Getting Comfortable Giving Over Control

In our first two and a half weeks of our new school, there is a lot to reflect on. There are moments when it seems like an amazing place and moments where it seems… maybe a bit chaotic and confusing. As a seasoned teacher, I catch myself asking “What is happening?” “Is this really how this is going down?” “I know better than to sit with this chaos. We need organization and assignments!”

And then, right when I’m about to throw in the towel and force everyone to do an assignment so that I can regain control, know where everyone is, and have control over what they are working on, someone will surprise me.

Maybe it will be the group working on their screenplay - the ones who aren’t thrilled to be writing but have been working on creating a screenplay for two weeks now after they got an idea for one. Every time they start to put their work away one of them shouts “But what if…” and they go back to writing.

Or it is the deep thinkers who will wander for a bit, seemingly aimless and resistant to working on a teacher-directed assignment - who suddenly show you that they have secretly been working on a story all day as they walked with their notebook.

Or the multi-age group of kids laughing over math games while they explain their mathematical reasoning.

Or the determination all the learners bring to the STEM challenges where they are determined to get a boat to float with 100 pebbles in it, or to create a marble run.

We are watching our learners blossom and come into their own a little more every day.

It would be easier on me as a teacher if I took a more controlled stand, and yet, as I watch the three different groups planning out their movie scripts and designing their sets - or the group that is currently working on a proposal for a class pet (a proposal that includes a budget, a plan for feeding/caring for the pet, and takes into account everyone’s preferences) I can guarantee you none of this would be happening if I was the one setting up the structure and assigning specific tasks. The creativity, planning, and deep work are coming from their organic excitement over an idea - not trying to fulfill my wishes.

It’s a pilot program this year, and each week we learn a bit more about what is working and what isn’t in terms of handing the reins over to the students and giving them space to work. By the end of the year,

we may recreate all of our structures, but for now, I love watching each student find their ideas and begin to dive into making them a reality.