do you just fall off the end of the sidewalk?

For class today I pulled out a Shel Silverstein poem, "Where the Sidewalk Ends." This poem is the best invitation into the world of imagination that I have ever read.

After reading it through once, I asked my students, "What is this place?" They struggled, so I said, "Read the first two lines. What is between the sidewalk and the street?" Again, blank stares and a few attempts to answer, "the curb? a yellow line?"

Finally, one astute student said, "There is nothing between the sidewalk and the street!" This place that he's talking about sounds like a dream because it is a dream. He is talking about the world of imagination, of make-believe. It's the place where children play and the place that we all dream of, where we would all like to be."

My heart lifted and joy spread over my face. This particular student has been with me since August. He is a very hard worker and very dedicated, but has struggled with the abstract. An auto mechanic, he's a very hands-learner, and it's been a long time since he's been in school. For him to catch hold of the poem's meaning so well was one of the biggest leaps I've seen him make.

After class he told me, "I don't know where that came from. Everything just suddenly became clear. I have real motivation now, because I have so many things that I want to accomplish and I'm ready to go."

Sometimes growth happens slowly over time, and sometimes we take quantum leaps.