Harder Than I Thought...

Many of my students are writing blog entries with that sentiment..."this is harder than I thought."

I'm happy when I see that (it means they're really trying), but I'm even happier when I read that they are pushing through anyway. Sometimes learning is hard. Success doesn't look like a straight line. There are twists and turns, obstacles and hurdles, and unexpected problems all along the way. Those who persevere may not even reach their goal, but they will have learned quite a bit along the way--both about what they were researching and about themselves.

I can report the same thing--this is harder than I thought. I had no idea how long it would take to check and grade 90 + blog entries every Sunday. I can now tell you: approximately 3 1/2 hours. Because I wanted them to interact with each other, too, I required at least two comments on other students' blogs per week, so I must read and take note of every one of those, too. Sometimes I miss them, and the students correct me so that I can correct their grade. :)

But I've learned how to make things easier: I leave every blog that isn't updated in its own tab, open until 7 pm (the deadline each Sunday). Then at 7 pm, I click on each one and hit refresh. This way, I don't have to go through the entire list again, and I can get to watching Game of Thrones on time. Just kidding! (No, I'm not.)

On a final note, it's interesting when Genius Hour even affects people not in school. My husband has been inspired. At first, he was going to learn Spanish, but decided he didn't have the stamina or time to devote to it (it's good to acknowledge your constraints!). So he's seeing if he has what it takes (or can learn what it takes) to remodel a bathroom. Here's a picture of the destruction he has wrought just today in our bathroom. It looks awful, but hopefully by the end of May, there will be a gorgeous updated bathroom in its place! (This used to be a shower.)

Happy Learning!