Today was the day many students had been waiting for…or dreading. Puberty Education! I often tell parents that Ms. Devine is a person who has generally found her calling. She teaches students with so much respect for their questions, patience for their giggles, and serious commitment to everyone’s social and emotional safety. The students did an impressively earnest job today as they began to learn about the middle regions of their bodies and the changes that will befall all of them sooner or later. Should make for some fun conversations around the dinner table this week!
The class economy is in its third or fourth week now, the store oficially opening for business for the first time last Friday. Customers hungrily bought up many of the supplies there with the currency they earned through quality homework assignments, snappy transitions, and other model behavior. At worst, it’s a kind of behaviorism bound to fail. It changes students’ motivation from intrinsic to extrinsic. Instead of doing the teacher a favor out of the goodness of their hearts, they begin to ask, “how much is it worth?” Privatization means classroom supplies become private and personal–students become more possessive, and rich and poor groups emerge. The most moral sometimes lose out to the most entrepreneurial. Our utopia has fallen, in some ways. Nevertheless, it’s invaluable fodder for discussion, and a great experiment at this point in the year. This week we’ll broach the subject of taxation. Which supplies would you like to have on hand for all citizens of the community and therefore are willing to pay taxes for? Should we tax the rich more than the poor or have a flat rate? What if someone doesn’t have the cash to pay? Students have begun to open up their own stores, too, with home-baked goodies. I’ll keep you updated!
And yes, we are revising, editing, and rehearsing the play. We’ll keep you updated, and some of you will even be coming in to help make costumes, paint backdrops, etc. What an adventure!
Homework
Monday
Math
- 4th grade has a packet due Thursday
- 5th grade also has a packet due Thursday. Download it here.
Wordly Wise: 1 cent per question! 2 cents if you do it in cursive!
Read: Yes, make sure to record your first page this week on your planner
Tuesday
Math
- 4th grade has a packet due Thursday
- 5th grade also has a packet due Thursday. Download it here.
Wordly Wise: 1 cent per question! 2 cents if you do it in cursive!
Read: Yessss….
Wednesday
Math
- 4th grade finish packet!
- 5th grade finish packet! Download it here.
Google Classroom: Diary of a 49er assignment
Read: Yessss….
Thursday: there’s no real homework, because we are Spring Singing tonight at 7! Students can arrive in Cerrito Creek at 6:40, fed and dressed in black, por favor. Looking forward to it!
The main homework over the next ten or so days is for students to memorize their lines for the play. Here is the script in case they forget/lose theirs. We have lots of work in front of us, but we’re really looking forward to performing for you on Tuesday, May 24, at 6 pm in the Depot.
Also, please send in student portfolios (the ones I gave you at conferences) so we can finish them before the end of the year. We are still missing about half of them. Lastly, some students got their sailing permission slips half signed. There are two sides that need signing. Thanks!
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