Ideas From Everywhere

Each year in May, our school puts on a track day. Kids sign up to run various track events and participate in some field events, some crazy events and some team-building events. It is a fun half-day of school and the kids really get into it. They come to school sporting their team colors and wearing their team regalia. This year, for the first time ever, a couple of our students had an idea to create Harmony Team Track Day 2016 shirts. It was a great idea that Celia and Ian had.

One day in class last week, I heard talk of t-shirts for track day. I paid it no mind, thinking that the kids were talking about wearing their team t-shirts for track day as we normally do. Nope. They were creating full-blown special event t-shirts. When the kids asked if they could do this, I said, "Sure." I didn't know if the idea would come to fruition or not but I thought the attempt was worthwhile and the energy they were showing was amazing. They immediately got to work designing the shirt. When they were happy with the design, they created a flier and order form. One of the student's parents would coordinate with the t-shirt company and handle money. We were off!

My only part of this was to publicize the shirts and give a form to any student who asked for one. Well, nearly half of the team bought a Harmony Team Track Day 2016 shirt. I was pleasantly surprised. After all, this was a completely student-driven, student-created project that occurred for no particular reason but that it was a good idea.

I am so very happy and proud that our kids think this way. They don't wait to be told what to do. They have an idea and they run with it. We support the kids as much as we can but the idea, the learning, is theirs. We provide the opportunities for learning and the kids, most of the time, take advantage of those opportunities. They launch projects that are relevant and interesting to them. We support where we can and watch the awesomeness that is student-driven learning.