Who is a Teacher and Who is a Student?
My current school, like many schools, has a wide number of buddy groups between grades and between programs. Students have so much to teach one another. My CSSI class recently made a movie with some grade 3 students in the community program. As we were making this movie, students from both groups helped each other read their lines, remember their cues and in so many other ways.
We have a very engaged group of grade 9 students that come twice a week from Mountain Park School up the road. They read with students in Kindergarten and Grade 1 in the community program. The energy and excitement for learning that these older students bring is incredible.
We have had several student teachers in our school this year. These student teachers bring a whole new dimension to the complexity of the question of “Who is a Teacher and Who is a Student?” Working with student teachers provides many opportunities to look at our own teaching practice in new ways.
In so many ways around our school, teachers become students and students become teachers. This adds such depth and richness to the whole educational experience.
John Kershaw (@jmkershaw) teaches students with autism. He has a strong belief in helping all students find their place in the community.