On Teaching: LEARNING BY DANCING

In need of a spark for my teaching, I visited Jeannie's 7th grade Dance class yesterday and saw cooperation, caring, enthusiasm, intelligence, support, confidence, determination, courage, idealism, and gentleness. I think I went to the right place.
It would take pages to describe all that I learned about good teaching and learning in my visit, but let me give a few highlights:
* The kids were smiling or laughing during the entire class. It reminded me of a quote I have above my desk: "The shortest distance between two people is laughter." It also reminded me of something one of my earliest mentors encouraged me to remember -- that learning is a whole lot easier when the students are happy.
* Of course, this being Dance class, the students were almost constantly moving, which recalled to mind something John Dewey said -- that kids under 13 find it almost impossible to learn anything without moving their bodies.
* Jeannie seemed utterly relaxed and patient. From my perspective, chaos seemed to be reigning around her as two groups prepared their dances in separate rooms (she skipping from one to the other), but I guess to Jeannie it seemed as natural and beautiful as the swirling of breezes in the forest. I'm not yet sure what I mean by this, but she seems to teach her classes the way nature runs the universe.
* One girl came racing to the door and shouted, breathlessly, "Mrs. Williams, come and see our dance!" I've had some successes as a teacher, but no student has ever breathlessly shouted, "Mr. Salsich, come and read my essay!"
* Her Dance students spent much of the time improvising -- suggesting ideas, making changes, asking others' opinions, reformulating plans. This was intelligence and democracy at work. It occurred to me that Congress could learn some lessons from these children
* I keep a quote in my plan book that says "No two children are alike".
Jeannie seems to have memorized that great truth. In her class, some kids were active, some quieter; some were always agreeable, others were resistant. There was obviously a part to play for each emotion and for each of her unique students.

Instead of getting a spark for my teaching, perhaps I should say I felt many fresh breezes as I watched Jeannie conduct her class in the most natural of manners. Watching her and her students was rather like being in a forest and watching nature be its free and beautiful self.
My thanks to a magnificent teacher.