Creative Play to Start the Day
"The Jennings Institute was a turning point for me as teacher. The speakers and sessions reminded me to go with what I know is right for my students because school is so much more than learning to read, write, and do math.”
-Jessica Bedra
My name is Jessica Bedra, and I am a kindergarten teacher at Ohio Avenue Elementary in Columbus City Schools. I have 26 students in my classroom, and about 20 of those students come to me with an ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) score of 4 or higher, which changes their needs in a classroom setting. They often come to school with a heightened sense of threat, so I need to be intentional in creating a safe and encouraging environment.
I was not sure what to expect when I attended the first Jennings Institute session. I was intrigued as I listened to Dr. Burton and Mr. Blair speak about creativity. When I started with my kindergarteners this year, I fully intended to integrate play into our day; but as the year began, the integration of intentional play got lost in the shuffle of assessments and academic needs. The Institute session inspired me to return to what I knew was best for my students. During the session, we were challenged to think about skills we wanted our students to have as adults. As I reflected, I realized one of the things my students struggle with is giving up when the work gets hard. I decided I wanted to intentionally teach my students perseverance and celebrate their uh-oh’s as much as their ah-ha’s. I left the session knowing that I wanted to intentionally design a time for my students to discover and create on their own terms, but I did not have a clear plan.
The second Institute session with staff from The Graham Schools took me on a bit of a different path as we discussed trauma informed practices and secondary trauma in teachers. My desire to create a classroom community that was positive and student centered was affirmed, but as teacher self-care was presented, I realized that I had not built that into my classroom. After that session, I thought about how I could better care for my needs during the school day so that I could better meet the needs of my students. This is where I realized that arrival time in my classroom was one of the most stressful parts of the day for me and in turn was probably causing my students stress also. I had structured arrival in my classroom to get straight to work, but in my reflections I realized that this was not what my students or I needed. They needed time to settle into the classroom, talk to their friends, and tell me what was on their minds. It was at this point that I began to think about using morning bins for my students. I decided that time for creativity and play was what my students needed and would relieve some of the pressure at arrival. The goal was to give them creative materials such as magnatiles, legos, playdoh, coloring utensils, brain flakes, and links and allow them to create whatever they wanted. During this time I could take attendance, students could finish their breakfasts, they could talk to each other, and I could talk to them. I wanted to recognize their effort and thought process more than their outcomes.
The third Institute session solidified the need for a creative outlet in my classroom. The three ways to stay curious resonated with me, particularly “listen and think with others.” I knew my students needed time to interact and work through what they perceived as “too hard,” but I had neglected to provide the opportunity for this. As a teacher, I often struggle with what my classroom looks like to people walking by in the hallway; I had to let go of the quiet, orderly classroom and embrace that my students could learn in what could easily be perceived as chaos.
When we returned from winter break, I introduced morning bins and the procedures for using them. I also explained the expectations while interacting with each other and with me. My project has been a bit of a roller coaster. There was some resistance from students in the beginning because they didn’t know what to do or were bored with the materials after five to ten minutes. Then, as they slowly accepted that there really was no right or wrong method of design, they began to engage in the activities more. Their level of risk taking also increased as they became more comfortable with the materials. Suddenly, Magnatile towers were taller than the students, and Lego structures began to grow in complexity. I have also seen some of my students go from throwing a fit when things don’t work out as they planned to saying, “I guess I get to do it again,” when their plans fall apart. In addition to building resilience in my students, this project has led to collaboration between unlikely pairs. This was a goal of my project, but I did not think I would see it develop in just a few weeks.
“I have been impressed as I have listened to students’ discussions while they work. They have started working together to create a ‘better’ outcome and have begun really listening to each other’s ideas.”
I feel much more prepared to go into the school day because as students are working on their creations I am able to walk around and talk to each of them. I have time to address worries and concerns, and I can listen to stories about what happened last night. I can give each student the time and attention they need to feel ready to begin their day at school. This time has allowed me to cultivate relationships based on the student as a whole rather than work product. I have seen so many more smiles and there is excitement as they come in and see what materials are on their table for the day. As I talked to my students about using the morning bins instead of completing morning work, they said: “It is more fun than morning work.” “I like playing in the morning.” “I get to talk to my friends while I play.” “I like getting to make what is in my head.”
The Jennings Institute was a turning point for me as teacher. The speakers and sessions reminded me to go with what I know is right for my students because school is so much more than learning to read, write, and do math. Dr. Burton and Mr. Blair challenged us to adapt, revise, and change their ideas to work for us and I believe that I accomplished this.
