There are several reasons we work in schools and kids come to schools on a daily basis. The most important factor that many lose sight of, is the experience. I pride myself in learning to build a positive experience for not only our students, but also for the adults in our building that work and visit. As we aim to prepare students for life after K-12 education, we must focus on the experiences they have while they are with us in school.
I am lucky to be able to attend one of the best summer conferences close to my home in Indiana. The Southshore eLearning conference has been an annual conference for the last 4 years as part of the Indiana Department of Education's Summer of eLearning initiative. The School City of Hammond, along with a few other districts, hosts the event, which this year brought 1,000 attendees. One of the speakers was Ken Shelton. Ken focused on the student experience as part of his keynote. He challenged the audience to ask students, "what experience do you want to have in school." Actively engaging students in the planning of their instruction will not only inform the teacher, but it will help build the relationship between the students and the teacher.
When thinking back of our days as students in the K-12 classroom, we remember fun teachers, trips, things we did with our friends. We don't often remember a specific lesson that taught us a specific concept. So how do we focus on building the experience? First we must decide to talk about it. We have to focus on building positive relationships and a positive culture that fosters collaboration. We have to be willing to say, this is a priority.
An experience is memorable when the participants buy in because they are interested, excited, curious and willing. We create experiences everyday at #myjblions. Kids remember fun, they remember gross, they remember love. School isn't only about teaching requirements, it is also about building experiences that last a lifetime. Thanks for the reminder Ken Shelton!
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