A re-post

It's exam week.

There's all types of questions this week: multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching. But the weight of exams in the way my students are assessed and graded are small, almost insignificant. It's the essays and projects and journal entries; and the "reporting" (where each child gets a chance to be teacher for one session, and it is up to them to teach the class a certain topic) that count, because how they explain it will tell me if they understood. If they understood, and can relay it to their classmates, and can apply it to everything else - that is what counts. The more creative the presentation (one student presented his topic - oceanic island habitats - as though it was a tour. He was the pilot, and all of us were passengers and he explained the islands as we "passed over them in his tour plane"), the better.

Admittedly, we give them tests just so that they know how to take them. We do not focus on the exams, or make a big deal out of them, really. Interesting thing, though. They took a standardized test at the end of the year and, wouldn't you know it, all of them rated "above average" and "excellent" and there was even one or two "superiors."

I am glad and flattered and relieved that the teachers at my school are allowed to let the children lead; and that our jobs do not depend on how well the child will do on a standardized test.

The kids at our little school may not have memorized all the capital cities of the world; or the dates when the world's events happened; but they can tell you the similarities and differences between religions and cultures; and how we are all different, and yet, all the same. They may not be very good at computing percents and decimals; but they can tell you, from first hand experience, about social entrepreneurship. And the oldest one of them turned 12 two weeks ago.

I came across this post, from Teacher Tom (whose blog is in my Google Reader):

A must read for teachers, for parents, for standardized testing supporters.

Teacher Tom: This Is What We Are Up Against




We may be in a different place than Matt Damon and Teacher Tom; but the troubles of education are the same.

Journal Prompts and Responses

Today's Journal Prompt:

You are in front of a mirror, and your 21 year old self is looking back at you.  What questions would you ask?  How would your 21 year old self answer?

Some interesting responses from the 9 - 12's:

Q: Are you a good artist?

A: Yes, and we're still better than mom.

Q: Do you have a job?

A: I'm still looking for one, but I applied to graduate school.

Q: Do you still like to read?

A: Yes.  I treasure books.  I kiss their covers.

Q: Do you still see our friends from when we were kids?

A: Yes.  Always.

Q: Are you still interested in Lego?  

A: Yes, but mostly for display.

Q: Future self, is the world clean now?

A: Yes it is, thanks to you.

Journal prompt extension:

Describe yourself at 21.  

What are you wearing? Where do you live? How do you feel?

A: I wear jeans and t-shirts.  When it's a casual day, I wear shorts.  I solve for x just for fun.

A: I have black hair and green eyes (ah, the wonders of science!)  I feel fabulous and joyous everyday.

A: I have short black hair with silver highlights.  I'm wearing black jeans, black t-shirt.  I have my guitar.  I'm chillin.'

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This exercise was originally meant for adults, "What would you say to your 21 (16, 8, 10, etc) year old self?  What advice would you give?"  But I turned it around to suit the kids, as we are currently learning about identity - understanding ourselves and, eventually, others.

Which got me thinking, if I faced my 21 year old self in a mirror, what would I ask her?  The answer: What were you thinking!? Then we'll laugh, and marvel at how everything turned out pretty good.

Eco-words and practices

There are a lot of fun and interesting eco-words that have been popping up on the internet for a few years now: My Favorites are:
1. Repurposing, or using an item other than it's original purpose.
and
2. Upcycling, which is "the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value." (www.thefreedictionary.com)


This is something we practice at our school, where the kids and teachers bring in paper and newspapers from home, empty containers, and restaurant take-out cups (lots of them).  

• Empty containers (yogurt, cheese, peanut butter jars, ice cream containers in funky shapes) are often re-used as storage; although we have, on occasion, used them as palettes, or water bowls for painting.  We have also used them as molds for making candles.  Larger containers are sometimes used as prep trays, where we put materials that we are going to use for a particular class.  They have also been up-cycled (using glue and colored tissue) as pencil-holders, eraser holders. Oh, those Chillz cups with the dome cover? we have one currently in use as the writing prompt holder (also works as Pictionary prompts).  We shake the cup and pull one prompt out of the hole at the top.    
• Bottle caps of water and juice bottles make excellent bases for little sculptures.  We used some to make our totems/avatars out of plaster of Paris strips; and then we use them as game pieces.
• Egg Cartons are best for sorting activities, although one dad made a little school bus out of an egg carton once.
• Small sortable items like empty pen caps, odd beads, small toys from birthday party loot bags.  Keep them in a big container, then use them for sorting activities or to teach place value (in the lower grades we do this for math).
• Fabric scrap, or textured scrap (like sandpaper, wall paper swatches) make for interesting stamping or painting tools.  As do old pre-paid load cards.
• Old combs for adding texture to clay.
• Styrofoam containers and trays make great stamps (use bottle caps as a base)
• small baby cologne bottles can be used as squeeze containers, when the kids are using "special" mixes like paint and soap (it's nice and runny, very Jackson Pollock); glue and food coloring.  Baby powder bottles are excellent pretend salt and pepper shakers.

When the empties are not in use, and sit on the shelf, we can always use them to play grocery-grocery as Teacher Tom did.  My toddler niece loved the grocery-then-cooking-then-pretend picnic game; and couldn't have cared less whether she was using the commercial, store-bought kitchen toys or the upcycled, repurposed pretend ones.  The big kids at school sometimes look at a piece of recyclable - the odder, the better - and dream up things that can be done with them.

Go ahead, try it (Be sure you wash everything out before you use them).

Enjoy!