Being a Champion for the Sense of Wonder

Effective education removes learning barriers to provide the opportunity for all students to be successful. The Community STE(A)M Academy – Xenia views teaching as a constant stream of decision-making that if made appropriately will increase the probability that learning will occur. The teacher becomes an essential component of providing a culture across the K-12 school that will create a sense of wonder and unity and not isolation of any student no matter their needs or background. When teachers are empowered to “teach students, not content,” then the focus is on the student, not just covering a textbook or completing worksheets.

Rachel Carson

One of my favorite quotes in Sense of Wonder from Rachel Carson (who’s research inspired and led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency - EPA): “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” A teacher becomes that “at least one adult” who experiences the world with the student and becomes that companion for each.

Relationships are a vital part of keeping this sense of wonder alive in our children. Later in Rachel Carson’s book, Sense of Wonder, she states, “A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.” Teachers must know each student and value them to build this culture of wonder and curiosity. 

One of Rita Pierson’s often quoted lines from her influential TED Talk, Every kid needs a champion, is: “You know, kids don’t learn from people they don’t like,” This was her response to a teacher who said, “They pay me to teach a lesson and kids should learn it…, case closed.” Wow, this teacher must have missed the college class that emphasized the social element of learning, in which understanding is directly related to human interaction.

After building a relationship with the student, teachers will be able to tailor instruction to be culturally responsive, personally meaningful, and empower learning through active, engaging experiences of the heart (a.k.a. passion, personality, and interest) of the student. This personalized approach to instruction will maximize student achievement and 21st-century success while Being a Champion for the Sense of Wonder.