Something small, but I feel like writing about it.
I don't know why I become a little teary when I think of this incident that happened in my classroom today.
Yesterday, a thursday, a day when I have the kids almost throughout the day, a day when I do feel overwhelmed a bit I admit!...while I was going through my drawer (which is a mess!) I found a pair of my favourite craft scissors... broken. Someone had attempted to repair it by wrapping masking tape around it. I was upset of course because no one had come to tell me about it.
I asked the class who had opened my drawer and taken the scissors and broken it. There was silence. A few eyes popped; a few jaws dropped in utter disbelief. I continued to look at them sternly, not expecting (unfortunately) any response whatsoever, when from the corner of my eyes I saw a hand slowly, tentatively rise up. I asked the little girl if she had broken it. She said she had. I do expect my kids to be honest, but I spend most parts of the day dealing with children who try and fob things off onto others. I thanked her for being honest and told her it was okay.The students were puzzled at how easily the matter ended. I gave them time to digest what had happened and the next day, asked them to reflect upon the incident. It was a great moment of learning. How does one teach children about being principled unless they are put to the test? In our PYP curriculum students are expected to exhibit qualities of "being" Principled, Open-minded, Balanced etc, but these are very abstract concepts.This was a great way to teach the children about truth;about facing consequences. No lesson planned!
