Mrs. Guehna's Kindergarten - 3rd Visit

Mrs. Guehna is conferring with Mason when I arrive.  He has just finished one personal narrative, and is having a hard time coming up with a topic for his next.  This is a dilemma for Mason and his teacher.  Hmmm. . . what to write about next.

As they walk through some possibilities together, suddenly Mrs. Guehna lights up and begins to point at the ceiling.  Mason looks up too, and slowly a smile spreads across his face. He begins to nod in agreement.  Hanging from the ceiling is an amazing paper creation. It is an airplane made from construction paper and tape.  Mrs. Guehna later explains that Mason had made this plane the previous day during playtime - completely on his own.  Obviously it something he is very proud of and a good possibility for a writing topic.

I step closer to examine it and Mrs. Guehna encourages me to take it down.  Mason, who sometimes holds back, comes over immediately and starts to tell me about the plane.  The wheels, he informs me, were the hardest part of all.  I take his picture with the plane, and then he is off to the table where Mrs. Guehna helps him to do some more planning about this new writing project.

At share time, she tells that he already has TWO pages planned for what he can write about the plane. 
Long after I am gone from Mrs. Guehna's classroom, the yellow paper airplane hanging from the classroom ceiling stays with me.  It reminds me of the importance of giving kids room within our curriculum to pursue their own passions and insterests. 

Yellow construction paper and tape . . . 22 cents!  Giving students the time, love and encouragement to find their own ways to take flight . . . PRICELESS! 

Thanks, Mrs. Guehna, for helping Mason take off!