XplanaZine

Transcript

I rode on a train this week.

"So what?" you say. It’s no big deal, right? I mean, people ride trains every single day. So what’s to get excited about?

Well, I guess you’re right. It should be no big deal. Heck, I ride on trains all the time. And yet, every time I do, it always reminds me of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Watson.

It was 1965 and school didn’t start for most kids until the first grade. Most kids I knew didn’t even go to kindergarten. But Mrs. Watson was ahead of her time and offered classes happily out of her home. She took a group of fifteen or so every year and introduced them to all the great experiences that make learning and life worthwhile.

Now the key word there is "experience." Mrs. Watson didn’t teach reading, although she did read to us a bunch, and we didn’t work on math or any other formal school subjects. No, Mrs. Watson focused entirely on experiences and teaching us how to make sense of things. She introduced us to structured play, taking care of animals, cooking, building tree houses, art, and music. She made the world seem big and fun.

One of my most memorable experiences with Mrs. Watson was when she took us from Austin to San Marcos on a train. Talk about the world getting big! We rode the train, visited the zoo, and got to ride on a glass bottom boat. It was truly one of the more wonderful days of my life.

Yep, Mrs. Watson taught me a lot of valuable lessons through experience. I learned not to put my fingers in the cages of strange animals. I learned about birds that fall out of nests, about the meaning of the word "truce," about life and death and love. I had my fist girlfriend and learned about the consequences of talking back to the teacher. And I learned it all through experience and doing.

And here I was this week, sitting on a train, going to a meeting about online courses and creating meaningful experiences for students. I can’t help but wonder what Mrs. Watson would have made of it all. Sometimes I even think about the types of online experiences she would have found meaningful.

She might have encouraged us to draw pictures, scan them, and exchange them with other kids all over the world.

She would have provided a super wiki-type Web site that would let us finger paint and doodle with each other.

She would have let us explore the jungle, try to survive, and get eaten by predators if we didn’t pay attention.

I loved Mrs. Watson, if you couldn’t tell. She changed my life. But she is not alone. Teachers all over the world are changing kids lives every day through experiences like the one I had. They work hard, give of themselves, and make the world seem big and fun to all of their students.

There’s not enough money in the world to reward their service. But I do give them my everlasting thanks for their tireless commitment. So, here’s to all the teachers out there who are making a big difference in the lives of other. We love you and appreciate you.

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