Teachable Moments

I LOVE it when creative tangents, or teachable moments occur. Chances are they're related to the theme that's being explored, but even if they aren't, more times than not, there's a good reason the discussion went in that direction, and I like to see how it plays out.

Unbelievably, principals have written me up for this very thing. "It was too far removed from the essential question." What a load. I think teachable moments are the best, and so much good can come from them. I'm a firm believer that not everything learned in a school must be measured by a standardized assessment.