My question to kids: “What can we do to give back to our community for the holidays?” Their minds went in 85 different directions and eventually found their way together to decide on a project they call “Santa’s Stocking Stuffers.” The idea? Collect new and gently used items including hats, mittens, scarves, and small toys, and donate them to children in foster care. The discussion was filled with great questions like:
Where will donate the items we collect? How will we respond to someone who donates a “more than gently used” item? How long will this project last? What can we do to get the word out? Could we dress up as elves to get people’s attention so they will remember to bring items in? Could we write an article for the newspaper that might inspire others to give?
It goes on. The questions? All theirs. The plans? I was the ‘guide on the side,’ speechlessly-proud actually, of how little they needed me. I ended the day with a group of kids who had prepared a presentation to discuss with our principal and made full plans to carry out our project.
The most most eye-opening moment of the day? A student had come in late, mid-conversation, and missed our opening discussion. At the end of the planning, her eyes lit up, and she said “Are we REALLY going to get to do this???” I thought, of course we are. That’s when it hit me. How many times in classrooms do we have kids do things just for the sake of doing them? How many times do we have kids solve “pretend problems” when they should be solving REAL problems? What would kids be capable of if we turned them loose to tackle a real community issue? How motivated would our students be if they took part in changing the world? It’s not just about math lessons or social studies vocabulary, it’s about life and learning. It’s about keepin’ it real.
