Ryan is usually the first one into the room, which is fitting, given his intense personality.  He is eager, sometimes over-eager, to show what he knows.  In time, he and I will talk about how he relates to his peers, and how it sometimes gets in the way of his working well in a group.  

In the meantime, he has this little ritual.  He says hi to me, walks to his desk, sets down his backpack, and then he turns and reads the daily quote.  I put up a new saying every day on a white board perched over the chalkboard at the front of the room.  I use bright colors and try to have the quote relate to the day’s activities as often as possible.  Ryan always has a comment, some reaction.

Not everyone reads the quotes, and even if they do, they don’t often say anything.  But for some students, these trigger a conversation with other students or with me that sometimes dive into really meaningful areas.  Some students write every one of them down in their journals.
Today, the quote reads:  “If you know, teach.  If you don’t know, learn.”

Ryan asks, “Is this about the study groups?”

“Yep.  That summarizes pretty well what we’re going to be trying to do today.”

“Cool.”