Process is everything in
learning. After all, anyone can find the answer to a given question
with the click of mouse. However, creating the answer to a
problem, issue, or inquiry takes much more than searching. It takes
initiative, curiosity, persistence, and most importantly, time. There
will be varying degrees of success among our students this week, but the
ones who will truly come out on top are those that used the time given
to them to wring out every last drop of information they could find on
their topic.
Yesterday, as the day was coming to a
close, several students came to me asking to expand the Independent
Project beyond the one week allotted for it. I couldn’t offer them
much, but I suggested they make their voices heard in the reflective
activities planned for the end of the week. Fortunately today, spring
has come to Amenia. The ski slopes are closed, and our students are
being gifted with an extra day to make their projects that much better.
Some students are making the most of the
extra time and already have ideas for improving their projects; others
are stuck in an “I’m done” slump. Regardless of those attitudes, the
faculty is working hard to make sure students are pushing themselves to
dig deeper and uncover more. However, the real lesson to be learned
today is that a question is never quite done being answered, regardless of how much time you think you have.
