I
spotted him across the aisles of baskets of ferns and Christmas
garland. There was something distinct about this colt. Maybe it was the crayon
scribbles across his saddle or the way he leaned precariously to one side
or the missing strands of yarn from his mane.
All
the same, I left my local Goodwill with a Clue game and a Star Wars
puzzle (which I discovered later was missing an edge and two pieces from
the Death Star), justifiably for my classroom, but not with the lopsided horse.
Maybe it was predestined, but I left my wallet on the counter and a
spunky, auburn-haired girl wearing a badge named Nan was waving it in the
air just as I re-entered the store.
I
thanked Nan and then the words every bargain shopper this side of the
Mississippi can't resist blared over the intercom, "For the next hour all
orange tagged items are half off."
There
was no turning back.
I grabbed my wallet and was caught up in a stampede
of other bargain shoppers in the direction
of "orange tagged" items. It didn't matter if the orange
tagged item was a set of golf clubs, ubiquitous painting of
snow-covered mountains, mismatched set of holiday dishes, or a personalized
cookie jar, for that matter.
The
sheer rush of adrenaline that coursed thru my veins created a borderline
hoarder mentality which is the reason seasoned thrift shoppers like myself must
be careful and ask, "Do I really need this item? or Do I want it
because it has an orange tag and I don't want anyone else to have it?"
Which
is exactly why I ended up carrying an over-sized, over-stuffed, pony which
I purchased for a whopping $3.50. I didn't need it and I didn't want the
lady wearing the gray sweater to have it.
And so it was that a Colt named Carl made its
way into my literacy classroom.
What happened in my classroom in the years
that followed, is undeniable.
Since
finding his way into my classroom, I've witnessed a reluctant 8th grader who
would rather play Call of Duty than eat or breathe, choose Carl as a reading
backrest and lose himself in a book.
I've seen a stressed out eleven-year-old
whose parents were going thru a divorce, relax while fidgeting with the yarn on
his mane. I've even heard kids called "dibs" on him; which is the
highest honor when it comes to pre-teens' territorial nature.
And
so I've developed a theory about comfort objects like stuffed animals and
middle schoolers. I believe there is still a child-heart in these learners in
spite of how cool and worldly they try to act. Eleven and twelve year olds are
in an awkward phase of life.
 |
| 6th graders posing with Carl |
They're
too old to play with dolls and robots, build blanket forts at birthday parties,
or wear capes and pretend to be Spiderman. On the flip side, middle schoolers have a
whole life ahead of them to lose sleep over whether or not a Senate house bill
will pass or the collapse of civilization as we know it.
I
believe that the middle school years should be a right of passage, if you will.
It's the period when kids can secretly believe that Santa climbed down their
chimney in the wee hours of the night and that there is still a chance they
will one day be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
It's a window of time when they can hold on to the magic of their childhood
while building skills to survive high school, and life, for that matter.
 |
| Carl in my home office. |
Carl
has taught me the importance of designing a learning environment that feels
safe and taking risks are encouraged. As the years go by, I have had high
school learners come back to say "hi" to Carl. I've even heard of
kids posting "selfies" on Instagram with none other than Carl himself.
I
don't pretend to understand how or why this odd purchase made such a difference
in the culture of my classroom. Sometimes magic just happens.
Confession
Reflection:
- What are some characteristics of a positive learning environment? How does a positive learning environment support learning?
- Research
shows that optimum learning happens in a safe environment. What does this
mean?
- How can
teacher entitlement (my room, my rules) be a barrier to building a culture
of learning?
