The Things I Learned Became Part of Me

What if learning is the opposite of boredom? Maybe it's the *antidote* to boredom!

Think back over your school experience…were you ever bored in school? There were some classes that stand out in my memory as more boring than others. That said, I think I’ve mostly forgotten about the “boring” things from my school experience—one benefit of getting older, I guess. But on the other hand…I also have some very clear memories of things I learned, and how I learned them, even from 30+ years ago.

This has me wondering about boredom and learning.

I’ve been thinking about classroom boredom for years. One of the first things I ever had published was a piece entitled, “Who Cares Anyway? Engaging Apathetic Students,” and that was way back in 2009. (If you’re really interested in seeing what I thought about classroom boredom 14 years ago, I think you can download a copy here.)

I once read that learning is the opposite of boredom. I think we could also argue that learning is the antidote to boredom? Here me right: I'm not saying that every activity will be self-selected by the students, or that they will be enraptured by every topic the teacher brings up. Sometimes school is just hard work. But let's not minimize the fact that hard work can be satisfying in it's own right! How do we get kids to start thinking that way too?

I made this ecard over a decade ago, but I keep coming back to it. I think this is true!

I’m not trying to “should” on anybody here, I do wonder sometimes if we teachers are doing our part to make learning irresistible for our students. I'm not saying that every activity will be self-selected by the students or that they will be enraptured by every topic the teacher brings up. Sometimes school is just hard work. But let's not minimize the fact that hard work can be satisfying in it's own right! How do we get kids to start thinking that way too?

What I’m really wondering: are we teachers trying to ensure that students won't be bored in our classrooms? This might sound like a slippery slope towards "edutainment" or something like it. I certainly don't mean that, of course. But…if learning is the antidote to boredom, maybe we need to get better at finding ways to make learning matter to our students, and maybe we need to think about how we foster learning in our classrooms.

What could this look like in practice? I have a few ideas...and not from my own classroom…but from some of the fabulous teachers I’ve had throughout my life…

I had an exceptional 5th grade teacher. We learned at least 100 upper-level vocabulary words that year (gregarious, immaculate, debris, amicable, bullion, incorrigible...) Rather than just giving us lists of words with definitions to memorize, we practiced them in all sorts of creative means: we sang them, chanted them, and acted them out in pantomime. (I can clearly remember him standing on his desk and conducting us with a meter stick as we chanted.) More than that, we were encouraged to use these vocabulary words in our speech and in our writing. His teaching was INTERACTIVE, and the things I learned became part of me.

I had an amazing middle school history teacher. Rather than lecture, she told stories. When we were learning about the wars between Persia and Greece, she didn't give us a point-by-point outline; she told us the stories of the battles. She didn't make us memorize the names of people and places, she set the stage by introducing the characters and setting of the story. I've remembered the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae to this day because of her masterful work as a storyteller. Her teaching was ENGROSSING, and the things I learned became part of me.

I had a fantastic high school math teacher. Rather than just give us one problem set after another, he brought his bicycle to class, strapped on his helmet, and pedaled around the room. This was the springboard to getting us thinking about gear ratios, which in turn led to discussions about proportions and rates, which in turn helped us understand ideas about percentages and the relationships between fractions and decimals. So many things in that algebra class connected to "real life" that it made math make sense! His teaching was INSPIRING, and the things I learned became part of me.

I had an incredible Education professor in my undergraduate work. He taught several of the elementary methods courses I took, and every one of them was practical and tangible and made me excited to teach. Every assignment I remember from those courses was something that required us to put ourselves into our future classroom and think about how we would engage our students in authentic work to develop deep understanding. Much of who I am as an educator was shaped in those courses. His teaching was ENCOURAGING, and the things I learned became part of me.

I had a spectacular Education professor in my graduate work. The readings he assigned and the questions he asked got me to rethink almost everything I was doing in my classroom practice. He encouraged me to experiment and explore and test and always hold everything up to the light to examine how it fits with what I believe about teaching and learning and the nature of children. As I worked, and thought, and rethought, I held on to the good and let go of the questionable, an ongoing process for me right up to the present, and for the foreseeable future. His teaching was CHALLENGING, and the things I learned became part of me.

