The first time I watched the Vimeo clip of Matt Harding dancing around the world, I cried. I know, I know, it is silly. But I always get emotional when I take part in experiences which celebrate the community of the human experience. Staying up late reading the seventh Harry Potter book--and knowing millions of others were doing the same thing--it doesn't get any better than that. So as I prepared to teach this course, I knew that I wanted my students to think about community and how shared experiences create connections. I designed this assignment not knowing what would happen next: Would my students participate? Would they think it was cheesy? Did it matter if they did?

Fast forward a few months later, and there I was preparing to play Leap Frog at the Maxwell Dog Park. I had mulled over a few ideas on the where and when, but I decided on the dog park for a few important reasons: 1) Of all the places in town, I probably spend the bulk of my time at the dog park, 2) I was participating in this blog not as a teacher--I wanted to choose a spot that was devoid of "teacher" qualities, 3) I wanted an excuse to put a picture of my dog, Lexi, on the blog.



The day I arrived at the dog park, it was cold. And I was alone. The dog park was empty.

"Good--I won't look like an idiot in front of everyone," I thought.

I sent my dog off to run and sniff, and then I proceeded to play leap frog (or, at the very least, a solo-version of the game). But, of course, I wasn't alone. I knew that my students were playing leap frog, too. Maybe it would be a different day for them (and let's be honest--I knew most would procrastinate the activity until the day before it was due), and certainly it would be a different place, but I wouldn't be alone in my leap froging.

While this particular project was designed to create community, I realize now that it was simply a physical manifestation of something that always exists in a classroom. As bell hooks would say, classrooms are communities, whether we acknowledge it or not. The students and the teachers share their experiences and their stories with each other, and if we are lucky, we forge a community that helps everyone involved develop and grow. Sometimes it doesn't work out in a positive way, but every once in a while everything falls into place, and for a moment I know: The experience we just had in class will stay with all of us for a very long time.

Only time will tell whether this particular assignment is one of those moments for them, but I think it will be for me.