I don’t do maxi dresses (I’m too short) and I’m not really in love with granola (blame the granola binge of ’06), but the way I talk to my class sometimes, I’m sure I’m labeled the ‘hippie teacher’. We talk about feelings and goals and quotes that inspire us. We talk about why we are learning and how we are learning it and what we can do with the knowledge we are gaining. We sometimes talk about how what we learn in school just isn’t for school, it’s for life- that every piece of information we gather is to help us create a foundation we can stand on later in life. And sometimes we just talk about how hilarious Calvin and Hobbes is.
So it came as no surprise the other day when a conversation about rights and responsibilities trickled down and twisted it’s way into a conversation about what we believe in. With ten minutes left before the bell, the kids took out paper and wrote down anything and everything they believed in 100%. It could be silly or serious or funny. It could be about religion or school or family or friends or Calvin and Hobbes (there’s a C & H fanatic in my class and he cracks me up on the regular. I’m thinking of a good alias name that suits him because his original name is so* far out).
One of the best things about being a teacher (besides July and August- actually, I don’t really believe that but I know a lot of non-teachers always make that comment in their head so I thought I’d beat them to the punch, hoo ha!) is that you get to read all the thoughts of your students. Seriously, if you have an open class, it’s like reading the diary of 15 inspired minds. Sure, sometimes you read pages of stuff like this: “I whent too the stor nd ete a peese ov chaklet cacke whith mi mom” and you brain feels like it’s on acid and you just want to insert a Jack Daniels iv after dechipering it, but a lot of the time, most of the time, you discover that if you let kids be brilliant, they are.
I was thinking about this as I was skimming through what they wrote, giggling as someone told me that they believe “Comic books are as good as regular books, maybe even better because regular books even the little baby ones don’t have as many pictures as comic books do”, when I stopped and read what one of my favourite grade 4 students, Abby, had written. It was only one sentence but it made me smile. She wrote:
I believe in great big things.
Abby is not the loudest kid in my class (that’s the C & H fanatic), nor is she the most academically gifted but she’s the one student in my class who is always working. Always. Like, if a circus was right outside our window and Hannah Montana was putting on a free show and handing out chocolate bars, Abby would be just as excited as the other kids but she would keep working. So I knew that this answer, these six words weren’t a cop out, a quick way to complete the task at hand, these words were what she was feeling. Although her answer might not have been as specific as her classmates, nor as long- I do know she labored on it, and her response made me so excited for this school year and all the great big things that are ahead of us.
And if that makes me sound like the hippie teacher, I’m okay with that. No, I’m excited to be that.
I’ve shared my “I believe” list in the past. What do you believe?
* You hear it here first. “Far out” is making a come back.
You’re such a great teacher.
That is all.
NPR used to have a segment called, “This I believe.” And it was when people wrote essays to read about what they truly believe. I loved hearing those essays.
I believe that people really are usually doing the best that THEY can do or know how to do. (Even if it frustrates me or makes me sad…)
Awww, I’m the hippie teacher at my school, “the little wild child”. I love that you did this list! I love making kids think about what and how and why. They’re so original.
The BEST teachers explain to their kids what they are learning, how they are learning and what they are learning, so you are not a hippie rather an incredible teacher.
Wow. You’re amazing.
@Jules.. my school’s common reading this year is This I Believe (from NPR). As an employee of the university, I am required to come up with my own essay, and for the past two months I have struggled to even put into words what I believe in. Talk about major self-exploration!
Awww this post totally makes me want to be a teacher! Moments like that are so cool!
This post makes me all happy and squishy (in the best way possible). Don’t you just wonder what great big things this Abby is going to end up accomplishing? Hmmm.
And, for the record, I love that you have such a heart for your job. There need to be more people like that. Sure, some days you will definitely be ready for that Jack Daniels IV, but most days? You are the greatest hippie teacher EVAH.
I would like to go back in time so you can be my favorite teacher. I don’t even care if that’s weird.
You have inspired me to write what I believe. Thank you!
I don’t comment nearly enough but I absolutely, positively love your blog. I don’t need to believe that – it’s the truth!
I both adore that sentiment and am totally jealous of her clarity.
I would love to be in your class for a day, could you teach bloggers in your room one day in the summer? I’m up for a road trip and this would, definitively, be worth it =)
I’m with Kyla; I want to sit in on your class sometime! And I’m not always what one would call ‘kid-friendly’ so that says a lot!
I believe in Great Big Things too though. I also believe in love. And fate. And purpose.
And champagne with breakfast.
Kids can be so inspiring! Sounds like you have a great class going :)
That totally made me smile, which is an amazing feat considering its just after seven am here. I never smile before midday. (Can we consider THAT a belief?)
I wish I could have a teacher like you, my teacher in elementary school never really appreciated the students, always look at us like we’re a pain on his ass.
I believe in being a kid at heart. I love Disneyland more than anyone I know, and it just fills me with this honest-to-goodness happy feeling.
That is EXACTLY why I need to be a teacher.
That’s so amazing!
I love your teaching stories…I would have loved to have you for a teacher :)
I think you just inspired me to become a teacher someday.
This just made my morning. What a sweet little girl, I bet she will accomplish Great Big Things in her life. and you sound like a rockstar teacher, they’re lucky to have you!
What a fabulous classroom moment. I’m a “hippie teacher,” too, but at the college level it tends to be labeled “eccentric.”
