Our class has been listening to Rob Buyea’s story, The Perfect Score. I had timed the
reading of this story alongside our MCAS. I had never read this book before,
but its lessons are powerful and have caused some in depth discussions in our
classroom.
The students in this book were pressured by the school to
perform amazingly on their state tests, causing them to devise a cheating plan
to relieve stress. There were students who were aware of this plan but were not
thinking of cheating. This led to a rich conversation on the notion of a bystander.
If you are aware something bad is happening (and involves your friends) are you
guilty by association? Students were honest and their answers were split
between yes and no. Some were afraid to rat on their friends while others felt they should not get roped into their friend’s actions. What a great dinner
table discussion to have!
Another great discussion happened today. We talked about how
“the truth will set you free.” Students discussed what this meant and how
telling the truth is a great relief. They recognized the characters in the book
were carrying a heavy burden, but telling the truth would lift that. We related
this lesson to yesterday’s art class. There were many actions in art class that caused me to make some decisions that went against my pedagogical
grain. Sometimes, as educators, we have to do things we do not like or even
want to do. After the actions of many students yesterday our classroom has
changed shape.
Independence, passion for
learning, curiosity about our world, and creating/respecting community are
things I pride myself on, providing a foundation in our classroom home.
I try everything to get students to work well as a community even if it means
changing how I love to teach. Ask my now 26-year-old 3rd graders. They
will tell you all about how we went back to log cabin school! We sat in rows. I
took everything I personally bought away from them. I remember the tears one
student had over how hard using the crank pencil sharpener was. The common cliché still rings true: You do not realize what you have until it was gone. They had
to work together to earn things back, debating over what privilege they wanted
to be returned. Something similar happened last year and our class had a Great Debate. These students learned to appreciate what they have, the
importance of prioritizing, and valuable debate skills. I often still wonder if
I did the right thing, but in my heart I know I did. We all became better
people because of that.
If your student did not talk to
you about art class yesterday, I hope he or she will today. The truth will set them
free.
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