Today during our professional development we talked for a little bit about why we teach. This led to an interesting discussion about how teaching is the hardest thing that most of us have done and how the day to day can be really rough. If you are in the profession, you already know that it’s not for the faint of heart.
However, making a difference in kids’ lives is hands-down what makes it worthwhile. Some of my colleagues spoke about how they’ve heard, years later, from kids who told them about the difference they made. We also watched this video (make sure you have tissues close by)!
All of this got me thinking about why you would want to create a makerspace for kids. If you do it right, it truly is a labor of love. I’m not gonna lie – it’s work. But it’s also a space that reaches the kids that don’t do as well in a “traditional” classroom. Hands-on activities make the kinesthetic learners’ eyes light up. The freedom to choose their projects gets all kids excited. The variety of materials and tools allows kids to really push the limits of what they’ve tried before. It gets them exploring. Dreaming.
After watching how excited they get – the 100% engagement – how could you not want to build one?
