Sharks and Minnows

“I am free and will gladly help you out”, I texted to A, a teacher who needed to leave early from school on Friday. As I entered her 8th grade English classroom at 2:10pm, she was explaining the writing assignment.

“First, sketch a place you spend time at. For me, I picked my grandfather’s farm.” A moved to the chart paper where she sketched a house and a red barn. “Then think of stories that happened in this place and add them to the sketch. Next, pick one and write that story. Be sure to fill at least a half a page.”

I quickly observed that all in the room dutifully were on task and following the clear directions. As A slipped out of the classroom, I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and gave the assignment a try. First, I sketched High Point Pool, the place I spent so many hours of my childhood each summer. In the 25 meter portion of the sketch, I labled “swimming in swimmeets”. In the 3 feet area, I added the labels “4th of July Penny Dive” and “Marco-Polo”. In the deep end, I labeled “Sharks and Minnons”, the game I played with others when the lifeguards closed the diving boards and we could instead swim in the 10 ft deep diving area. Here’s my story of that place:

“Minnows, Go!” Tommy yelled, as he treaded water alone in the middle of the deep end. I stood on the edge of the pool with a dozen other swimming friends. As my friend/Shark’s sister, Diane, dove in first, I saw Tommy swim toward her. With him distracted, I immediately moved to the other side of the deep end and dove in. I quickly kicked my legs and reached my arms out for the other side of the pool. Once I touched the wall, I smiled, proud to have easlily reached the opposite wall without “Shark Tommy” tagging me.

As I climbed out of the pool, I noticed that now Diane and Tommy were treading water. I saw them exchanging words and then both looked right at me. Together, they shouted, “Minnows, Go!” First, I saw my friend, Susan dive in but neither Diane or Tommy moved. Then my brother, Chris dove in. Again, the two sharks kept treading water and kept looking right at me. I thought to myself, “here goes” and I dove straight down into the water. Immediately, two bodies blocked my way. I tried to kick and glide passed but soon, I needed to breathe. I kicked up to the surface and took a breath. This was followed by taps on my head from Diane and Tommy. I now was a shark.

The three of us huddled. We exchanged a name. Then we turned toward the minnows at the edge of the pool. With eyes locked on my brother, Chris, I yelled in unison with the other two sharks, “Minnows, Go!”

Playtime With Aden

During the winter break, Aden, my now 10-month granddaughter visited. For a whole week, my favorite time was “Playtime with Aden”. Due to being diagnosed with mild hip displacia, she was sporting a cool white harness but this did not stop her from playing.

Sitting up tall, she would hand me a ball, as we both sat on our TV room rug. I’d hand it back. She’d drop it into the wooden box with a ramp. Cluck. It rolled back toward Aden’s hand. She’s grab it. Repeat.

Sitting next to the coffee table, the bottom shelf was just her sitting up height. She grabbed one plastic toy yellow rimmed cup and handed it to me. I stacked it into the green rimmed cup. She grabbed them both. After pulling the green rimmed cup apart, she handed it to me. Then she grabbed the red rimmed cup and handed it to me. Then she grabbed the orange rimmed cup and handed it to me. I put in into the red cup and placed them on the shelf. Aden’s eyes looked to my hands and to the shelf. She reached for the red-orange combo, nabbed them and handed them to me. Repeat.

My favorite playtime game was with books. Friends gave me books for Aden. Aden brought many books with her from her Advent Book Calendar collection. A few favorites included: Indestructible Baby Faces, The Very Hungry Catepillar with build-in teething ring, and my favorite, Urban Babies Wear Black (thanks, John!). Aden sat, held the book, turned the page, brought it to her mouth to take a bite as times and turned the page again. Repeat.

Once, as I sat on the rug with my legs stretched out in front of me, Aden did her best crawl while wearing her harness. She reached and pushed on my thigh. She scooted herself up up and over my human jungle gym. As I moved my legs to be criss-cross applesauce, she grabbed a book and sat right in my lap. Together we held the book and read. “The cow says moo. The cat says meow.” Her head turned to see my face and then turned back to the book, helping to turn the page. Repeat!

