WAY back in college, I read a fantastic book titled “The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem” by Deborah Meier. This week, I was reminded of just how powerful students’ ideas can be, even if they don’t know how great their ideas are at the time. I hope these two links can help you stay motivated as we approach our second full workday for our Genius Hour projects.
Last month, one of my 6th grade writing students delivered a speech on hunger in America. In his speech, he suggested that we could find a way to refrigerate leftovers and share those leftovers with the hungry people in our community. That student might not have had any concrete ideas on how to go about solving the refrigeration issue at the time, but a community on the other side of the planet was busy at work devising a solution to the very same issue. Check it out here.
Sometimes, we stumble upon inspiration for learning in the most unlikely of places. One young student was reading a magazine while in the waiting room of doctor’s office when a spark was ignited. Another, was grieving the loss of her grandfather to cancer. Check out these inspiring young women and their amazing TED Talk. They are a true testament to the power of everyday people (under the age of 18) who asked questions, sought answers and made a difference.
Stay curious!!