Grapple

In my crew, we grapple.

My students know that learning takes place when we grapple.

I tell my students that if they go home and say school was east I didn’t do my job! I tell them, “you should be struggling & grappling everyday because that’s when the learning happens!”

Think about it, have you ever learned something by doing it right? You’re changing a car tire… wait, bad example because I’ve never done that. 🤪 You’re learning how to do yoga. You’re learning new ways to move and position your body. You most likely aren’t a yoga pro at the first class, it takes time, feedback, and practice. You get the point.

Every year we start by brainstorming what it means to grapple and create an anchor chart. We then notice and discuss, daily, when we grapple, what it feels like, strategies to get through a challenge. I ask students to reflect on how effective their struggle or grapple is, and set goals for improving.

I never want a student working at a level of grapple that feels impossible, I want the grapple to be empowering. I aspire to have students leave with a mindset of …

“I can do hard things. When I do hard things I learn a lot. When I’m struggling I’m learning so it’s worth it to work hard.”

What kinds of activities do you give your students to help them learn to grapple?