Finding Rainbows

In my own childhood home, I remember every morning spent waiting for rainbows.

Our east-facing front doors framed delicate windowpanes. As the sun would rise, beams of light fell through the glass and transformed into rainbows.

These small strokes of color would sprinkle everywhere. Across the walls, the floors—even on our wooden staircase. I would take precious moments each day to shift the light across my skin, from palm to fingers and anywhere the rainbows appeared.

Twenty years later, I still feel the same sense of awe and serenity when those familiar lights appear in the early hours of day.

In my second year as a head teacher, I was fortunate to teach in a classroom with a floor-to-ceiling window. This window—so rare in New York City classrooms—brought the outside world into our little class. From noticing the budding flowers on the trees to catching glimpses of the 4 train above, we found so many spontaneous thrills and discoveries.

Side note: While I’d have loved to transform this little nook by the window into a cozy area, the bright space lent itself as the perfect science center.

Our beloved window. Low-quality photograph, high-quality engagements.

You can imagine my excitement when, one day, this wonderful light crept into our adjacent block center.

Two girls called me over from across the room. “Look, Miss Siriana!! There’s a rainbow!”

Half the class quickly congregated as we came to share in their discovery. Lego bridges and doctor’s offices were momentarily forgotten. Children and teachers alike, we crouched down to peek in the block center. Sure enough, a small patch of colored light was hiding in the bottom shelf across the window. The children became scientists, seeking the source of this magical guest appearance.

We pulled from our collective funds of knowledge to learn that rainbows come from light. They live in the sky when it rains. And so, this little rainbow must have come from the sky! But it didn’t rain that morning..

Soon, we were on a mission. What else could we find out about this rainbow?

We experimented with turning off the fluorescent lights. No luck. It remained plastered inside the shelf. What if we covered it with paper? Someone pulled a blank sheet of white paper from the writing area. It only made the colors brighter!

Suddenly, our teaching assistant walked past the window. The rainbow flickered. Surely, the children thought, we should look out the window. They continued testing and crowdsourcing ideas. Eventually, they were comfortable in their claim that the light from outside made the rainbow.

Some light and mathematical creations.

In this journey of inquiry and exploration, notice my role.

I guided the children in formulating questions. I shared in their eagerness and curiosity. Not once did I answer their question of “How?”. Rather, I experimented with them until we were satisfied in our scientific pursuit.

This special rainbow was woven into our classroom experience and culture. One child loved checking the block area every day to see if it came back to visit. Any storybook with a rainbow brought back fond memories of our little guest. And, most importantly, our process of discovery and inquiry came to life, time and time again.

Moral of the story: Remember your own childhood and always look for rainbows!