He continues to amaze me. He's eager to get whatever the class's goal is - getting to their work stations, getting to the story rug, getting to the sink to wash hands. He'll sit in any position I ask - usually "criss-cross apple-sauce, spoons-in-the-bowl", if it means he'll be allowed to get to the next thing.
And he wants to help. When his partner needs an eraser, he offers his own. When someone forgets to pick up the last piece of a project, "A" will get it. And without ceremony much of the time. So he's not needing to be a distraction. He just has an almost annoying sense of balance and justice. I say annoying because sometimes when kids want to help more than you expect them to, or more than you'd anticipate, it ends up seeming like time being taken from learning.
With "A", it's clear he wants to exercise his mind. Yes, he has his own, unfailing terms, but they're meant well. Again, I'm convinced, every student wants to learn and perform well. It's finding that balance between making room for what they want, and inspiring them to do some work that you need to see. "A" is truly an inspiration because he reminds me of what all students need. They need to feel like valued, connected contributors. It's finding a way to honor those needs while engaging them in learning activities that's the art and science of teaching. It's a fairly simple concept but can be complex to execute.
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