Finding the Right Amount of Tension

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

We used OSMO to work on Number Sense.

OSMO is a fun way to practice skills in math, phonics, science, and social studies.

We worked hard on phonics and handwriting.

We played "I Have, Who Has."

This game helps us learn Sight Words.

Helping students achieve their potential is a lot like tuning a guitar.

To deliver the desired notes, the guitar strings need the right amount of tension. If the strings are too slack, the notes are flat. But if the strings are wound too tightly, they produce a sharp sound. If tightened too much, they may even break. 

  The same is true for the classroom. God created children with beautiful potential.  But if discipline is too lax, and if the students are given too much slack, that beautiful potential will never become reality. 

On the other hand, if there’s too much tension, if the atmosphere in the class is too sharp, the results won’t be pretty.

The same is true with academics. In order to learn new things, students need to struggle a bit. A certain amount of tension is necessary. If the work is too easy, chances are the students aren't learning anything new---just reviewing what they already know. But if the work’s too hard, the students become frustrated. 

As a teacher I’m constantly trying to provide the right amount of tension. I push the students to accept new challenges but to recognize when they’ve given all they can.

I try to make learning fun by adding games and varying activities. But at the same time, I remind the kids that sometimes we have to do things we don't particularly enjoy. Yet if we put in some hard work in the beginning, reading, writing, addition, and subtraction will eventually become second nature. 

And when we find the right amount of tension, we hear the beautiful sound of children who are excited to learn.