Last Week Skip, Tater and I went to see Zootopia. As the beginning credits began to stream, Shakira's song "Try Everything" began to play and as I listened to the lyrics tears formed in my eyes. As usual the message of this movie hit home with me and where I am in my journey as an educator.
All I can say is that you have to listen to the song, there are too many quotes to include... Okay, I'll try... (This is only a few quotes)
"Try Everything"
"I won't give up"
"I won't give in"
"Till I reach the end and then I'll start again"
"I want to try everything"
"I want to try even though I can fail"
"I'll keep on making those new mistakes"
"I'll keep on making them everyday, those new mistakes"
The entire song is a quote for taking risks, failing forward, and learning from mistakes. And the entire movie is about problem solving, critical thinking, failing forward and persevering.
This school year I have tried everything in one of my roles as a STEAM coach. In some cases I have shifted pedagogy which is my ultimate goal. In other cases I have created random acts of STEAM, which has become frustrating as we work to shift culture, instruction, engagement... well everything.
The frustration is good because it drives me to think and plan ahead. As we move closer to the end of the year, I need to think of next steps for the next school year. That is a good thing. Another good thing is the student engagement that has resulted from my STEAM coaching this year. a great example is Leo who is on the autism spectrum:
I visit Leo's class once a week for STEAM time where we do maker activities, learn to code, program LEGO WeDo, etc... STEAM time brings out the best in Leo. It is one of the times of the week he can lead, collaborate, learn and find success.
As Krissy Venosdale writes in her blog post: STEAM is Not a Class, A Thing, or a Trend, It's the World we need to remember that we need to educate ALL students and STEAM is the gateway to engagement.
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