Life is short.

Childhood is even shorter.

Children deserve to come to school and be excited, challenged and motivated. We have our students, in our space, for one year. During this time, we are creating narratives – stories – with them. What are those stories? What stories do our students tell about their days at school?

On Sunday night, my daughter said “I can’t wait to get back to school to work on my project, Daddy. I love what I am doing.”

Wouldn’t it be great if each student said those words to their parents on the night before school? Wouldn’t it be great if every student was totally engrossed in their inquiries. “It feels like playing” she said later.

The first half of the year, in many schools, can be very business-like. Some things that have always been on the agenda may now be expected to be done with…