12. The Campfire in the Hall

12. The Campfire in the hall

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. Adult Advocate

It happened quite by accident. One of our teachers had to leave school fifteen minutes early so we put the children in the hallway to work on homework or read. What we found was that they peacefully gathered, sat down, and were compliant. (It was not a full moon.)

Last week, at the end of class we had ten minutes so I asked my students to step out into the hall, and leave their devices and books in the class. My classroom is at the end of a hallway. We sat in a semi-circle with the open end of the circle facing the open hallway.

One of my students said, “This is like a campfire.  Can we play the secret game?” The secret game is when one person shares a sentence and whispers it to the person next to them, the secret is shared around the circle, and the last person shares what they hear. We did, and this provided the beginning of “campfire.”

Yesterday, we had two guests in our classroom: one was teaching students about circuits and conductivity using Makey-Makey© technology. The other was an observer who is considering teaching as a second career. At the end of class, I invited the class into the hall to demonstrate Campfire to our observer. We sat in a circle. I invited the students to share their advice for someone wanting to go into teaching.

“Don’t be too mean; but don’t be too nice either. Students will run all over you.”

“Be like Mr. Gardin, our social studies teacher, he is a lot of fun.’

“Don’t give too much work.”

“We do like to talk.”

Their comments and caring spirit provided sincere information. They listened to one another as well. Once they gave advice, I let them talk while I played a guitar. I then introduced them to an old Girl Scout song, ‘Peace I ask of thee oh river.’ Our campfire lasted ten minutes and allowed students to reflect and communicate ideas, and relax. In our current state of academic rigor, taking a few minutes to decompress is a good idea.

Advice

1)   I believe we have to help our students disconnect. The Campfire doesn’t last long, but students have a chance to communicate with one another. It is a chance to unwind. (Note: We do not have Campfire every day. It happens about once a week.)

2)   Find ways to listen to your students. We have talked about high school lately. There are two middle schools in our district, so these students will be meeting lots of new people next year. Topics we will cover include: what will you miss most about middle school?  What do you look forward to?

3)   This happens to be a small class. It also happens to be a very respectful, kind group of students. I did not start the year with Campfire, but believe, if you begin the year with it, spend time teaching students how to communicate in a circle format… be kind, listen, address the statement, not the person, contribute to other’s thoughts…

4)   Once your community is established, this format can be used for academic purposes as well as social/emotional development. We find it very peaceful.