Tuesday, May 21, 2024
I’ve been subbing for the same person for 3 days, but it’s in media so I haven’t really had the same classes in 3 days. What I have had is 3rd, 4th and 5th graders using endless amounts of cardboard to create carnival games for little kids to play. It’s been really fun to see what they’ve come up with (or haven’t been able to come up with}. They had to make detailed drawings and plans before I arrived, but many of them could not begin to explain what game they were playing or how it would work. We got everybody going on something. It was very interesting that no one wanted to use a scissors when there were little saws to try to use. The thing is that third, 4th and 5th graders really can’t wrangle a saw. The potd shows the only game that was close to finished by the end of today. They were trying it out, playing ping pong ball soccer with popsicle sticks and figuring out what the bugs were. I loved all the use of basically garbage or recyclables, but the waste of good art material- like heavy felt used to make something green instead of just using paper – just about killed me.
I had first graders who read a story about a snail who almost got hit by a car while trying to cross the road, so they were instructed to build a bridge so the snail could safely cross the road. They could use the building material of their choice. They were allowed to borrow from other groups if they wanted to–no one did. Some of them actually built bridges. The ones who didn’t actually have a bridge didn’t know they didn’t have a bridge. I asked them how the snail was going to get across the road and they pointed and said he would go up and go across, even though there was nothing to go across on. Everyone was happy and it was a great success.
I had two sections of kindergarten each day that I was there. Five different classes with one repeat. They were all bonkers. I didn’t know what to do with people not only climbing under tables but on tables, pushing, shoving, choking, screaming, crying, throwing the materials, begging for more materials – you name it, it was probably happening. The regular teachers assured me it was not just for me, but it was this every day with each of those classes. One person said they thought the kids were like that because there’s a lot of gentle parenting in the area. For those of you who aren’t in on the new style of parenting called gentle parenting, it is basically not parenting in any way–just letting your kid go free range to learn from their own interactions. Unfortunately, the kids don’t really learn anything except that they get to do whatever they want and never have to listen to anyone.
I’m excited to go back to math in Middle School tomorrow.