Fear Not, the Genius Hour: Embrace the Unexpected.
I first learned about the Genius Hour concept from Nick Provenzano, the 2013 MACUL Teacher of the Year, at his presentation at MACUL 2014. Since the moment I heard the emotional timbre of Provenzano's voice express how Genius Hour (or 20 Time, as he refers to it) changed him as a teacher, I have been fearing THIS moment - the moment I would introduce Genius Hour to my own students and know that once I did, I could never turn back. Please don't confuse my fear with dread. Fear is healthy. Fear makes our blood warm. Fear heightens our senses. Fear is necessary for survival....but fear denotes that something is Unexpected. Unexpected is not usually territory that teachers like to explore much. Teachers spend hours planning lessons to account for Plan B, C, D, and E, just so they can keep Unexpected from seeping across their classroom door's threshold and here I am - holding the door wide open for Unexpected to bounce right in and squeeze himself into ever corner and crevice of my classroom.
Overall, students seemed to hesitantly fold themselves around the idea of Genius Hour - no friendly hugs, or a warm embraces of the concept, instead cool wrappings of their minds around the idea. A few students offered me the reaction of my dreams - "Mrs. Sutton! This is such a cool idea! I can't wait to get started!" Most, though, as I mentioned, offered a lukewarm reception. The good news is that no one balked at the idea completely. I will count THAT as a success.
Overall, students seemed to hesitantly fold themselves around the idea of Genius Hour - no friendly hugs, or a warm embraces of the concept, instead cool wrappings of their minds around the idea. A few students offered me the reaction of my dreams - "Mrs. Sutton! This is such a cool idea! I can't wait to get started!" Most, though, as I mentioned, offered a lukewarm reception. The good news is that no one balked at the idea completely. I will count THAT as a success.