Ok, this was hard assignment. At first I thought it was going to be fairly easy (Like Amy's middle school students do at first). I started with a watercolor painting of my classroom, but that is just a place. Then I started working on the idea of my students symbolized as butterflies with photos of their artwork behind them. As if the metaphor was "I help students create their new life", but that was weird and a little too religious sounding for me. So I took a break and was about to eat these chocolates when it hit me. Forest Gump famous metaphor but with a change. "My Classroom is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get, but it will be a pleasant surprise."
Ha! Ah ha moments can be so fun! Id love to see some of the first attempts (email me images if you don't want to post them here) The idea of "a pleasant surprise" is a fun theme and I encourage you to develop it some. What kinds of unexpected surprises (or anticipated, depending on your intentions) have occurred or do you create in your room? Follow that thread a little. It may also tie into your "impulse to teach R&R assignment from this week. Cant wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can take your idea of butterflies and surprise and maybe do butterflies coming out of chrysalises? This is a hard project to do. I, too, wanted to do a realistic rendering of my room since it has a metaphor as it's theme. I spent 3 days looking at my initial sketches until a decent idea hit me. This is a fun exercise I do with my students that you might want to try. It is called forced connections. Brainstorm a list of 10 things about your classroom. Then brainstorm another list of things that come to mind when you think of "surprise." Combine one idea from list one with an idea from list two. This process might help you make a connection you can work with.
ReplyDeleteI love the box of chocolates metaphor! SO TRUE! In chocolate boxes, almost every single piece of candy is different and one cannot help, but try them all. We do not necessarily like all of them, but you have to give them all a chance. As a teacher, it is important to look for what you do like in every single student and accept the good with the bad. Now I need to go eat some chocolate :)
ReplyDeleteAmy, the idea of "a pleasant surprise" can have several meaning. My students surprise me everyday with their improvements. I am also surprise but what lessons work well and which don't (although that is not always pleasant). It is as Katie says I don't always like all my student, but I have been surprised by how some have changed my option of them for the better.
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