Salt the Hay

I recently came out of the classroom and back into admin. Several people asked me if I missed the classroom. You know what? Of course. I loved "my kids" and the special relationship we had. But you know what else? I love my new relationship. Instead of 22 kids, "My kids" now consist of 354 middle schoolers. I can't believe how lucky I am. They challenge me to be better. Every day I am searching for ways to help them succeed. I love knowing all about them. And what makes them tick. But it's not without it's challenges. Middle schoolers have a mind of their own and they do not follow the "normal" path. I hear teachers say all the time "I give them the information. It's up to them to learn it. You know, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink." I guess I just don't believe that. I had an old friend once tell me that if you salt the hay it will make them drink. That's the way I feel about learners. If we can entice them with something (salt) they will learn. Continue to engage them and they will want to learn. It's not always easy but it's so worth it. So teachers - step out of the box. Look for ways to entice and engage your learners. Make school fun again. Let's drop so much book/workbook. Look for assessments that require the mind and not always the pencil. Kids are amazing and will completely surprise you if you will just "salt the hay".