I'm half way through checking 8th grade final exams. They move on to the high school at the mothership campus in San Pedro next year. I've had this group 2 years, and they have been superb - possibly the best middle school class I have ever taught. They seemed to come to school every day with a spirit that screamed, 'We like being here; now let's have some fun learning something.' Anything I asked them to do, from debating environmental issues in front of their peers to exploring questions about Piaget and Erickson and their evolving cognitive and psycho-social development, they approached with an open curiosity and a faith that they would be better because they tried and considered the challenges I presented.
As they were taking the final exam I started writing on their homework board (mostly as a joke) "Science Summer Homework". In each space reserved for a specific subject, I wrote a different task.
1) Follow a constellation across the night sky. 2) Marvel at the colors of a sunset and sunrise. 3) Keep a pencil and paper by your bed. Write down a dream as soon as you wake up and try to figure out where it came from. 4).Read a science fiction story and dream about the future. 5) Do something once a week to make the planet better. 6) Grow something and do an experiment with it. Some students would look up and smile or giggle when I wrote one down. At the end of the exam a few wrote down their summer homework before they left my classroom forever.
Big idea about the joy of being a teacher - Sometimes you touch the future, and sometimes the potential future hugs your heart.
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