Kids constantly amaze me. When they are first born, they are these tiny little bundles of potential just waiting to discover who and what they will become. They are constantly morphing into new creatures as they experiment and explore. From infancy to toddlerhood and the terrible twos all the way up to childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood – the changes are never ending and amazing to watch. But the changes are fun, and as they reach 6th grade they finally begin to look around the world at what else is out there. Suddenly, the world has expanded beyond themselves and their own world to include other people.
For example, when I was in school we sat in desks in rows. We did not do group work, or cooperative learning. We were only allowed to work on our own. Once in a blue moon we would have a partner, but that was a rare teacher who would do that – it was like cheating! We had chalkboards and overhead projectors and mimeograph machines. Our maps were on the pull down rollers just like the blinds over our windows. Our movies were shown (if they were) on a film projector (sound: “whap-whap-whap”). We saw filmstrips in the little recorders and our slide shows were actual, physical slides in a special bit of equipment.
Computers were science fiction. The ones that did exist were huge – taking entire rooms to house. Phones were all “land lines” and some were rotary. Consumer education was Home Economics. Today the kids carry baby dolls to learn about caring for a baby. We carried eggs. Yes, some of you remember. Mrs. Edwards was my Home Ec teacher in junior high (it wasn’t middle school, then) and I had an egg. My oldest daughter burst out into peals of laughter at the thought of her mother carrying around an egg for a week. It was boiled and decorated with a face and I put a little diaper on it. Let me tell you, caring for an egg is tough. My poor eggy baby met with a tragic accident. My mother helped me to put an IV (string) and a bandage on my little egg, and we put him in a homemade hospital bed. Sadly, he did not survive. Poor little yolk.
I am happy to report, however, that kids are sturdier than those eggs were. As they grow and change, we sometimes wonder what happens to their minds. I am happy to report that they have not lost their minds at all. It seems the kids are simply still learning how to use them to the best of their ability. Just like anything else, there are ebbs and flows. They make mistakes just like we do. I get a kick out of looking at my students and wondering….what will they become? Who will they be in 10 years?
“Mrs. Moore, why are you staring at me?”
Christine Moore currently holds a degree from Howard Payne University and is actively working toward a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Married with four children, Christine teaches 6th grade reading in Brownwood and has been working in education at various levels for the past 14 years. Her husband, Jeremy, owns a local company that specializes in web design, custom computer builds, and on-location repair called DreamSoft Design at www.dreamsoftdesign.com. Christine welcomes your questions and comments and would love to hear from you!
