“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
— The Lorax, Dr. Seuss
There are moments during the first few weeks of school when I stop and look around my classroom and think, We’re getting there.
We are still learning routines.
We are still figuring out how to work together.
We are still learning each other.
But somewhere during this second week of second grade, I began to see the first little roots taking hold.
And perhaps it was fitting that one of our big learning experiences this week took us into a rainforest.
We read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, and as we explored the story, we talked about the many living things that depend upon the great kapok tree. The animals need the tree. The rainforest needs its trees. And each living thing has a role within its habitat.
As I listened to my second graders talk about these connections, I found myself thinking about our classroom.
Because classrooms are habitats, too.
Every child brings something different.
Different strengths. Different experiences. Different personalities. Different ways of thinking.
And just like the rainforest, our classroom works best when we understand that we are connected.
✏️ Reading, Thinking, and Writing
After reading The Great Kapok Tree, my students had the opportunity to think like readers and writers.
They had to decide whether the book was fiction or nonfiction and then write a paragraph explaining their thinking and supporting their answer with reasons from the text.
I especially loved watching them wrestle with the idea that a book can contain real information even when it is presented through a story.
That kind of thinking is exactly what I want to encourage this year.
I don't want my students to simply tell me an answer.
I want them to wonder.
I want them to notice.
I want them to explain their thinking.
I want them to be willing to change their thinking when they discover something new.
Those are the beginnings of becoming lifelong learners.
📊 Learning to See the Story in the Numbers
We also explored graphs this week.
We talked about why graphs are useful and how they help us organize information, compare data, and see patterns that might be difficult to notice when we are simply looking at a collection of numbers.
I always love when something that seems so simple to an adult becomes a discovery for a child.
A graph isn't just a graph.
It is another way of telling a story.
It helps us see information.
And I think that's an important lesson for second graders—and for all of us.
Sometimes we just need to look at something in a different way.
🐾 Everything Is Connected
Our science learning brought us back to the idea of habitats and how living things depend upon one another.
And once again, I found myself thinking about my classroom.
I have spent many years in education, and one thing I have learned is that children don't learn in isolation.
They learn through relationships.
They learn from their teachers.
They learn from their classmates.
They learn when they feel safe enough to make a mistake.
They learn when someone celebrates their effort.
They learn when they realize, I can do something today that I couldn't do yesterday.
That is the kind of classroom community I hope we are creating together.
🖼️ A Little Window Into Who They Are
One of the things I am most excited about this year is something that may seem like a small detail, but to me, it represents something much bigger.
Every child has a special frame on our classroom window.
They are colorful cardboard frames that came to us through a Donors Choose project, and each child has their own.
But the frames aren't going to stay the same all year.
As the year progresses, the work inside each frame will change.
A piece of writing.
A math task.
A science project.
A drawing.
Something that demonstrates perseverance.
Something that shows growth.
Something that makes that child think, I am proud of this.
I want those frames to become little windows into each child's journey.
Because I don't want children to look around our classroom and only see the work of the "best writers" or the "best artists" or the students who finish first.
I want them to see themselves.
I want every child to have a place where their growth is visible.
And I want them to understand that what they bring to our classroom matters.
🌱 Maybe That's What I'm Most Excited About
Two weeks in, I know there is still so much work ahead.
There will be challenging days.
There will be lessons that don't go the way I imagined.
There will be moments when we need to stop, reset, and try again.
But there will also be moments like this week.
Moments when a child makes a connection.
A paragraph suddenly comes together.
A graph makes sense.
A student realizes that a tiny creature in a rainforest is connected to something much bigger.
And maybe that's what I am most excited about.
Not just teaching second grade.
But watching these children discover who they are as learners.
The great kapok tree reminded us this week that every living thing has a place in its habitat.
I hope my students begin to believe the same thing about themselves.
They have a place here.
Their ideas matter.
Their work matters.
Their growth matters.
And just like the colorful frames beginning to fill our windows, I know that the picture of who these children will become is still being created.
We are only two weeks in.
The roots are just beginning to grow.
And I can't wait to see what blossoms.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this post! I hope you found it worthwhile.
With gratitude,
Jennifer
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