Easter Eggs - Motivating and Differentiating for all Ages

Ripped tights, splinters, and skinned knees - all part of the battle on a sunny Easter afternoon. This comical and competitive annual tradition quickly precedes the ever-popular Easter dinner at Grandma Peterson's house. Year after year my aunt goes above and beyond hiding plastic eggs (118 of them this year) around the yard for "the kids" in our family to find. The family egg hunt has evolved over the years as my cousins and I were youngsters hoping to find chocolate and quarters, to high schoolers in search of gas money, and then poor college students giving each other grass stains in hopes of finding the egg with the $20 bill in it. This year I embarked on a new egg hunting journey - stabilizing our rookie finder in her purple floral dress on her first endeavor.

Like the students in our classrooms those who participate in the egg hunt are motivated (or unmotivated) for a variety of reasons and come to us with a range of ability levels and prerequisite skills. In our family we have sprinters, walkers, and crawlers. The objective remains the same for all egg hunters and students - finding the egg or meeting the desired standard; this might take longer for some than others. Along the way we must be cognizant that time is the variable and meeting our goal is the constant. As organizers of the hunt and educators leading students on a journey of learning, we need to differentiate and individualize to ensure that everyone comes away with a successful and rewarding experience. This involves enriching for our high-achieving sprinters and providing intensive interventions and supports for those who are still mastering the art of walking.

Although everyone took a different journey with a variety of supports and challenges, everyone in this year's egg hunt came away obtaining their goal. For my daughter, success was made when she was able to find one purple egg in the grass and hear the coins rattle inside. The high schoolers and college students were sprinting for eggs with the big winner finding enough for nine gallons of gas. My 27-year-old brother still needs to be challenged (tackled) once in awhile.  I am fortunate to be part of a magnificent school where our teachers motivate and support all of our learners and a family who provides lasting memories for "kids" of all ages, even when there might be some grass stains along the way.