Vacation: Letting the Learning Sink In

Oh, Spot, how I do love my time off! I love the fact that it restores me, but I especially love what it does to you. Time away creates a space, a seam reallly, in the learning. And even though I know you're not thinking about me, I'm here...on my break, thinking about you.

This year, we had an enormous amount of snow days, but our February break had already been taken away. The snow days were disruptive and unplanned for, and each and every day, we found ourselves trying to reorient ourselves in all that we'd been doing...just trying to keep our heads above the proverbial waters, I think.

Planned breaks are important, though...just like vacations out in the working world--but different. Kids are not like piggy banks, you can't just fill them to the brim. I applaud those who think that more is more and want to add days and time to the school year. They're doing the best and most obvious thing they think to be right. But...all kids need that window of creative opportunity; that seam of daylight in the mix. Brains need to process, to daydream, to allow all learning to sink in. Less is often more...and that in education is a fact! Reflection is a very good thing.

So today, Spot, here I sit. I'm pondering. I'm thinking about how far we've come and all the questions we have to explore before we go. I'm getting charged up to forge ahead in my craft. Because without this bit of fresh air, a little time away...I think we'd be a pretty dull and uncurious lot!