During the third quarter the 7th graders had a unique opportunity in social studies. Last year, the concept of “Genius Hour” was brought to Forest Park Middle School. It began in the lower grades, but Mr. Staser and Mr. Hearn worked together to bring it to the Middle School.
In the beginning of third quarter the 7th graders were asked to find a passion project and propose it to Mr. Staser and Mr. Hearn. Topics ranged from cake decorating to entymology and guitar playing. Over the next weeks, students spent time out of each week researching and practicing their passion projects.
Some students wrote poetry, others knitted scarves and reached out to community members. In the end, all the students were asked to present their projects to the class. Some of the results were amazing.
Overall, when asked how it went, both Mr. Hearn and Mr. Staser think that it was an overall success. Other teachers are looking at incorporating some form of focused genius hour into their particular disciplines. Genius hour combines student choice, research, public speaking and organization skills. It will interesting to see how many of our students look to this experience to choose a career in the future.
