Listen to Your Inner Child--Or Just the One Standing in Front of You

I was trying to figure out what items to request on a DonorsChoose proposal.  DonorsChoose.org is a website where teachers and donors meet in order to facilitate educational materials getting into classrooms where they are needed.  Teachers ask; donors listen.

Recently, because of a generous donation by the Claire Giannini Foundation to all California projects,  I had numerous proposals funded.  The items coming to my classroom include a class set of The Adventures of Captain Underpants (so we can read fun chapter books), a MacBook (to make our own movies about superheroes), and a class set of flash drives (so we can transport our movies between computers).

With a few proposal slots open and about, oh, a zillion ideas in my head, I turned to Santino for his expert kid advice.  Bean bag chairs, class sets of Percy Jackson, netbooks, a new printer/scanner--I had lots of ideas, many of them coming from Santino in the first place.  So I posed the question to him--what should I ask for?

"Mom, you gotta get laptops.  Imagine every kid having a laptop at school!"

He didn't pause for a breath, he didn't think it over--it was obvious to him.  And it made me wonder--why aren't we asking kids what they need in school?

I asked Santino for more advice.  "Bean bag chair, couch, or both?"  Again, he knew immediately.  "Both," he said, "because kids are happier when they have options."  Kids are happier when they have options.  Simple but profound.

I'm not claiming that kids really understand the world of pedagogy or the academic side of education.   But I do think they are self-aware.  They know what gets them excited about school.  It could be a beanbag chair, a laptop, or smelly markers--whatever it takes, they know what it is.  And when kids get excited about school, they stay focussed longer, try harder, and have a better attitude.  

So listen to that kid standing right in front of you.  You might get something out of it.