Hope in the Nail Salon

This year our school district had classes in session up until December 22nd. As one might imagine, energy was high and lesson plans on that last day before break were light, centered on having fun. That said, teachers were so exhausted by the week’s end that holiday movies became the staple of most classrooms. After five class periods of varying movies, the students in my last hour elective were over it. They begrudgingly slumped into their seats and waited for the Netflix version of “A Christmas Carol” to begin.

This small group of students is part of my Minds in Motion class, designed as an enrichment class for students gifted in reading and writing. Unfortunately, our Master Schedule isn’t really conducive to capturing the students for whom this course was imagined. As a result, the elective has had its growing pains as many students who would’ve preferred a second gym class settle into the rigors of my ambitious plan to have students complete an Independent Research Project (ISearch) and a multigenre writing experience. Many a class period, I’ve been bombarded with their idle threats as they rant, “I’m dropping this class! Why are we doing this?” 

Through my own hurt feelings, I try to remain calm and explain, “This class gives you control over your own learning and the opportunity to work closely with your classmates. I think it’s important.” They roll their eyes, I pretend not to notice, and we forge ahead. They have finished their independent research and have created many multigenre writing projects.  As the semester long class draws to completion, it was suggested that I reflect on the effectiveness of the class as part of the new course implementation protocol. 

Well, that crazy day gave me a glimpse into the impact of the course, for sure. As the movie played in the background, a couple girls requested index cards, colored markers, and the scotch tape. I asked why they needed these supplies and they explained they wanted to set up a Paper Nail Salon. I had no idea what that was, but it sounded harmless and they were quite excited. After agreeing to work quietly, they started the set-up of their Paper Nail Salon. They crafted a sign for their desktop business and begin crafting long paper nails for their classmate clients. It was adorable, imaginative, and community building. The rest of the class gathered around them to check out what they had done. And, in that moment, my student turned to me and says, “Look at us, Mrs. Laaksonen! This is the best we have ever worked together. Aren’t you proud? We thought of this all on our own!” She was right, and I was proud. This unruly and unhappy group of students had transformed just like Scrooge, himself, on that Christmas Eve.

Sometimes learning looks like play. 

And sometimes the best lesson is one you never planned.