Just have to pass along the wonderful blog post — Teaching Without a Script — by SLA English teacher / Athletic Director / Boys Basketball Coach / Slam Poetry Club Sponsor Matthew Kay. Matt has been asked to take part in the NY Times Online Blog "Lesson Plans," and his first blog entry shows the world what we at SLA have known since the inception of the school — Mr. Kay has some serious chops.

On a personal level, I love this piece because — on a very different level that the one I usually write about — Matt has captured an amazing piece of what makes SLA so very special. And Matt is kind enough to share his class with me from time to time, although more and more, I wonder why the kids put up with me taking away from their time with a masterful young teacher like Mr. Kay.

Here’s an excerpt:

So it is with the inquiry based learning that we model for the other schools in Philadelphia. Our ninth graders come to us shy about asking questions that are often scattered and incoherent. When encouraged, they open up, and then incessantly offer their ideas. (I illustrate this for all classes on the first full day of every year, when I put a big rubber ball under my shirt and pretend to give laborious birth to it. We name this child “my idea.” I pass it around nervously, and when someone drops it, I snatch it up and curl into the fetal position. They laugh. I eventually get over my shock and learn to trust again, slowly passing it, then throwing it around the room for everyone to touch. There are two morals: first, you can’t protect your idea forever, and second, our ideas grow when, by dialogue and debate, others are allowed to get their fingerprints on them.)

Go read the rest.

Tags: sla, matt kay, NYTimes