The Dot
I had the pleasure of meeting Peter H. Reynolds a few years ago at a November Learning Conference in Boston. I believe that NCTE also afforded me that opportunity, but it was last year in Boston, that I got to witness the creative cave that is FableVision and chat with Peter for longer and in person. The space is humming with energy. His team members are vivacious and personable, engaging and present. I loved it. To assert that this inspiration applies to teaching is really a no-brainer, but right now I want to explain how his book, The Dot, is stretching my teacher’s soul.
Celebrating the energy that is FableVision
The teacher in Peter’s beloved tale encourages her young charge to “Make your mark, and see where it takes you.” She gently expects an attempt to be made and then allows it to spread dreams just as it is. From a single mark, the size of a freckle or a piece of sand, an artist blossomed. Powerful stuff.
I have the book on my desk at school right now. I plan to read it to my students. The problem is that it somehow makes me feel like a sham. I am not spreading dream dust – I am trying my best to hone and prune, guide and push. I teach twelfth graders. Our task is college writing and British Literature. We have eighteen weeks to get it all in and I try to fill the gaps they come to me with. Common Core Essential Standards, Outcomes Based Assessment, the Standard Course of Study, and Accuplacer/SAT’s looming in their immediate future, keep me focused on the skills. How do we inspire and create without ignoring the rigor and standard required for these young adults to move on successfully. Why is combining those elements so very difficult? How are you the teacher who says, “Just make your mark, and see where it takes you,” while also filling their toolkits to bursting? Please share, I really want to know.
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FableVision, Inspiration, November Learning, Peter H. Reynolds, Teaching and Learning, The Dot
Themocracy
For me,in a multicultural environment, the uniqueness of the individual, and how she can claim her self-made style and creativity, has not only the capacity but also the power to change the very community in which she finds herself.
That is quite the statement, Amy. I agree with you and love the idea that each of us, while claiming our own style, can change the communities we live in. One person, event, and situation at a time.