It started with a request for some pipe cleaners on the last day of school. Most kids were playing games or chatting, but Kaila was watching a tutorial on how to make flowers. A few other kids stopped playing Uno to check out her work and were impressed with the outcome. "How did you do that?," they wondered. "I found a video," was Kaila's simple reply.
At SLA-MS, we have a class called Rover in which kids can make projects of their choosing. For some, it's a hoop-jumping moment of making a project because it is required. For others, like Kaila, its journey of pursuing things that are interesting. Last year, she wrote and illustrated a book, she grew a red pepper plant and she made her pipe cleaner flowers even after the grades were closed. While other kids were forcing themselves to make slideshows that even they were not interested in, Kaila stayed busy.
Why are some middle school students busier than others? I recently spent time with my two year old great nephew, Cam. Talk about busy! He explores, reads books, shows you toys, and asks questions every minute that he is awake. I'm fortunate to have my own sons home this summer and they are equally busy - not just in the paid work they each do, but in their personal pursuits. There is gardening, tennis, hiking, reading, swimming, and lively conversation. All this productivity makes me wonder if middle school is the problem. Are people less busy between the ages of 10 and 14? Or does their business look different?
I've been busy thinking about what it means to be busy. This summer, I'm working with some colleagues to run a work readiness program for some of our kids at SLA-MS. We've been thinking about how to spend time in ways that are meaningful and complete work that isn't just busy work. What activities and experiences can we plan that will be beneficial?
It seems to me that successful busy-ness is a little self directed. Think of the projects and chores that bring you joy - they are usually the ones you choose for yourself. This is the thinking behind our Rover class and yet, some kids still don't get it. How can we plan for learning experiences that allow space for student interest and passions? How can we let students direct some of the work and find joy in being busy? What is the difference Kaila's experience with Rover or Cam's experience with life that makes them more busy and more joyful in the process?
Years ago we were trying to get kids to get out of the hallways faster between classes so we developed the phrase "move with purpose." If a kid was lollygagging, we'd remind them to move with purpose to their next class. When we have purpose, our work is more efficient and productive. But does that mean that making a TikTok video in the hallway is not purposeful? I'm not sure. It IS content creation, rather than content consumption.. so does it count?
I'll leave that question alone for now and focus on this: If humans are innately busy - which evidence shows we are - than how can schools help students be busy in a way that promotes learning and joy? What is the connection between busy and interesting? What skills do we need to teach and what tasks or projects do we need to assign? What do students need to understand about the work, about themselves and about the world in order for them to see the meaning in what they do? How can we help them use their desire to create TikToks to help them find joy in other ways to be busy? And, how can we model being busy without the hoop-jumping we want our kids to avoid? Maybe it starts with some pipe cleaners.
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