Hongwanji Mission School Curriculum Letter

Summer Gifts by. JoAnn Jacobs

Have you ever been given a beautifully wrapped box as a gift and wondered what could possibly be inside? Did you unwrap that box tenatively to preserve the ribbons and paper or did you ravage it because the inside mattered most? I received such a box this summer and unwrapped it slowly to cherish not only the wrappings but the gifts inside.

The first item I found in my box was the Punahou Brain Symposium with keynotes by the dynamic Doctor David Eagleman. Such an engaging speaker with so much vital information to share. Children’s brains are not well developed at birth so it is up to us to provide external engaging activities for them to grow and develop. Part of that growth and development is dependent on hands on experiences and enough rest. The remaining part of growth and development comes from asking thought provoking questions. When questions require only rote responses the brain takes the path of least resistence.
The gift I received was be sure to engage children in meaningful learining activities.

The second item I found in my box was the International Society for Technology in Education conference held in Philadelphia. I had the opportunity to speak and listen to many other educators from around the world at this global conference that focused on integrating technology into the school curriculum. The closing keynote was given by Chris Lehmann a member of my personal learning network. He asked us to develop the heart of each student to help them see the humanity that encompasses them. As they do assist them in developing their hands and voice so that they can make meaningful contributions to their world. The gift I received was we do not live in this world alone and isolated we need to connect and share.

The final item I found in my box was Alan November’s Boston Learning Communities conference. This conference, although smaller, afforded the ability to make deeper connections with both those that presented and attended. Unlike Philadelphia the focus was on sharing and the global community at large. We were all on an equal playing field there were no experts. No matter what the level of education and experience we were all learners. Angela Maiers, a dear friend, spoke to us about passion. She looks into the eyes of children and sees that their spark is diminished. They go through school in a rote  like fashion because it needs to be done. The gift I received was to notice each child and find out what truly matters to them.