A Chance to Lead

"Who wants to lead our class this Friday?" I asked my 4th graders. Virtual hands shot up across the screen. We put names in the weekly wheel and spun for it. "YAY! I already know what I want to teach. Does it have to relate to math, Ms. Cimo?" "...Doesn't everything relate to math in some way, Antara? Find a connection with what you want to share, and I'm sure it'll be great. We're excited to see what you come up with."

There's nothing like getting kids excited to learn AND teach. Every Friday this past school year, I gave my students an opportunity to lead our class. They came up with the lesson ideas, the tech resources, the student questions -- all the intricacies. I always offered my time to meet with them one-on-one prior to their assigned day. Some wanted guidance, others just wanted me to listen to their enthusiastic projected plans. When their time came, I knew the nerves were there, but so was the excitement. We had created an environment that was supportive, light-hearted, and thrived on taking risks.

One student had us partake in exercise challenges. "How many burpees can you do in 1 minute?!" We then graphed our results in creative ways. Our walking encyclopedia (as he loved being called) put math in historical contexts. "Wow, this lesson made addition and subtraction FUN." Another student selected personalized cat memes for each of us on our individual work pages. "Rosie, I could tell you put a lot of thought into this lesson. Plus, you managed the class so well." Owen taught us Cyprus code and we were decrypting and designing messages by the end of class. “This was my favorite lesson,” coded one kid.

The main lessons were happening beyond the content of what these kids were teaching. These nine and ten year olds were practicing presentation skills, taking into account others’ preferences, figuring out how to execute an idea successfully. They were experiencing empathy as they cheered on self-critical peers and tried to see things from others' point of view. Students and parents alike felt pride when they received the reflection letter I sent out post-lesson. We were building a strong sense of community as we grew to recognize we’re all humans with imperfections who are capable of doing great things.

I noticed some common themes amongst their leadership. They all offered choice to their audience. "Would you like to play the game first or try out the activity?" They also took time to check-in with what their classmates already knew about a topic. “What is your experience with finding the least common denominator?” They also set up opportunities for students to wonder before directly telling how to compute the area of a circle. “What do you notice about the relationship between the radius and circumference?” Students weren't just instructing. They were uncovering how they learn, how others may learn, and how to create successful relationships.

The coolest part? This was totally optional. No one had to teach. However, every single student volunteered their name by the end of the school year. In May, I still had one student who felt uncertain about leading the class. Ishaan was teaching that day, and after witnessing all the support and encouragement that was being thrown his way, this girl gained a light in her eyes and said (without persuasion), "Sign me up for next week!"

Give students a chance to lead and they will thrive. They will fail. They will learn. Give students a chance to lead and they will discover that they have the power to make an impact. They can do hard things. They have a voice worth listening to. There’s no combination more beautiful than inspired empathy, confidence, and ownership. This is why I teach. This is why I lead.