The routine is settling in. For my students that is. For me, it has been the same basic routine for many years. And while there are similarities between classes from one grade level to the next, it’s the specific routine pieces that help define a classroom. These specifics are what need to be explicitly taught by me and practiced by my students.
Each morning I stand outside the school doors on the little “4th Grade Wing Porch”; the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are there waiting to be let in the building. They wait patiently for the signal that their class is to begin the trek inside. I hold the door for them. As they pass me I greet them in some manner…a “good morning”, a “hello”, a “what did you have for breakfast?” or even a “wake up and smile, it’s [day of the week]”. Sometimes I receive a verbal response, sometimes a questioning look (depending upon what I say), and sometimes I’m either not noticed or simply ignored. Whatever the response it sets my day in motion; a day filled with routines and spontaneity.
We practice routines such as how to line up, what to do when finished with a given assignment, when to sharpen the pencil, how to access the 4th Grade Folder on the Shared Drive on the computers, etc. These, and other routines, are what gives us a sense of control and comfort. It allows the mind to relax enough so that learning can take place.
Yet there is that spontaneity piece.
Conversations suddenly spark up and take us off topic. Humor interjects itself and the sound of laughter fills the room. A new idea suddenly comes to one of us and leads us in a different direction than we planned. This spontaneity is what makes the learning exciting. It sparks our imaginations, challenges our comfort zone, and brings forth our genuine personalities…that part of each of us that makes us who we are.
Between the routines in place and the spontaneity that occurs, the classroom becomes a place where teacher and students can grow well and experience much.
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