Pushing the Wheel

At every start of the year, I envision the same picture in my head.  A big heavy rubber wheel (maybe steel, wood, changes with the years!) at the top of a hill.  However to get that wheel rolling, I have to push it about 100 yards (this year may be more like 400 yards) on rocky terrain before that wheel begins to roll down the hill.

Being as it is my third year, I trained for the pushing of the wheel this year.  I found more resources and did more research.  I also reflected.  Reflection is often the one thing that gets lost in life.  We forget to reflect because we are always battling the demon of time.  I had rarely even presented the opportunity for my students to reflect on the learning they had done since time was always of the essence, and the looming April test date was always in the back of our mind.  This reflection will allow for us to stop, and figure out if our "pushing method" is really the most effective.  Or if maybe, there are other options.

This year, pushing the wheel is looking a little bit different.  Shocking, right?  Instead of just me pushing it, I am surrounded by a great team of teachers who are collaborating to push this wheel through unknown terrain.  Also, we are learning that there are much more detours to the hill this year.  Detours that in the end, I believe, will get this wheel moving to a new destination.  Not just the bottom of the hill to fall flat.  And who's to say once that wheel is pushed over the edge of the hill, there won't be surprise hills popping up along the downhill slide.

Even though we had to utilize some problem solving and patience already with the unknown terrain, we have started out producing some great things.  We started to set up our blogs today, and with some refinement through Google Drive drafts, all students will be public, blogging about their passions and curiosities.  We also introduced ourselves with some pretty cool technology such as QR code scavenger hunts and Pinterest boards.

Scanning a QR code to learn more about our peers.

Presenting QR codes to teach peers about our interests.

Testing our geography skills using GeoGuessr in Social Studies

As we continue on this first full week of school, I will continue to reflect to find ways to get this wheel moving.  And as I made my agenda for tomorrow, I came across this quote.  At this moment, this is the truth we need to hear.