MacRichment September 2009

It's September, I am all graduated (Educational Specialist in Technology degree, yea!!), almost re-rested, and now, getting ready to be raring to go!

I've been reading (A LOT!!), for pleasure for a change, - The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire & Lighting Their Fires both by Rafe Esquith, among others. I heartily recommend all three, but especially the two Esquith books for parents. Raising a capable EXTRAORDINARY child takes us all, together, and it doesn't come overnight!! Please let me know what you think when you read of any of these books! (I also re-read three Madelyne L'Engle books; A Wrinkle in Time, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and A Wind in the Door and I'd recommend them, too!)

Please be forewarned that this is the only means of receiving this newsletter from MacRichment - I'm not sending out hard copies unless you specifically request one and then, Il mio piacere (It is my pleasure!) to print one for you! I think that is one of the most mannerly, nicest phrases in the English language so I asked my step-father how it is said in Italian (so it SOUNDS really neat, too!).

Back to MacRichment - I've charged the students (Oh! Didn't they TELL you??) with finding a mess to tackle. Not their room but something outside of themselves. There are several examples of going outside of yourself that I use often - one is of a young fella at Gwin who was concerned about the babies of homeless or displaced people - where would they get diapers? He started a campaign with his Little League team to bring in packages of disposable diapers. But one team can only diaper so much! So he got in touch with the Birmingham Barons who held a "night" just for him and the entry fee was a package of disposable diapers! Just imagine how proud this young man felt!

Another was last year here at RES. A fifth grade student was concerned about the children who had extended stays at Children's Hospital and their morale. She thought about sending little notes, or bears attached to notes or something that might brighten their day. She called and asked if Children's could use something like this (research!!) and, if so, how many beds there were. 270+ beds!! Yes! They would be more than happy to accept them, any and all!! So all year, during various lunch times, she and a group of her friends covered old bottles, jars, & containers with paper mache' and painted them to create vases. They also made a bunch of flip-catch the ball toys out of duct tape for boy patients but the quality was not up to her standards so they remained at home. Finally, she added ribbon flowers to each jar and carried them down to Children's Hospital. They were thrilled! That was a self-less act!

We are currently in the BRAINSTORMING phase of this Mess-Finding and the final idea isn't due until November so that they will have the rest of the year to work on their "mess." As messes become project-ideas the research about what HAS already been done, what NEEDS to be done, how can I get it done will take place. By November the students, as individuals or small groups, should be ready to go. And YES!! we would love any assistance you can offer!! Just email me!

Between the Mess and the Deep Blue Sea my classes are all participating in a Self-Discovery Unit. They have looked at what really interests them (at the moment, 'cause it changes!!), their talents and not-so-talents, their motivations, and their learning styles. They are keeping most of this in a packet that they will bring home in December to share with you. The more they know about themselves, the more they know about others, the better they will be at creating the optimal environment for their learning. We had a great discussion about TV watching today. How much is actual program watching and how much is sitting passively watching commercials? Blech!!

In addition to all of the above, they are also practicing creating with paper - pop-up cards, origami, quilling, stenciling, all sorts of things to do with paper. This is in preparation for making a number of paper models of gears and other machinery. Be patient! YOU'LL SEE!!

Of course, we play 7 Scrabble Scramble every so often. That's where we draw 7 scrabble tiles and, as a class, come up words using the letters over and over to amass the highest score we can. One 5th grade class had a wonderful day and now has to try to beat their 310 point record!! And sometimes we play Farkle or Tribulation (ask your child, I won't go into them here!!) or do math problem solving. Phew!! Quite the varied life we lead, what?

XXOO!!
Mrs. Mac