Our Journey Has Just Begun

Our journey as a team has begun! We greeted our students by handing out name tags and diving into storytelling activity to learn about their journey to HTH Chula Vista. Students collaborated in writing and performing short skits about how they arrived at our school. Soon our classroom was filled with laughter and applause of appreciation. This is one of several activities and assignments to get to know our students as people, family members and scholars. Setting a tone of safety in our classroom is our priority. Safety is important for our students to be vulnerable, creative, and for them to experience failure that leads to learning as they develop their projects.

Last night I finally had a chance to catch up on this week’s headline news stories, and spent most of my time watching people eulogize Senator John McCain. First his daughter, Meghan McCain, spoke beautifully of her father’s values and impact on her life. She was followed by President Obama who wove in an Ernest Hemingway quote (Sen. McCain’s favorite author) that has been stuck in my head all weekend.

“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.” - Ernest Hemingway

This quote makes me think of the purpose of teaching through projects, and my role as a designer. I feel great responsibility to design and facilitate projects that provide students an opportunity to do something meaningful today because it will impact how they face and respond to their future.

Will our students persevere to create their best work when they don’t feel comfortable or naturally talented? Will our students walk into a room where a cultural experience different from their own is happening and remain open to fully participate? Or will our students maintain a positive mindset while creating final products as they are faced with environmental challenges or things out of their control?

I aim to deliver lots of rich scientific content through the process of creating a creative final product, but project-based learning is most satisfying for me when I witness students recognize their personal growth at the end of the project.