Watching

According to Lamb, "watching asks students to explore and become observers of their environment." As a 7th grade Social Studies teacher, it is unimaginable to me how often I have asked my students to do this, yet I cannot remember the last time I have taken the time to do this myself. How can I have asked my students to do this so many times and not taken the time to explore the world around me?

I have to say that this step was a very big hurdle to overcome. Where do I begin? What do I want to know? As I began to answer these questions, my mind became overwhelmed with ideas. Somehow, I had to find a way to make some sense of the madness. This brought me to journaling, something I had long put aside. During my college years, you wouldn't have found me without my journal. I remember many beautiful days on campus spent contemplating and writing on the ups and downs of my life. Why had I given up this outlet? After searching the attic to find old journals, I became elated with the chance to read my past thoughts and at times, was delirious with laughter at my silly rantings and ravings. It was a blast!

As I focused on the task at hand, creating lists seemed the right choice. Creating the list was an exciting process, as I began discussions with colleagues, friends and my husband. I began answering the questions like: What am I interested in?, What do I want to learn? and Why don't adults take the time to learn as our children do? I spent several days working on my lists. At some points, I would write twenty items down on the list. At other times, I would only write one or two items down. General topics became specific as the process continued. For example, I enjoy the Civil War, so I began to question why I do. My list began to include Civil War medicine, women in the Civil War, artillery, Civil War transportation, etc. Very quickly, my list grew to a page and a half of possible topics. I felt this was a good starting point, as I didn't want my list to get out of control! The list could have gone on for eternity. I will have to pick it back up when my life slows down, and I have the time to inquire about everything on the list.

Choosing a final topic was stressful to me. I was actually angered at the idea of having to eliminate items from my list. These are all subjects that I am interested in. How can I possibly say that one idea may be better than another? As my anger and frustration grew, it was time to take a break and put the list away. I could not stare at it any longer. My mind needed to rest. Why was this bothering me so much? Did I really care about these subjects so much that I needed to be angry about the possibility of taking one off the list?

The list sat dormant for three days, as I began to stop and breathe for a moment! As busy as I am, I found the opportunity to do this a much needed adventure! In Lamb's 8W's, the watching step is said to be one of "observing", "reading and viewing", "writing" and "discussing." I endeavored to do a little bit of everything. I had already enjoyed the discourse with colleagues at lunch, as I felt very in tune with their thoughts and ideas. During my three days grace from the list, I spent a weekend free from the usual running of my life. I made every effort to clear my schedule so that I would have time for ME! Crossword puzzles, walks in the park, reading a favorite book, etc. It was amazing how much fun I had. My husband actually told me it was nice to see me smile...now if that isn't telling me something, then I don't know what is!!

After my long weekend away from the list, I was able to make quick work of deciding upon a topic. After evaluating my weekend, the realization that time is so very precious was extremely evident to me. With this in mind, I wanted to choose a topic that would serve my needs in multiple ways. This topic should not only peak my interest, but it also needed to be something that would benefit my classroom. If I could find something that would meet this criteria, then maybe, at some point, I will have more time to do the things I have realized that I have been missing. (Journaling, trips to the park, reading, etc.) My thoughts also brought me to hope that by choosing the correct topic, I would become a better teacher in the end as well. If I could take the time to become an "expert" on a particular topic, then I hoped to become an "expert" of every topic on my list! (This may take a while, but the list is still around. I plan to add to the list and inquire as much as I possibly can!)

So, I have finally choosen the topic which will satisfy my goals. I will be researching the art of the African tribal mask. Since I have been a 7th grade Social Studies teacher, this topic has come up in my African unit of study. Every year, my students discuss and learn of the importance of the tribal society to Africa. Every year, I feel that my knowledge is lacking. How can I accurately educate my students on this important aspect of African tribal life, if I do not know enough about the topic myself? With this project, I hope to become that "expert" that I always thought I would be.

I am thankful for this class for helping me open this door of learning and thinking!!!