I love doing assignments like that with my students, too. It isn’t about age, it’s about helping them integrate the things they already know and feel with the new material you’re introducing.
So reading about your project was super encouraging (after this morning asking my own students how they’d feel on a first date, on a rollercoaster, being chased by a pack of rabid dogs… hey, it was a lesson on speech anxiety). It makes me feel like maybe I’m not crazy… maybe I’m just doing a good job. :-)
Beautiful!
how awesome to be able to see the wide variety of answers like that and abby’s? best answer ever. :)
I believe we should live and love deliberately, and I am *really* loving this post.
I believe that these children will always remember you as their greatest teacher.
That is really, stinkin’ cute. I love little kids and their great big dreams. Way to encourage their creativity and aspirations. We need more teachers like you.
The sweet innocence of this post left me speechless…for a bit :)
You always have the best teacher stories that involve the most interesting children to ever grace this planet.
“I believe in great big things.” amen, Abby!
this post made me smile.
I wish you’d been my teacher! I love reading your posts like this, about kids and the things they say and think because we, as adults, are too often concerned about saying “the right thing” or doing “what we’re supposed to do” and we forget to really look inside ourselves and find out. These posts always make me do just that.
As for me, I believe that I’ve done the best I can do with what I’ve been given, and although I’ve made mistakes, they’ve all led me to where I am, and I wouldn’t change that for a thing.
this was spectacular and makes me miss teaching so very much. you’re an amazing teacher.
Far out is not making a comeback, Brandy.
Lets be realistic.
You’re not making a comeback.
I hope that the Calvin and Hobbes fanatics name is Calvin. Is it? You don’t have to answer that…but darn it I’m going to believe that!
I believe that you are a fantastic teacher, that Calvin and Hobbes have more philosophical depth than most people realize, and that if I was as insightful as that child is when I was her age I would have been much better off! :)
The hippie teachers are always the ones I remember fondly…unless they smelled like patchouli.
Full disclosure: I’m cribbing straight from an old post.
I believe in representative democracy, kissing on the first date, wine on an empty stomach, sandals in winter, and sprinting the end. I believe that dancing can be a spiritual experience. I believe comfort does not require sacrificing style. I believe my left thumb is adorable and my pinky fingers look freakishly small. I believe that convertible pants, Crocs, and the “art” of Thomas Kinkead are signs the apocalypse is near. I believe store-bought cookie dough is an abomination. I believe in loyalty, forgiveness, skinny dipping, and trying the things that scare you. I believe in erring on the side of overdressed, giving presents for no reason, and putting mustard on my soft pretzels. I believe in coffee – lot’s of it – and real whipped cream in small doses. I believe in the snooze button, sleeping in, cool sheets and warm towels. I believe uniforms are sexy. I believe in alone time, date nights, girls’ nights, and mental health days. I believe that you can’t change someone else, but that people can change. I believe the sky is at its most beautiful on the coldest of nights. I believe every woman should own a piece of clothing made just for her. I believe I’ll dye my hair red when it starts to gray. I believe in mourning your failures for a week, tops, before picking up and moving on. I believe in sarcasm, wit, and the healing power of chocolate pudding made from scratch. I believe heaven involves wine, puppies, baseball, ballet, brownie sundaes, and shoulder freckles.
Maxi dresses and granola make us hippies? Fuck, should I just cease showering, too?
Bloggers in class sounds like a really awesome experiment/reality tv show. Let’s work on that, okay, Teach?
I wish I could have had a teacher like you. I love the sound of your classes. And comments like Abby’s? Well, that is just priceless. I speaks volumes of the magic you are creating.
I believe you are a born teacher who will make a difference to the lives of your students.
I believe in taking risks.
You made me love Abby just like you made me love Walter. I can’t wait to read more about her.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read your posts, but I would hire you in a nanosecond to teach in my school. Ever thought about moving southward a tad? Those are the sorts of teaching moments that make it all worth it. Those are the sorts of teaching moments that I miss now that I’m in administration. Keep it up.
Wish i had hippie teachers when i was in school.
as corny as it is, i believe in love. the need to receive love, and the need to give love. the need to have that connection with a person, whether it’s your mom, dad, brother, sister, lover, friend, whoever.
Dude, love Abby’s answer.
I completely agree with her.
And my buddy (father of The Monkey) has ALWAYS used “far out.” It’s his favourite way to end a phone conversation.
Calvin and Hobbes is AWESOME. I totally put up their strips as my desktop wallpaper, and change out favorite comics.
I think it’s wonderful that you have such a class where they can freely talk about things that are important to them outside of what they get tested and graded on.
I believe that when things go dreadfully and overwhelmingly wrong, a hot cup of tea is best.
I am about the join the ranks of hippie teachers so I might be a little biased, but I think that your approach is fantastic! And I think that little girl has a beautiful way with language that puts me to shame.
Rock on. (Is that making a come back?)
aw that is awesome. i wish i had to write that when i was in school. however now i believe in love. i didn’t always but i definitely do now.
I wish you taught me.
Much of what you love about teaching is what I loved about camp. Kids are just so… yes. Lovely.
I believe that you are never too old for a nice pb&j sandwich cut into triangles.
I believe in my heart of hearts that watching people trip and/or fall down is funny.
I believe it’s okay to be a water snob.
I think it awesome that a kid is saying she believes in great big things. Somewhere along the line, I think most of us adults forget how to believe in great big things. And that’s kinda sad.
By the way – I’m quite the fan of your blog – pretty neat-o, I say.