09/05/97

The Canary's Song

For his thirty-fifth birthday I bought my husband a canary with a golden cage to match its feathers. We named him Fertz and wondered if he would sing. My husband discovered that if he whistled steadily while reading the paper, Fertz would sing along, a beautiful cascade of trills, chirps, and warbles. Wild birds sometimes perched on branches by the window to harmonize with them.

In those days I taught private flute lessons. My students also learned how to entice Fertz to sing. When they played their pieces through without stopping to correct wrong notes, Fertz joined in. I've never seen young musicians practice so hard!

Ah, motivation, that most essential yet elusive ingredient in the learning process. We hear so much about indifferent, passive children these days. Absent singing birds, I wondered what goes on in schools to inspire or discourage students from doing their best. I asked a friend of mine, Jeanne Danielson, if I could visit her first-grade classroom.

I arrived at about 9:15 a.m., one of four adult helpers that day. A child's parent was there to help out at the math center, and Jeanne's parents were also on hand to work with students at the computer and reading centers. I "floated" as an observer and helped students with whatever came up as they worked independently on different assignments. Jeanne taught several small group lessons.

Students worked alone, in pairs, or in small groups with quiet energy and purpose. The air fairly crackled with motivation, with nary a canary in sight! As students spoke with me about their work, I was struck by their efforts to seek creative math solutions and personal forms of written expression. Jeanne encourages divergent thinking, rather than a "right answer" approach.

Jeanne realizes how important parents can be as partners in her classroom -- so much so that her own parents work with her one morning a week. Her father, Andy Wofford, has become the class computer consultant. He bought his first personal computer in 1985, shortly after retiring from the electric utilities industry. That was about six or seven computers ago, as expanded memory, power, and speed made each successive model obsolete. Jeanne's first graders eagerly caught the hand-me-downs. When invited to help set up the computers, preview software, and teach the kids how to use it, Andy was happy to pitch in.

Claire Wofford, Jeanne's mother, has always loved listening to children. A college educated woman and mother of three, she now wanted to express her interests and talents beyond the family, too. Helping first graders strengthen their reading skills was one such opportunity.

Andy and Claire marvel at how quickly these six-year-olds can master the complex functions of computer programs. They are thrilled, too, with the steady reading progress students make between visits. It's no mystery really.

For any child, an adult's delight is the canary's song.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.