The Joy of Learning... 
 
"What is this?" I enthusiastically asked, holding up a leaf in front of 15 students. “A dinosaur feather," one child confidently said.
 
"What is this?" I asked, holding up a magnolia blossom.  "A unicorn horn," a child shouted.
 
Curious. Eager. Uninhibited. One question, one simple object, and dozens of enthusiastic answers. That's why I love teaching kindergarten.
 
This past Spring during Virtual Village, I encouraged my students to plant beans in a jar with a damp paper towel to see if they would grow.  Not everyone had access to the same beans due to the pandemic, but students were happy to plant whatever they had.  We immediately started to get daily reports back during our Zoom sessions.  There was much happiness when the beans sprouted.  We all celebrated the success and had no idea what was to come.  Soon sprouts were transplanted to pots. 
 
And then one day a student looked into the Zoom camera and said to me this time, "What is this?”
 
I then remembered her dad told me earlier she was trying to grow an apple tree!
 
"The joy of kindergarten," I said.
 
-Shea Morris,
Kindergarten Teacher