This has been our first year as a Family Pod – something never done before here at Mullen, and we had several teachers who have been itching to try for the entire time I’ve worked here. There are 5 classrooms in our pod – one from each grade level K-4. Many teachers in the school have buddy classrooms – the Family Pod is a lot like Buddies – but we have Caboodles — each Caboodle has 2 representatives from each grade level, and that Caboodle works together all year on our various projects. We get together every other Friday for about 30 minutes.
I believe the family pod was a great way to connect students and teachers in a new way. Due to the space constraints in our building, it was inevitable that one classroom from each grade level would most likely be located away from their grade-level team. For third-grade, that was guaranteed, because there are only 4 rooms in our pod. In fact, I have spent 3 of my 5 years separated from my grade-level pod because of this logistical arrangement.
The Family Pod allowed our class to have an additional connection. We were still connected to our grade level in ways we’ve always been; through special programs, meetings, lunch and recess. But this year? We were also closely connected to classes in other grade levels. We were able to make connections we might never had otherwise.
I put together a digital story to tell about our year thus far. The quotes are from 3rd and 4th grade students, who we asked to tell us about their experience this year in the Family Pod. Their notes were touching, and heart-felt. I hope the video makes you feel the same way: