselves or work on word work during reading rotations. These choices give students more purpose and interest in their learning and reshape their vision of the day, Some make a choice that helps them accomplish their goal, and some are left reflecting on what they can do differently to reach their goals next time. I believe having vision also means having the ability to problem-solve. As I said before, this group of students is excellent at coming up with “what if” questions. What if the fire alarm goes off and I’m in the bathroom? What if the boat breaks down while scuba diving? These questions not only help them think like engineers in science but also help them recognize the problems that might arise in any given situation. Identifying the issues that might come up prepares them with new ideas to guide them back to track or to an even better destination when plans do change. These are skills that will help them be successful in the future because once they see a problem arise, they will already have a plan in action. Giving students a voice in what they want each day and choices to help them succeed is vital in helping them see that their vision is important and that they can accomplish what they set their minds to. As we move forward, students will see how their vision can change into something else (maybe the student who wants to be a veterinarian will want to be an engineer) and how the choices they make shape their hopes and dreams today and in the future. Bowman, Matthew. “3 Key Reasons Why Having A Vision Is So Important (And How To Define One).” Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, Thrive, 1 Oct. 2020, thriveagency.com/news/business-vision/.
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Hali TuomiMs. Tuomi has over five years experience in ASD, where she taught first and fifth grade classrooms. An avid skier, Ms. Tuomi is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Alaska Pacific University’s Bachelor of Arts in K-8 Education. Archives
April 2021
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