A "found treasure" I wanted to share...

[Erin]

I found this article by accident tonight. I was surfing around looking for cool conversations about children. I look at my kids, and am just astounded by the fact that they're not just 'my kids' -they're becoming these amazing little people with thoughts and ideas and personalities and beliefs. All this came after listening to my 2 daughters, 14 y.o. Kassi and 5 y.o Terra. They're attached at the hip, and Kassi is very maternal towards her little sister. At one point Terra was in the other room and called Kassi, and Kassi responded with, "What do you need, Love?"

Love is her nickname for her only sister. And although I've know that for a while, there was something about this instance that grabbed me by the heart. My dear teenage daughter is ... well, built like a cheerleader, adorable, a little flakey, always laughing and being silly, struggling to get a grip on this part of life where she's growing up and becoming. And in that instant, as I looked up and watched Kass cross the room, looking much more like a young lady than a little girl, I realized how imeasurably proud I am of who she is, and who she will be.

It was one of those "Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul" moments, and I got caught up in the thought process and soon found myself looking for "Mommy stories" that weren't about sleepless nights, stinky diapers or brattiness. They're harder to come by than they should be... Anyway, found this article tonight, and thought it was worth sharing. It's nearly 1a.m now but I'm going to pose the question to my daughter tomorrow - I'll be back with her replies - I hope you'll ask your children and share their answers too!

What Inspires you?
http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com

My oldest daughter Amber was interviewed recently. I was blown away by her response to this question.

So what most inspires you?
Community. Whether it is 50 kids at a hardcore show screaming along the lyrics to a local band's song, a really encouraging comment thread on a messageboard, or an art opening that just blows you away, I think that connecting with other humans who share your interests, passions and beliefs is the most powerful thing ever. When you feel like you are part of something that matters, it encourages you to push yourself harder to make your contribution to that community really count. You become a better and more creative person in the process.


I couldn't agree more. Community is the venue through which creativity can be fueled. Just think-- if we rethought classrooms and made them into communities that produced students who felt this way about learning-- what a difference we could make. At PLP we too feel like teachers who learn in communities become part of something bigger than themselves and that something results in meaningful change and deep personal growth. Community is the best hope we have for re-culturing education.

So, what inspires you?