Well the day finally arrived... Down to the very last minute (1:08 to be exact!) I had students putting final touches on their amazing projects. We all met in the library and quickly got ourselves set up and ready to present. I quickly toured around to see that everyone was good to go, and then took a step back to let the magic happen...
The first class that toured through was a grade 7 class. They were curious enough to take a peek at each project, but didn't really ask too many questions. It wasn't until the grade 8s started to pour in that the interesting conversations started to happen. I circulated around to eavesdrop on what my students were talking about and was impressed with what I was hearing. Here were my grade 9s, my "guinea pig" first class from September, talking in depth about the Challenge they chose to complete. They were answering questions eloquently and providing lots of detailed reasons as to why they chose to do the Challenge they did, among others. One of my favorite moments was hearing a grade 8 student say to another, "Next year, I'm going to build a carburetor." If that's not evidence enough that this class was a hit, I don't know what is... In talking with my students about their projects, they were incredibly happy that they got to spend the last 5 months working on something they were actually interested in. And though some students projects were clearly stronger than others, each one was completely unique and you could tell that they each learned something about not only their Challenge, but themselves.
When I dreamed of pitching this course to my principal, my vision was very clear: allow the students the time to, with my help, complete a meaningful challenge in a supportive environment. I'm happy to say that my vision has become a reality. My students learned a lot, but so did I. One of my students at the Challenge Trade Fair said to me, "You need to do a project of your own Mrs. W." I told him that I did; the past 5 months has been my own Challenge and I too also learned a lot about myself and what I'm most passionate about: engaging, meaningful, life-changing teaching.
Wednesday is our last class together. After we spend some time reflecting, we will spend some time celebrating our successes! I also want to take the time to thank my "guinea pigs" for all of their hard work. I am so excited that next week I get to start again with a new batch of students and a new set of Challenges!
Here are some pics from today's Challenge Trade Fair:
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