Bright little moments

I love witnessing my students’ bright little moments - especially when they don’t know I’m watching. It’s so awesome to watch their thought process. Here’s a perfect example from today:

One of my little guys was doing his “morning work” right when he arrived. I did not tell my students to do this part of the paper, but at the top, there was a spot to write the date. He sounded out the word and decided he would write the date. Being extremely resourceful, he opened up his journal from yesterday and found the date (2-3-11). He started writing the date on the line, and then, with a perplexed look on his face, he thought for a moment. He then erased the 3 and replaced it with a 4.

How cool is that? I loved seeing such complex thinking and problem-solving in such a routine situation. I didn’t even say anything to him - I just gave him a smile and kept going. It just makes me wonder how many of these bright little moments I miss everyday. :)