Making connections...

Recently I worked with two really dynamic english teachers on an integrated unit between their english 12 class and my Working with Young Children class (a career and tech ed class). The idea was for both classes to see how what they are learning in each individual class applies elsewhere... Their students learned about the growth and development of 4-5 year olds (especially social and emotional growth) and the importance of reading to children from my students, and then took that information as they created (wrote and illustrated!) their own children's book that they later read to the preschool children in my program. It was AWESOME! It also emphasized the importance of allowing students to see HOW what they learn in the classroom can be used in both the real world and their own lives. Isn't that what we all want? To make connections of some kind between what we are doing and learning and our own lives? I think back to high school and realize that part of my struggle was that I was not able to see how what I was learning was applicable to me or my life.......I wasn't able to make connections (for whatever reason, whether it be lack of opportunity or that I just would have rather talked all class period) in a way that encouraged me to try harder to make my education meaningful to my current or future life...I learned in a box - english in english class, math in math class, and the only other time I saw the applicability and importance of say, math, was when I was applying for colleges and they looked on my transcript, gave a shrug, and said, "not mathematically inclined? you will have to take a basic math class since you did so poorly in high school ." Fantastic.... I now see math everywhere - at work, home, when I cook, paint, hang paintings - need I go on? Why can't we help kids make those CONNECTIONS NOW?