Neil Armstrong

 “Neil Armstrong!” Ethan says. “I have a statue in my bedroom of Apollo 11,” he continues with excitement. He is the only student in my 5th grade class that knows the name of the first person to walk on the moon. We are beginning a study of the space race and reading a biography of Mae Jemison this week. I smile inside because this is a side of Ethan that I hadn’t seen before. He has been struggling with his independent reading for the last couple months after he finished a series that he loved. Today, it is an unexpected gift to find a little peek in the doorway of  Ethan’s passions and interests. It is not always easy, and I am especially happy to connect with Ethan. Up until now, I hadn’t found the key to truly getting to know him and  being the best teacher for him this year. He is now set up with a challenge to read as much as he can about space for March! 


“What did you learn last night about space?” I ask as Ethan walks in the class the next morning. “Did you know that each part of the rocket has two engines?” He is now the roving expert on all things moon landing in our classroom this week. It brightens my day to know that I have had a small genuine moment of connection with one of my students.

Comments

  1. Moreh AaronMarch 1, 2023 at 1:05 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. AmyMarch 1, 2023 at 1:07 PM

    What a perfect slice to start! You captured the moment that we all have, when we are shown something by a student that we hadn't seen before. Thank you for sharing & joining the SOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Celia FisherMarch 2, 2023 at 11:29 PM

    These are the perfect moments in a teacher's life! Welcome to the Slice of Life!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RamonaMarch 13, 2023 at 9:12 AM

    Connection is what fuels us! I love how you found/discovered this point of connection with Ethan.

    ReplyDelete

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