Let’s see… it’s been less than two weeks since the last day of school. In some ways it seems a lot longer. While I’m not quite ready to go back yet, I do miss the kids. I ran into one of the little guys in the store the other day… I confess it felt really great that he seemed so excited to see me. He was almost jumping up and down as he introduced me to his Dad as “one of the teachers from school.” When I asked him if he was ready to go back to school yet, he gave me a very enthusiastic “yes” that left me both happy and sad. I’ve often wished that the line between playing and learning was a lot more blurred than it is. Whenever I sub in a classroom I start the day by announcing three new rules that get added for the day. The second one is that we “have fun learning.” (A while back a critic of one of my adult courses commented, “I know you want the students to have fun and like you, but…” Since when is learning not compatible with enthusiasm and fun?)

Here’s a short TED talk by a woman who I think “gets it.” I would love to be in her class–wouldn’t you?