Trying to Touch Students’ Hearts

As the new school year has started, my inclination is to be better than I was in previous years.  There are always so many different things floating through my mind to improve my instruction and the students’ experiences.  Among my myriad goals, I have prioritized two.

I want my middle school students to realize they can make their mark and influence the world - right now.  To set them off in that direction, they will gain exposure to ideas revealed by International Dot Day to help motivate them to be bold risk takers who can influence the world.  To connect it to the social studies curriculum, I want them to explore issues relating to geography that touch their hearts.  I hope they will be spurred on to try and make a difference in the world and be compassionate.  I want them to realize they have great power and influence as individuals and that they do not need to wait until their adulthood to start leaving their legacies.

Another opportunity I want to offer my students requires doing a better job of breaking down the walls of my classroom.  Currently, my students develop blogs with which they can interact with the world.  I need to do more to have others connect with my students via their blogs.  If I can take appropriate steps, students’ audiences will be broadened and they will connect with others more widely.  Students would also benefit from making connections through Skype.  I believe that meeting people from other places through video conferencing and their blogs will help draw the world nearer to them, make learning and understanding more personal, and, again, touch their hearts, spurring them on to deeper learning and greater accomplishments.

I look forward to bringing these opportunities to my students.  There is a lot of value to students understanding that they, too, can make a difference in the world.  By touching their hearts in dynamic ways, they should be more motivated to reach outside their comfort zones and make an impact on the world.

If you have found ways to touch your students' hearts or taken them beyond the walls of your classroom, or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share them in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.