You may be reading this and thinking, “Well sure...he's cherry-picking some examples of the very best educational experiences he's had!”

Yes. Yes, I am.

Because these are the things that STUCK for me. These are the things that made a big difference for me, and helped me really learn! These are the kinds of experiences that have shaped so much of how I think about what good teaching looks like to this very day.

Is every teacher going to be above average? Certainly not. It's a statistical impossibility, after all. (Unless you live in Lake Wobegon.) But should every teacher have above average moments? I would say that's something to strive for: interactive, engrossing, inspiring, encouraging, challenging teaching. Teaching in such a way that the things our students learn become part of them.

It’s something we can all aspire to: no boredom allowed!

Dave’s Faves

Here are three things I’m absolutely loving right now that I hope you might love too…

Dave’s Fave #1: Presenting at Christian Deeper Learning!

Over my spring break I had the opportunity to head to Vancouver, BC to present at the sixth annual Christian Deeper Learning Conference. I love connecting with this group of passionate Christian educators—and I especially loved presenting with my pal, Peter Welle. Our session was entitled, “Teaching as Songwriting,” which is a fun metaphor we’ve developed for creative, playful teaching. If you’re interested in this—or other encouragements for creative, playful teaching—check out the “Speaking and Presenting” page on my website.

A couple of tall, goofy, enthusiastic Christian educators who love sharing our craft with other educators!

Dave’s Fave #2: Tim Hortons

I’ve shared before about how as a wannabe (or maybe honourary?) Canadian, I’m becoming obsessed with Tim Hortons. Since I was in Vancouver again…of course I enjoyed timbits and a medium double-double coffee…

Why are these so delicious? I love them so much.

Dave’s Fave #3: Season 3 of The Mandalorian

If you’re on Disney+ and you like space operas, or westerns, or space opera-westerns, or just enjoy action and adventure, you won’t regret watching The Mandalorian. Season 3 keeps up the intensity, surprises, and fun that I’ve come to expect—and while I’m definitely a Star Wars fan, I think you can definitely enjoy this show even if you’ve never watched Star Wars before. It’s rated TV-14 for a reason, with sci-fi violence a big part of the storytelling, so if that’s not your thing, be aware.

One of my favorites right now! Dr. Dave gives it two thumbs up.

5 Songs to Listen to This Week

I have been playing the guitar for over 30 years now…and I mostly just make a joyful noise. It’s kind of funny how the songs you pick up when you’re just learning are the ones that stick with you. And, since I was learning in the early/mid 90s…the ones I know by heart are mostly 90s rock and alternative. So, for this week, here are “Five Lovely 90s Rock Songs (That I Can Still Play on My Guitar.)” If this is your era too…I hope you’ll enjoy the musical time machine. And, if you’re a bit younger than me…well, maybe you’ll find some new/old music you’ll enjoy here.

1. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” - Deep Blue Something

2. “Run-Around” - Blues Traveler

3. “All for You” - Sister Hazel

4. “December” - Collective Soul

5. “Time” - Hootie and the Blowfish

As usual, here’s a playlist for your easy access. I’d love to hear what you think, so give ‘em a listen, and then drop a comment in response!

The Last Word!

This is something new I think I’ll try for a little while here: an otherwise-unrelated final thought for you…

First, another quick request for a little feedback on this newsletter. Last week I sent out a St. Patrick’s Day bonus that included an ask for your input on both this newsletter, and a few other things I’ve been dreaming about. I’d be SO grateful if you would give me about 3 minutes of your precious time to complete this anonymous survey: Positivity - Passion - Purpose Feedback

And finally, a closing word of encouragement for you all:

To all the educators out there, keep up the amazing work! Your dedication and hard work are making a positive impact on countless lives.

Our efforts might sometimes seem unnoticed and under-appreciated, but your influence will be felt for years to come.

We are planting seeds today, and someday fruit is going to be born out of our work, even if we don’t get to see it. You are making a difference!

A tree doesn’t grow in a day…but it will blossom in years to come.