There is an old Mother Goose rhyme which goes: Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row.
“Contrary” means stubborn, or argumentative. There has been a lot of interpretation of this and other Mother Goose nursery rhymes, but suffice it to say, at its base is the message, “Hey, chica? How do you make this work? How to you make things happen, especially when you’re so stubborn all the time?’
So, I’m going to ask myself, “How do I make my garden grow?” How do I approach the day, with 130+ adolescents who are on the cusp of the abysses, and it is my charge to build the foundation under them as they leap? (I’ll just keep mixing metaphors until I get the right formula!)
Here are my first thoughts:
- I get to know my students individually
- I find something positive in every class, and every teachable moment
- I’m firm to be kind, and set boundaries
- I work really hard, and I work really smart
- I listen
- I talk
- And I know when to do each
So, I’ll give it some more thought. What do you do?
