The below images from Upsplash are for my classroom check-in. I thought I would give the students the option of saying how they are feeling rather than a rating out of 10. They can relate with the emotion of the animal. For example:

  • I feel grumpy like the brown dog.
  • I feel relaxed like the fox.
  • I feel silly like the goat.
  • I feel super happy like the white dog.
  • I feel sleepy like the koala.
  • I feel uncertain like the racoon.
Brown dog: boredpanda.com; Racoon: Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash; koala: Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash; Goat: maximili; happy dog: Joe Caione

I could change the images up each Monday as the kids become used to the morning check-in. I geared this for grade 3/4. My Link2Practice is with a grade 8 class. Most of them are all into Squid Games and would probably love a morning check-in that is themed and connected to the show. However, because it’s rated R, I obviously can’t!

John Hopkins from PSII

I have so many mixed feelings about PSII. On the one hand I love the idea behind the school’s pedagogy, on the other, I am not sure it fully aligns with some of the conventions our society still operates behind. Having said that, perhaps John Hopkins is moving his learners in a direction we should all start leaning towards. I agree that students flourish and engage when they are truly invested and interested in something, but life requires many tasks that are not desirable, but are necessary to function: human relationships, job responsibility and life administration. By allowing students to learn only what interests them, are we setting the stage for a generation of people who only participate in life when it suits them? 

I do appreciate that PSII offers an enriching space for learners on the spectrum and those that struggle with mental health. I agree 100% that our current school system is not set up for folks with these challenges. It is a shame that the school has been pigeonholed as an environment for non-traditional learners as it has lots to offer besides a safe learning space. I would love my children to do an intensive there, or a semester, or a summer program, but not as full-time students because I still believe in the value of our current education system. Let’s be honest, I better, I am going to (hopefully) be teaching it soon.  

I think Merah made a good point when she mentioned that most of us were in education because we had a positive experience in school. Our personalities and learning styles obviously work well with the current paradigm. Additionally, it was not lost on me that John Hopkins mentioned he initially dropped out of school in grade 11 then returned because of a teacher who encouraged him to. Here is a man who can relate to kids who do not enjoy school, so he wanted to create an alternative – something he wished he had had. You have to admire him for that.  

I hope our current school system begins to lean towards more inquiry and innovation. We’re currently doing three inquiries just in our first term at UVIC (University of Victoria) so it is obviously the new thing. I’m just not sure we’re ready to abandon everything our current school system offers and just focus on inquiry and innovation. Â