Origami Cranes

This is why I teach! During the summer in July I taught a class called origami.  Origami (おりがみ) is the Japanese art of folding paper.  I had eight classes in total and taught a variety of projects from animals to inanimate objects.  One of the longer projects was the paper crane.  It is a doozy of a project for some students. It is met with either fierce determination, or utter defeat.

On the very last day of the summer program, in my last class of the day, two students, a brother and sister with their mom gave me this beautiful crafted crane mobile.  I was so happy to hear from their mom that the siblings loved my class and wanted to make me a gift.

This is my last year of teaching in America, and for the summer camp as well.  This is one of the best presents I could receive.  First things first, the students learned how to make something I taught.  They liked it so much they wanted to show their parents.  And finally, they thought to make a really cool mobile! I cannot express how happy I was to have such a cool gift!

This makes teaching so wonderful and fulfilling because the students truly took a lot out of the class.  Although just folding paper, it ignites the imagination and inspires true creativity and sharing.

I have this wonderful mobile in my room at this very moment, and will be tickled pink to display it up in my new home in Japan next year!