Slice of Life: It's Worth the Wait #SOL20 #TWTBlog

My mother-in-law always uses the same expression when she talks about gardening.   She says, “first they sleep, then they creep, and then they leap!”   It amazes me how she plans to have flowers continuously blooming all year long.  She has taught me that gardening requires patience, time, and trust.  It often takes three to five years to get a garden to fulfill one’s vision.  As I reflect on my garden at this time of year, waiting to see what will survive the dormant winter months, I think about how conferring is similar. 

I notice that as soon as the going gets rough, most students look at the teacher. That move is followed up quickly with I don’t know, or I forget. These learned habits must pay off for them or they wouldn’t keep doing it.  I notice we are leaping before our students have time to think, reflect, and give it a go. We are taking away their chance to approximate, revise, construct and make connections.  These experiences over time are what allow our students to develop as readers and writers.

When we give our students time, we send important messages:

·      Learning is more important than being correct

·      Taking time to think is the process of learning

·      Their ideas are worth waiting for

·      Considering one’s response is a good thing

·      Listening is essential to growing one’s thinking

·      Speed is not what is valued most

·      How you try something is more important than what you produce

·      Learning takes time

Schedules are packed in classrooms today.  It is so easy to get caught up in the time crunch, racing and pacing to the next item on our agenda.  We know that when we wait and listen, our students are the ones who learn the most.  Sometimes, it is hard to remember to create space for our students to have the time it takes to learn something new.  In these moments, I like to think of the lessons I was taught as a gardener.  I need to plan, prune and water.  I also need to wait, watch and trust.

Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Marina, Kathleen, Kelsey, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum from Two Writing Teachers. Check out the writers, readers, and teachers here.