"We Don't Need Her"

“We don’t need her”, the student was heard to say... Mary had just informed the class that I would not be in that morning. .... The dough lesson would go on as usual, however..... The class had made their intentions clear.... (I'd heard about the comment when I returned the following week and was elated at the stand they had taken)..... It was the beginning of a collective class transformation.  

The goal of learning is the mastery of the subject being studied. When ‘learning’ is not being achieved in a timely or satisfactory fashion, we must then alter what we are teaching and the trajectory of the direction we are taking in trying to achieve the desired learning goals. With young children, who may manifest learning challenges, very early on, it is imperative that a program involving all five senses be carried out to optimize successful learning outcomes....Keeping things simple and fluid is always the name of the game. ... It was now necessary to up the ante, so to speak, to challenge Mary’s students and, perhaps, take them in a new direction.  ...  (Boredom dampens attention and kills learning!).

We began an ‘art’ class, using dough. ... As time passed, the children in Mary’s class were fast becoming experienced, ardent learners in the art of working with and 'painting' dough......  A repertoire of mastered techniques and product line was slowly building.....Then one day, the class learned how to make a rose...  (I had learned the previous day!).... (It was a simple 1-2-3, roll-twist-pinch maneuver)...  As the class momentum increased, excitement reached new heights. ... The students could not contain their jubilation at what they were doing: creating beautiful roses, ready for ‘painting’, out of simple, easy to make edible dough..... The excitement was palpable...  Then the recess bell rang and the trouble began.

It was time to go outside for the 10 minute break, an event that was repeated 5 days a week, throughout the school year, all over Ontario, Canada. ... Exercise, fresh air was an integral and important part of the elementary school student’s day. ... A strict adherence to education policy was the law. ...  But some students refused to leave. ... One student, in particular, did not move.... She adamantly refused to get up, too busy making roses, practicing the technique, over and over again, much to my delight and hers. She initiated the rebellion but relented when promised that the ‘rose parade’ would continue after the morning break. ...

More ‘we don’t need her’ moments  occurred throughout the year......There was the Victorian Tea to which I had been invited.....While surveying the beautifully decorated table,  I noticed a loaf of braided bread and wondered where it had been purchased.... I was mistaken in my thinking..... This exquisite baked creation had been made by a student and his dad......The ‘art of teaching’ had come full circle.I was on the verge of tears.

The next time you hear your child/student say, “I don’t need you”, remember the comment as the highest form of praise. You are no longer needed. You have done your job. It is now time for them to do theirs.