Skip to main content

Taking on Independence


Fourth grade is a time of change.  Kids change physically, academically, and socially.

I see it every year and it begins right about now; right about the time of Thanksgiving.

The physical change is always obvious.  They seem to grow taller overnight, their expressions are a bit more adult-like, and they are becoming more coordinated in their movements (although that may change as their bodies grow faster and they are trying to "keep up" with it!).  They will delight in challenging their physical stamina, their physical coordination, and their physical accomplishments.
  
Academically the change is something wondrous to behold.  They have started on the path of making meaningful connections simply because now they have an arsenal of experiences that they can draw upon.  They find the cross-curricular connections more easily and begin to piece the puzzle of education together...figuring out that 'subjects" exist not in isolation but rather are intertwined in many ways.  They develop their life-long study habits as well as their appreciation for the unknown and the process required to uncover it.  The pride they exhibit when they truly learn something becomes the reward in and of itself.  Intrinsic motivation is taking root.

Socially speaking the change is one that carries uplifting highs and debilitating lows.  They are looking to each other to help them establish a sense of self, a sense of belonging.  The playground can be a rough place; and it is no longer a playground made of swings and see-saws.  The playground is present in the classroom, the internet, the lunchroom, and on the walk to and from school.  The playground roughness takes its shape in many forms; teasing, peer pressure, bullying, and acceptance/rejection.  It's always been a rough place, for all of us.  We know this and in that knowing we prepare our kids for it. We give them the tools they will need to weave their way through the social maze the playground has become.  They are smart, the kids of today, and with us behind them, they will find their way.

Yes, Fourth Grade is a time for change...life itself is a series of change.  This one, however, signals a change that will bring these young people slowly into the adult world.  While this may sound sad, the fact that they are growing so quickly, it also serves as an opportunity for each of us to take some extra time to be with our kids...for despite these changes they still need us...and will for some time to come.



Mr. Casten
Nov. 4, 2011

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Looking Out

Looking Out Originally written May 27, 2015 Lightly edited for clarity in August 2026. Just hours ago, my students left. They are on their way to summer adventures, family time, and friends. Just as quickly as they walked into my life, they walked out again. Yet each of them will always be a part of my life. When a school year begins, my new students are just that—students. They arrive as a group, and at first there is little that distinguishes them beyond their physical appearance. They are quiet, reserved, and and still unknown to me. During those first few days, I snap a picture of each one, not yet knowing who they really are. I work to learn their names and match each one to a classroom number. I try to figure out who knows whom from the neighborhood. I share pieces of my own life, hoping they'll eventually share theirs. Time meanders on. Slowly, they begin to let their light shine. Slowly, they begin to share what's important to them. Slowly, I'm afforded the opportu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Art & Science

     The familiar winds of autumn blew rapidly through the playground.   Ponytails flying, unzipped jackets flapping, and soaring playground balls all took errant paths.        Just as fall has briskly left so has trimester one.   Reports cards were sent home today and I plan on placing the final touches to each student’s conference narrative.   The practice of filling out the narrative for my students has become one of my favorite “at home” aspects of teaching.   I look forward to retreating to my little office in the basement, surrounded by the faint noises of my family upstairs, and writing.   I seem to enter into a world only my students and I really know; the life of Room 211 on a daily basis.       My mind pictures each student as I am writing about them.   Their faces make an entrance into my thoughts followed by the smile I see each day.   I travel back in t...
2 comments
Read more

Running...

Running... Original post written on August 18, 2012. Minor changes for clarity made in Aug 2026. Twelve years. That's how long I have been teaching at Lincoln. Twelve years. That's how long I have taken the same route from my house to school. In that time I have seen many houses for sale, then sold. Some were torn down to make room for a new house, a new family, and new students. I've seen the streets that I traverse through Elmhurst being ripped apart and rebuilt to make them safer and more driver friendly, not to mention more car-friendly. Twelve years. I've seen high school kids standing on corners, waiting for the school bus to pick them up for school. Some of them recognize my car while others recognize me as their former teacher. Most of them, however, probably do not pay much attention to me as I pass by. Among all that I see, Monday through Friday mornings there is an unmistakable figure, usually two blocks ahead of me on Fairfield. He is a man. He has slightly ...
Post a Comment
Read more