Chapter Nine is probably one of my favorite chapters in this book. It is my favorite for two reasons. One, who doesn’t love thinking about celebrations? It is exciting to plan methods for celebrating student work. Teachers and students work so hard on projects, it is wonderful to think about how to take the time to enjoy and reflect on work that has been done.

The second reason I love this chapter is because I am not very good at celebration! I like to start projects and I get very excited about planning projects, but so often they just drift off or end before I realize it. This leaves everyone with a dissatisfied feeling that the learning wasn’t meaningful or that the contributions made and the connections established weren’t long-lasting. This chapter really helped me realize the importance of planning a celebration at the end of a project and gave so many practical ideas about how to do it!

As Vivki and Julie say on page 222

We must create memorable moments of learning and inspiration.

How have you celebrated projects you’ve done with students? How have these celebrations added meaning to your teaching? How have these celebrations added meaning for you students?