I have so many great great stories to tell lately. In particular about the students. I was just telling my wife how cool it was that our Skool didn't have swearing or guns and how the kids were just decent people enjoying working together. I got home tonight and got this email from one of our new partners Barrie....
Our first week has been most joyful. These are the happiest moments of all for teachers. To see students learn for the joy of learning is most rewarding. When class is over, I get a collective booo and have to drag them away.
Being digital natives, almost all of my students are taking to Skoolaborate like ducks to water. A few immediately identified themselves as enthusiasts and leaders; they are already on step 8 while the rest of us are moving toward step 2. I had them tell their exciting stories today: chatting in Japanese with a student from Japan, shopping at the mall, learning how to build and script by watching students from the UK. They have found everyone to be so friendly and helpful.
We are on line at school on Monday, 10:15 - 10:45, Wednesday 8 - 9:40, and Friday 8 - 9:40 am. About half of my students are able to access Skoolaborate from home. (Don't worry Barrie we are onto it, the students will put on meeting times etc shortly)
Wednesday, I will try to get my students focused on basic skills; this past week, they were just too excited. Then, we'll move from there.
We are very interested in communicating with other students and would like to set up meeting times. We will be exploring projects currently underway, then work on initiating our own.
Thanks so much for everything.....
I had just written to Barrie to tell him about a great kid I had met from his school LA School for the Arts (check out their expected school wide learning results). My wife and I talked to him on the weekend and introduced him to a few of the other students who were regulars. He told us of his fantastic school and the array of talents they needed just to get in (performing arts school). Our son went to a similar school here in Australia. Pretty soon he started talking to the other students and my wife and I backed off and enjoyed watching new friends finding each other in new worlds.
We have also had the not so great times and they will come again but this week, I think I will happily agree with Barrie - life in teaching and learning can be just joyful.
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