The whole point of authentic teaching is that it is – well – authentic! Make it real. Make it count.
Teaching social skills is definitely something that is authentically real, and certainly counts. But coming up with driving questions and project ideas that develop these skills can seem daunting, especially if you want what you are doing to really make a difference. But, I think sometimes the problem is that we think that to make a difference we need to save the world.
There is a story about a boy on a beach who is picking up starfish and throwing them back in the water. There are thousands of starfish washed up on the beach and there is no way that the boy can throw them all back in the water and save them all. A man is watching him, questions this, and asks him why he even tries. As he throws another starfish back in the water, he replies, “It made a difference to that one.” (Adapted from The Star Fish Thrower by Loren Eiseley, 1907-1977)
I love this story. I repeat it constantly. To me it is the core of everything I do when I do something for someone else. I don’t have to send a card to every elderly, lonely person to make a difference. Just one. I don’t need to donate a toy to every needy child at the holidays. Just one, or two, or however many I can handle. I don’t need to clean up litter on every street in my town. Just one block. I don’t need save the world by myself.
And when I devise a driving question, or come up with a framework for a project, I don’t need to come up with something that will save the world. Just one starfish. And imagine if every educator devised a project to save one starfish. We might just end up saving all of them. This is the truly authentic lesson we need to teach children. Save one starfish.
The Educational Journey 