A lot of people write about how educators use the summer to “recharge
their batteries,” which is true. It’s nice to have some down time to reflect
and plan for the next year. It’s the one time of year when there aren’t
constant demands for teachers’ and administrators’ time. No concerts, no after
school events, no evaluations to prepare for.
Part of this time allows me to catch up on things that I
didn’t have time for during the school year, like changing the battery in our
Jeep, which is our only vehicle that has roof racks for us to transport our
kayaks. We were able to get by this winter by jumping it a few times when it
was really cold out, but my wife and I both knew it would eventually need to be
replaced. My wife and I also knew nothing about replacing a battery.
So I turned to YouTube. And I watched video after video of
someone changing car batteries in order to figure out what to do. I learned
about “core charges” that auto part supply stores charge. I learned that
batteries can be top or side mounted. I learned that “CCA” stands for “cold
crank amps,” which is referring to the ability for it to start in cold weather.
I also learned that sometimes there can be a lot of corrosion, and a wire brush
is best to remove the debris in order to ensure the battery has a tight
connection.
This has me thinking more about the situations that students
find themselves in. How can we position them to have a need to find out more
information? What kinds of interesting problems can we put in front of students
where they not only have to leverage the tools at their disposal (technology,
social networks) but also are authentically motivated to struggle and figure
things out?
At one point, I became so frustrated because I could not
remove the bolt from one of the battery terminals. The bolt was so rusted that
it was chipping away when I used a wrench, pliers, and vice grips. I threw my
hands up in frustration and walked away.
Sometimes it’s okay to take breaks in the middle of a
problem. Giving yourself room to think about other things can somehow lead to
clarity.
I was able to loosen the nut enough to where I could pull up
on the terminal. It eventually slid off without having to remove the bolt, and
it later provided me enough grip on a non-corroded part to remove the bolt. But
I wouldn’t have arrived at this conclusion if I hadn’t stepped away. I would
have continued to express frustration and feel helpless at my lack of options
of accomplishing my goal.
And that’s what this new experience will leave me thinking
about: putting kids in interesting scenarios, providing the time and resources
to struggle, and also the freedom to step back and re-examine the situation. Sometimes
our classrooms are so rushed and we constantly feel the need to cover material
instead of ensure deep learning has occurred. Now I’m not saying I am a
battery-changing expert, but I know that this experience, like those that we
can provide in our classrooms, has left me with additional skills for the next
interesting problem that I encounter.
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