By Scott TyinkFor my March birthday, I asked my son to give me the gift of time—time doing something together. We both enjoy running, so he signed us up for an 8K race in his university town. I was happy for the gift.
We had been trying to do this race for the entire four years he attended, but something always seemed to get in the way. We ran side by side, weaving in and out of the mostly college runners. We hadn’t intended on it being a way to close out his college career, but we naturally fell into talking about his tenure. There was no arranged agenda and no assigned questions—just a dad and his son having a moment.
We talked about the good friends he made and how he might keep the relationships going even though they would now be hundreds of miles apart. We discussed his choice to attend that university and why it was a good one. We discussed what he learned from school, both socially and academically. And of course we talked about the fun he had: life in the dorms, going to football games, and weekend trips.
As I reflected on our conversation, I realized everything we discussed naturally was a reflection of the needs we seek to fulfill—relationship, autonomy, competence, and fun. I thought about the hundreds of hours invested by teachers, friends, and parents to create those school experiences. And I thought about how grateful I was to have the opportunity to explore, with my own son, his observations and insights. How much I was learning from his reflections. And how important it is to structure a time with our classroom children to reflect on how they experience meeting their needs this year in school. My hope is that this process will help them learn and help us learn as well. What do our students really consider a significant experience in an advisory, a sports team, or time in science class?
It would be wise of us as educators to help our students brainstorm together and then record, document, and share. This process might begin with a class journal-writing exercise or small group discussions. It might emerge as a final representation through art, video, or drama. You might want to try using one or more of the questions below:
Relationship:Who did I meet this year? What impact did one or two new relationships have on my life? Do I wish to continue the relationship? What makes for a significant relationship?
Autonomy:What goals did I have for myself this year? What new choices or risks did I take that helped me grow to reach my goals? What was hard? What struggles did I overcome?
Competence:What new skills did I acquire? What content and knowledge did I master? How do I see myself now as a learner? What tools or methods best help me learn? How will what I learned help me with my goals?
Fun:What experiences did I enjoy both academically and socially? Why did I enjoy those particular ones? What experiences would I want to make sure I tried to do again?
As we all near the end of our own race this year, be it a 5K or a marathon, be it a home room or a math class, we want to be intentional in thinking about how our experiences have met our needs as educators. And how we can continue to help our students self-reflect and partner with us to meet their own needs. Please join me in this conversation. In what ways do you have students consider their needs at the end of the school year? What have you learned from this dialogue?
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For fourteen years, I taught adolescents in grades 5 through 8. I co-organized, directed, and taught in the first multiage middle-level charter school in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where I developed curriculum that integrated arts and technology to inspire and challenge students. For more than ten years, I've helped to design and facilitate Developmental Designs workshops, consulted in middle schools, and coached teachers. I hold an EdD from Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, California, where my focus of study was on altruism and altruists. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org.
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