Teachable Moments for March

March is almost upon us!

One of my favorite times of the year. We are coming out of winter and heading into spring.

One teachable moment I would like to share doesn’t have to do with March at all, but was a great memory from when I was teaching middle school.

I had a sixth grade class of second language learners and I taught English, math, and social studies to them. We had been studying idioms and their origins in English class and Greek Mythology during social studies. I had bought a fan book which had each of the Greek gods and goddesses. I told the students that I would copy each page but I was going to have to cover some of the pictures because the Greeks wore little clothes and had “too much skin” showing.

Then a week or so later, I was trying to encourage students to read more and I was sharing how if you find an author you like, read other books from that author. I happened to have just bought an adult novel that Judy Blume had published. I showed the kids the book and shared how I loved her books as a child and I was interested in how she was as an adult author. One of the students asked me to pass it around so they could look at it. I told them I didn’t want to do that because she had some bad words in the text. And that is when one of students said, “The book has too much skin, Ms. Jackson.” I laughed and said, “Yes, it does.” I loved how this idiom was born in the classroom! As a teacher, you relish in the times the students make connections with the lessons that you teach them. It was a great moment!

Until next time, hope all is well with you and your students.