The Vehicle to Changing Lives

It was nearly the end of the day at our Third School on Day Two. I did not realize the clock's hand snickering at me past the 1/2 hr mark, tinkering on as i peered into a music classroom at the end of a long hidden hallway. It was nearly empty aside from a couple students, a University faculty member, and what appeared to be the regular teacher of the classroom, a seemingly pleasant middle-aged African American man.

I hesitantly leaned in the doorway to take a peek, since there was no class going on and I wasn't sure whether or not to enter. "Well, come INTO the classroom not out of it!" he boomed and teased with a smile. I felt a sudden ripple of welcome and quiet urgency.

This was Mr. K, a music teacher at "R" Elementary School, and a man with a vision with a dash of wisdom that he said it took him 7 years to begin to understand. He is writing a book to impart some valuable points from experience because he doesn't want new teachers to blunder through the forest for that long before seeing some key concepts... We spoke about teaching and what it really means...

"Figure out your subject matter and what it really means to you," he said. "What kind of fingerprint will it leave on them?"

Am I passionate about my subject matter? Definitely. It is ingrained into my life each and every day and I now more than ever truly feel that the children are our hope and they are the vehicle for change just as the subject matter is our vehicle to changing lives. I felt empowered after these minutes. I felt that I would 'speak for Earth Science' in the classroom, be that voice/that passageway, because Earth Science could not speak for itself. I would be my wacky self and wear my passion on my sleeve, because this is who I am and the students need that.

But the breaking point was when I asked Mr. K to talk about the value of content matter versus other aspects important to truly teaching to the students.

He said, "Your content matter is just the vehicle to changing lives"
It's about changing lives.

This visit left this lasting impression on me and inspired me in several ways. So now that I've spoken about the thought provoking conversation at the end of my time at the school, I'll mention how my psyche took a flight through a Cloud 9 of excitement upon first ENTERING the school.

"R" Elementary School, part of the Public School school system in "Port City". This was an AWESOME project that the entire school (k-8) was involved in a fabulous interdisciplinary effort funded by a Rainforest action group. Each grade had projects displayed all over the halls and walls of the school about the life and value of the rainforest. ROCK ON I LOVE IT!!

This is the Amazon Rainforest, created by the students throughout the entire school. In interdisciplinary masterpiece, I feel it gave students a chance to transform their school visually for a time period, which probably really empowered them. And this is only the beginning. This display brings forth a gilded door to dozens of pockets of potential. Future lessons and activities can be built off of, connected to, and developed from this educationally decorative endeavour.