Covered in Fairy Dust

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away there was a classroom. Now, this wasn’t your ordinary classroom: this classroom was special. Why so special you ask? Sit back, relax, and I’ll tell you.

(cue magical music)

1. Let’s start with the room. When you walked in it felt like home. Nobody judged you for what you looked like or what you wore, your sexual orientation, your religious views, or who you hung out with. You were allowed to make mistakes and ask questions without fear of being ridiculed. The walls of this classroom were built with respect, honesty, and integrity (with a splash of glitter and rainbows of course).

2. The teacher was magnificent! He/she knew everything there was to know about their subject area and most of all made learning fun! All the students looked up to him/her and always looked forward to coming to this class. Best of all, the teacher got along with their students and never had any discipline issues.

3. We can’t forget about the students. They loved coming to class and always went above and beyond in their work. They were very respectful to their peers and the teacher. They didn’t have to worry about any factors that may hinder their learning like paying bills, having a job, learning disabilities, or security issues. Their parents were also very active in their learning at home. They worked diligently with their child at home, kept up with all their school work, and came to all parent teacher conferences. Because of the parents involvement learning extended outside the classroom which bolstered their knowledge and success.

4. The best part of this classroom was the homework. Students looked forward to doing it and worked their hardest at doing it right. The homework was fun and what the students liked about it most was it challenged their skill and their thinking. Homework always came back completed on time, if not early.

5. Finally, we have time. Time didn’t exist in this classroom. The students and the teacher didn’t have to worry about deadlines, standards, or failure.

Fairy dust aside, this classroom is just a fairytale.

Bum, Bum, bum! Now what?

After reading “Rethinking Homework” by Cathy Vetterott, I still find myself getting comfortable on that white picket fence in the middle of the argument looking for the “greener” side. At times while reading the book I did feel like Cathy was speaking from that fairytale classroom I explained above where all she had to worry about was homework.

I do not have a lot of homework in my classroom but the little bit I do have they still have trouble completing it or turning it in. For example, on Friday I had three students, “the trouble maker”, “the lazy one”, and “the good student”, who did not turn in their assignments. In my class I do take the time to try and understand students’ lives and if a student truly needs an extension on a homework assignment they know to talk to me outside of class. These three students have all asked for extensions at one time or another because of different issues. I wasn’t overall happy that they didn’t turn it in but the one thing I can be happy about is that they didn’t waste my time by lying to me. They had time to do the work, they just didn’t do it and they would be the first to admit it.

I also give my students a lot of control about what they learn and how they learn it. The one thing I have figured out in all the years I have been teaching, (1 year on January 15^th! Wooo!!!) is that there is physically no way to make them all happy. At the end of the day they will find something to complain about. Instead of worrying about what they thought about that project or assignment anymore I’m just thankful they are taking the time to think about my class, even if it may be complaining.

I will continue to try and be the best teacher that I can be while allowing my students some control of the classroom and its curriculum. There is still a place for relative homework that scaffolds our students learning and challenges their thinking. That is the homework I will continue to assign.

And like every fairytale...... They lived happily ever after

The End