Creating Magic: What experiences are you creating for your students?

“Creating Magic”

        What makes experiences magical? Is it the place it occurs? Is it the person’s attitude that makes it happen? Is it the people you are with? What makes experiences magical is how they make you feel in the moment. When a magician amazes people with an illusion that the audience cannot figure out how it was done; people question whether magic is real or not, it might only be for a moment- but the doubt is there. When a Cast Member at Disneyland wishes you a Happy Birthday, by name; even though you have a button on sharing the information, it is still pretty exciting. When a student moves to a new level in reading or has an “ah ha” moment during a math lesson with a difficult concept; the teacher celebrates and makes the student feel special, feel smart, feel empowered to learn!

   How do we make magic for our students? We build relationships and celebrate their successes! But what about on a daily basis? How do we consistently make learning magical or special? Putting our students first is what makes learning magical and special. Not just saying, “Kids come first,” but actually putting them first. What does this mean?

Planning:

    When planning it is vital to think of your students’ needs: their data, their interests, and their social needs. How do you intentionally plan for magic? Do you look for ways to include your students’ interest within your lessons? It is not about watering down the curriculum to make it fun for your student. It is definitely not about making it easier for the students; they need to struggle to learn deeply. It is not about adding hours to every planning session to decorate your classroom (although I do enjoy doing this for large units). It is about knowing your kids and incorporating topics they are interested in when possible. For example, I have seen teachers change math problems from a generic 3 digit math problem to students using a copy of an Amazon cart to compare items that her students would like as a gift. The students were engaged in the assignment more because the topic was more attractive to them. Comparing Video Game Console prices was more interesting to them than comparing the drawn TVs on the original assignment.

Instruction:
    Teachers that use their instruction as a way to connect with their students are going to show their students that they listen to them. The teacher that uses a dog example for a student that had gotten  a dog for Christmas and written a story about that dog to reteach that student a concept is helping make an emotional connection for the student to the concept. The teacher that allows the students to create a Rainforest in the hall to help them connect to the content they are reading in their non-fiction study or the teacher that invites a student to join their club because they see potential in that student, these are the teachers that are being intentional and innovative in meeting their students’ needs.

Culture:

    We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. How we handle our mistakes is what shows our true character. This does not just go for us; it is especially true for our students. We want our students to learn from their mistakes and know that it is ok to struggle. How do we get students to see that both of these concepts are a part of life? We need to show them that when we make a mistake we correct it, we apologize if necessary, and we learn from it. We want students to know that everything is not easy for us, that we struggle as well. Show students times that you struggled; show them how to persevere. Saying and doing are very different. Students need to see models of these. 

When you work at a school that seems like Disneyland, it is easy to think about what we do as magical. However, how are you intentionally creating magic in your classroom? Is it happening by accident or are you planning the magical experiences that have them knocking on the doors to get into school every morning? Think about the magical experiences you have had in your life; they left an impression, they meant something to you, they were fun. Be that teacher for your students. Be the teacher that makes magic with your kids. Be the best you!