Out of One Classroom and Into Many

By Chris Magnuson

"How does it feel to be out of the classroom?"

My friends and family ask this question frequently as they start a conversation about my new position at Live It Learn It.  They know that I have been a classroom teacher for the past ten years and they are interested in how the transition is going.  I usually surprise them when I say: "I am out of my own classroom but I am usually teaching a lesson in another teacher's class at least once a day."  I then explain how Live It Learn It has been a great organization to work with since I can still teach and interact with students regularly while at the same time work on programming on a larger scale.  

Testing the clarity of the Potomac River with students
from Patterson Elementary School. 

I am now working in more schools and classrooms than I could have ever imagined.  Instead of working with my usual cohort of 100 students as a middle school social studies teacher,  I am now working with hundreds of students in grades 4th through 6th. This is amazing because I now see how the lessons, activities, and even songs we teach as Live It Learn It have a broader impact throughout the city.  It is a different type of teaching which also raises questions that I did not grapple with in my own classroom.  I find myself thinking more about how to make the educational resources of DC accessible and meaningful to students I have yet to meet.  I wonder about how we can systematically create an educational community of learning outside of the classroom; where field trips and museum studies are the norm and not an add-on or exception.  Most importantly I grapple with how we can tap into the rich educational resources in this city to improve the wonder, excitement and love of learning for all students across the city.     

While I am thinking about large-scale programmatic issues, I am also excited that I can step into another teacher's classroom on a daily basis. This helps me stay focused on how students interact with our  programming and it keeps me grounded in the reality of the students we serve.  It is an honor to work with Live It Learn It now that I truly understand the systematic impact we are making one classroom at a time. 

Exploring mosaics at the Library of Congress with students from  CW Harris Elementary School .