Over the last week I have facilitated a group session with many of my seventh and eighth grade students. This session has been very interesting to me based on the responses that have some from one specific card in this activity. The first time, I received a profound response from a student who often times does their very best to keep the conversations on the surface. The second time, the student changed their entire body language while thinking about the best way to response. They leaned in closer, relaxed their shoulders and held the card in the air and discussed the different possibilities out loud before coming to a decision.
I found myself much more engaged in hearing their thoughts and ideas about this card because of how much effort I saw them put into critically thinking about their responses. One good thing to know about my sessions that I never give up the opportunity to change a closed question into an open one. So the fact that it happened organically was just an added bonus. Luckily, I work in a school that has students who are much more in tune with their feelings and things happening in the world than those who I have worked with in the past.
At this point in the school year when you are starting to feel worn and other students are having a harder time than anticipated this school year. This little card gave life to what I have been saying for some time. We are not all lost. We stumble in the dark a bit before we find our light.