Learning at its best

I just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Boston where my family traveled to attend the christening of my nephew. We began with a trip to the airport at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday and got back to our house around 2:00 a.m. last night after our return flight was delayed by the weather. Needless to say, we all need a vacation from our vacation.

The trip included a birthday party for my mother, the aforementioned christening, a Yankee/Red Sox game at Fenway Park (one more item crossed off the must do before I die list), and a rather spontaneous trip with my wife, Erica, and children, Maggie, age 3, and Colin, 13 months, to the Boston Children's Museum, which turned out to be an incredible educational experience for the whole family. When yesterday's dismal Boston weather forced us to cancel a day trip to the beach, Erica suggested the Children's Museum, and we piled into the car and headed downtown.

The miserable conditions outside, and the fact that the closest parking space was three blocks away in a driving rainstorm, had us wondering if we should have just stayed home. The kids were wet, tired and grumpy and I saw tantrums on the horizon, but when we finally got to the museum, something magical happened. The minute we walked through the door, you could feel the energy of the place. The entire building was filled with the raucous voices of children playing, learning and discovering. My kids' faces lit up and they were off. They were climbing on a two story jungle gym, they were experimenting with boats and currents, they were discovering new artistic talents and forms of expression, and they were interacting with other children who, moments before, they never knew. This was truly learning at its finest, when it was not a burden, but an adventure.

As educators, creating an environment that fosters this type of learning needs to be our goal every day. The magic that I saw at the museum, the genuine interest and engagement, the curiosity, the willingness to take on a challenge and to solve a problem are the same things I see when I walk into great teachers' classrooms. True, not every day at school is going to be a day at the museum, but every day can be engaging, every day can be challenging, and every day can stretch us as individuals to do something that we haven't been able to do before.

So...field trip, anyone?

On another note, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to introduce yourself to me via e-mail over the past couple of weeks. On all levels, Albemarle County has been a truly welcoming place, and I am excited to be coming home to raise my family in this wonderful community.