Lefse

Have you ever tried to explain lefse in an appetizing way to a group of 30 high schoolers? No easy task! Some LOVE it- some have no idea or exposure. It is so fun to provide students new and exciting experiences AND to share some of my own family heritage.

Students are always talking when they aren't supposed to, its hard to get high schoolers to shut up! BUT when I share personal stories and experiences kids are silent. It is often uncomfortable to be a teacher- learning how to navigate boundaries around your personal life and maintain professionalism while also allowing yourself to be open, honest and build authentic relationships with your students. I have seen valuable conversations start after story time has ended. As soon as I say, "story time" in my classroom, students know we have the opportunity to build relationship and share wisdom and experience. Some of my favorite lessons start with a story!

When explaining and demonstrating how to make lefse, I told my students about my grandma who taught me how to make it. I kept referencing her throughout my demonstration, "granny would scold me for how uneven I rolled out my dough" or "granny says lefse gets tough if you don't dust the flour off the edges." After I had finished my demonstration I told the kids to cycle through and take turns making their own. The conversation around the griddle was "granny says... granny would be yelling... and granny would approve." This led to further discussions of what foods they make with their families and what their grandmas/families are like.

At the end of the day the floors were slick with flour, kids were full, granny had been face-timed and both students and teacher learned something about their peers.