A new school… A new world!
Posted by Maggie on November 10, 2008
Six weeks ago we started at a new school. Although this was the first time Dixie, Sam, Jen, Rachel, Brad and I had walked through the front doors armed with paper, markers and over 60 fresh Barrel of Monkeys Journals, it was a school we’d all seen many times. Close to many of our homes, even in the same zip-code as some of our mail, right across from The Neo-Futurarium, the theater we’ve been running That’s Weird, Grandma in for over 5 years!
Yes that’s right I’m talking about Trumbull School. The school stands four stories high with four architecturally historic wrought iron staircases that over 500 children scale and descend everyday with the sound of a bell.
We had the pleasure of teaching two classes both incredibly unique.
The Sixth Grade Class was large. Over 35 students all from varying homerooms, neighborhoods, backgrounds. A real huzzah to the magnet school system. Sixth grade is not one of the common ages we teach and from the get-go we knew there would be some pre-teen challenges. But the creativity never ceased to amaze me. Sometimes I wondered how we, the Monkeys, would ever perform the epics written in their 30 plus journals. Tales of 50 men marching in and Giant British Lobsters eating everyone!
Being 11 going on 25 is hard. I think we were able to allow these just verging on teenagers to remember how much fun it is letting yourself go and that creativity can come from the child in you… although I’m not sure any of them would say that out loud.
The Third Grade Class was a combination of selected students from two different third grade homerooms. I don’t know about you, but I do not remember traveling for class in third grade. But then again, these third graders surprised me in many ways.
I think my favorite moment was during Argument Day. Our lesson was strategically placed just days before the election last week. After some individual writing time, everyone had written arguments, based on the basic five paragraph persuasive essay, and was presenting to the class. There were some very well thought out beliefs and reasons, but that I expected. What amazed me was that almost like clockwork after a student had read his or her thoughts aloud, immediately after sitting down, the hand went up again. A new and thought out belief was in their heads and they all needed to share it with not only their classmates, but the world!
A young man, named Keshaun, always eager to perform, had an “off-the-top-of-his-head” argument I agreed with all the way.
“I believe there should be no more gangs. My first reason is that I don’t like guns. My second reason is that less people will get hurt. My third reason is that the world will be better. That’s why I believe there should be no more gangs.”
Well said. We could use more people like Keshaun around!
They were all a delight. I can’t wait to see their faces again when we perform here…
...but without the desks.
xxoo
maggie