Old Time Shopping

I glance at my list as I crosse the threshhold into Ayers Variety and Hardware. It is my school’s dress rehearsal day for the musical and I am tasked with finding three more props – a kazoo, angel wings, and a chef’s hat. Naturally, my first stop is Ayers.

I walked to the back and started searching the two short toy aisels.
“Can I help you find something,” I hear.
” I need a kazoo.” I admit sheepishly.
“Right there,” the shopkeeper replies, pointing to the top row of items right in front of me and walks off to help another customer.
“Perfect!” and as I grabbed it, I notice the item to the right. A child’s fairy set – crown, wand and yes, WINGS!! I grab it. Now for item three. I was 99% sure I’d need to head to another store but what did I have to lose.

Leaving the toy area, I wandered over to the clothing section. The top shelf was filled with a variety of hats – cowboy , baseball caps broad-rimmed garden hats. Below the hats were aprons but no chef’s hat. Bummer.

I glanced at my phone to see the time. I still have one hour. Maybe the Party Store would have such a hat? Seeing the sales clerk, I ask, “Would you happen to have a chef’s hat?”

“Sure,” she replied matter-of-factly. She started walking toward the front of the store and turned down the kitchen aisle. “Here you go.” She pointed to a chef hat, in between the egg timers and spatulas. I nabbed it and headed to the cashier, feeling so successful.

At a time when prime blue arrow smile boxes are being delivered to houses daily, I am so grateful for my neighborhood variety store. Ayers is the best!

Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 at Kennedy Center

I was born in 1963, October.
I saw a play yesterday set in 1963, September.
It revolved around a real moment in history, the killing of four girls in Alabama.
The next month, August, 1963 was the March on Washington and the infamous King speech.
The month after my birth, November, 1963, was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What a mess…what a time…

Currently, 2019 also seems a messed-up time in my country.
Maybe times are always messed up.
Maybe that’s why seeing this play about another time can inspire.

The play ends with the call to “Stand Up”, a theme running through my Reading class right now. It’s another reminder for me about how, through story, we can learn and think and be inspired to a better world.

For more information about the making of the play and for tickets.
(show runs through 3/24.)

"Come have fun playing here while your learn."

Today the architects of my new school are visiting. They hope to capture through interviews and just watching, what we think about the space they designed for us.

What do I think? What should I say during my interview?

The building they created is quite unique. Along with just being brand new, it screams “Come have fun playing here while your learn.” This is loudly shouted when you leave my 2nd floor classroom and walk to the center of the 2nd floor and see THE SLIDE!

When I bring friends to see my school, they ask right away, “When do you use it?” And my reply is, “We just do.” The slide is just another way to get from the 2nd to the 1st floor. My class knows that it does take a little more time to wait your turn to go down. So it is a choice. Those that really want to get outside for recess to play tag, usually take the stairs. Others say it is worth the wait. All understand that the slide is just another fun way to move in our very unique building called our school. I have come to realize that the beauty of having this feature as a permanent part of the building is that it isn’t a reward. It just gets used because it screams, “Come have fun playing here while your learn.”

The building also is designed to allow for tons of natural light in the classrooms and the hallways. I’ve worked in other schools where I’ve had no windows at all in my classroom or just a few. Here the outside is brought in throughout the entire building. I can’t quote the science of why this is important but I can anecdotally share that I feel better in this building. I feel better because the building allows me to see the sky regularly as I have fun learning inside.

 

 

Finally, the building is designed with lots of open gathering spaces. I will admit that this is still something I am learning to figure out how to use well. As a teacher, I’m used to planning lessons and teaching them WITHIN the four walls given to me called my classroom. But this school is different. Now my students regularly spill-out into the hallway. Since the wall to the hallway of my classroom is glass, I can see them as they learn outside the four walls of my classroom. Fun chairs and stools dot the hallways, providing fun places to sit and work. Other spaces throughout the building provide spots to gather and collaborate. Many spaces, I will admit, I still need to explore with my students. And I will, as my mindset of what “my classroom” is, broadens. Really, my classroom at Discovery Elementary is THE ENTIRE school building, a building designed in my opinion as a place to PLAY while learning.

 

 

My new school, Discovery ES, truly screams, “Come have fun playing here while your learn.”

Thank you, VMDO Architects!!