A Message from Karen Carlson, Principal of Jefferson School
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I recently observed a wonderful science lesson. The students were completely engaged. The teacher was knowledgeable and organized. The children were active learners, prepared with goggles and an assortment of experiment materials including “magic powders,” data recording sheets, straws, spoons, and more. As the teacher made masterful cross-curricular connections, I jotted quick notes on the various New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards that she was addressing. I noted with respect and pleasure how she had her students in the palm of her hand, something not unlike educational nirvana for the serious professional. Then all of a sudden the spell was broken: a child noticed a doe on the school property.
With his discovery and simultaneous exclamation of delight, all eyes turned to the window. Similarly, all discussion of chemical reactions turned not only to the doe, but to the buck they had seen on a previous day, not to mention the fawn they hoped would soon emerge from the woods that frame the back of the Jefferson School property. Rapid-fire communication revealed that many of them had also caught a glimpse of a rare and elusive albino deer that had recently been frequenting the front of the Jefferson School property. The teacher looked out the window, as well, seeming to share the students’ wonder, appreciation, and curiosity. After about 45 seconds of communal observation she said with a smile and playful intonation, "We break for deer." They returned to the lesson, no less engaged and focused on what the teacher had carefully planned for them that morning. Maybe I was imagining it, but their eyes seemed to be twinkling.
On another day, one of our moms, all of whom are willing to go to virtually any lengths to enhance our learning community, brought in a turtle that she and her child had found outside. She presented it to me in its makeshift habitat, wondering if the children would want to see it. The turtle ended up being a two-day guest in her child's classroom, sparking research about the care and feeding of their temporary pet. In short order the room was filled with evidence that the children were assessing what they knew, thinking about what they would like to know, and recording what they had learned about the care and feeding of turtles that live in the wild. I could not recall having found myself in the midst of an atmosphere that was more sizzling with the energy that propels learning when it is initiated by natural curiosity or, moreover, an authentic purpose for finding out information. (By the way, the turtle was soon returned to his natural habitat, a responsibility that the children had discovered through their own research.)
It is so gratifying to see things like that happening; situations in which teachers choose to grasp and capitalize on the natural curiosity that first-hand experience inspires, rather than feeling bound by a curriculum that, with all its strengths, is written out of the context in which it will be delivered. When you add that “X” factor to education, the countless variables that impact on the moods, motivations, and magic of charting the course for the education of approximately 25 unique little individuals (not to mention the distractions that may appear out of your classroom windows!) the teacher soon learns that “education” is so much more than specific goals and objectives. It is much more about helping the student to recognize the wonder of life and the world of which they are a part: a world in which they can learn, participate, and make a difference.
It is not within the scope or spirit of this commentary to explore the merits of standards based instruction and the emphasis on high stakes testing which is its logical partner. What I am presenting for your consideration is that in order for our teachers to provide our children with time to explore, appreciate, and investigate the stimulating events that are happening around them, events that are part of their own life experience and which are therefore motivating, the teachers have to swim against a tide that is increasingly measuring success in the classroom by a number on a test. More often than not, the test will not reflect the incidental learning, and more importantly, the love of learning, that is nurtured by seizing the moment when there is a felt-need on the part of the students to observe, investigate, explore, and grow.
The good news is that being guided by standards and grasping teachable moments are not mutually exclusive. What some may find troubling, however, is that the tone and the nature of the accountability of our times is moving increasingly in a direction that has to make a teacher think twice before “breaking” for anything; before digressing from a curriculum that is correlated to Core Curriculum Content Standards that, in turn, are correlated to annual, State-mandated testing.
I am happy to report that at Jefferson School we break (and brake!) for deer, turtles, and other unpredictable but irresistible opportunities to provide our students with experiences that enrich their souls as well as their minds. Yes, one eye is always on “The Standards,” “The Curriculum,” and the plan books, checklists, and observations that support the teachers in carrying out their professional duties. No less true, and by no means no less valuable in shaping the adults that our children will become, is that the other eye is ever ready to catch a magical moment in time, and transform it into an inspiring, enriching, and life-affirming experience.
You may be able to surmise that my philosophy of education is that it is not simply a means to an end. Sadly, some children may find themselves taking their journey on a barren highway. Others will be blessed by traveling along the back roads, the secret paths, the detours that lead to wide open fields where the learner can experience the invigoration of rolling in the cool grass. I am so proud to say that at Jefferson School we support and applaud the notion of taking those lovely side trips off the beaten path. I am delighted to say that at Jefferson School, we “break” for deer.