As my grandfather placed the seventh mustard and blue printed napkin on the salt-ridden fast food counter, I sunk deep into my booth with comfort. One for Grandma, one for Grandpa, one for Seymour, Demore, Leroy, Sarah and me. My baby brother was much too young to indulge in the goodness my three and a half year old palate was about to endure. There were enough greasy beef sliders to go around, and extra pickles for me and my friends. It was 1985 and we were partying like it was 1999. Seymour, Demore, Leroy and Sarah hogged the ketchup cups (as usual) and Grandma urged them to share. As the soggy slider paper sheets piled up on Grandpa’s cafeteria tray, I envied his speed-eating skills. And why were my friends’ napkins so dry?
Priding myself with not one, but four imaginary friends with names like Seymour and Demore, I am so thankful that my family played along. My grandfather must have stomached four-times the food for the four seasons my imagination was on fire.
Thinking back, I wonder what happens to our young imaginations when we grow up. Imaginary friends turn into real friends, fairytales turn into realistic fiction and fearlessness develops into hopefulness. Some of us always stay dreamers, while some of us become conformists, realists, or somewhere in between.
One of the million cool things about being a teacher is that we get to see things through young minds. As the end of the school year approaches, teacher evaluations and coaching cycles wrap up and the state testing monster goes into hibernation...freedom is about to grace us with her pleasure.
All things considered, it's pretty perfect timing to do whatever you want with your students. Watching Netflix, shading Moana-themed coloring books and playing computer games all day is definitely an option, but integrity-wise is probably not the best choice for those young, developing minds. Is there a reading structure you want to pilot for next year? A WWII museum simulation project you’ve been dying to try? Genius Hour? Could you transform your classroom into an aquatic ecosystem? Or a children's book publishing house? In May, I feel like pretty much anything goes. Jump in!
Why not ask yourself what if? What if I had my dream classroom? What would it look like? What would we learn? What kind of feel would it have? The realist in all of us knows that we can’t control all student behaviors, but who knows how the environment might shift if you try something fresh and innovative in the next few weeks? Or dive deeper into a topic you just dipped your feet into earlier this year?
Whether you're returning to your same position or moving on, why not make your teaching dreams a reality? Even if for 38 days. What a way to launch your summer vacation and treat the end-of-school-year-itis!
And if all else fails, just revert back to Chubbs Peterson’s advice in Happy Gilmore. Find your happy place. Use that childhood imagination buried inside you and transport yourself to paradise the next time a student rolls their eyes and shouts, this is boring!
The mind is a powerful muscle. Think big. Dream big. Power to the teacher.
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