"The Importance of Listening"

I'm going through our apartment with a fine tooth comb in order to make more space for our impending arrival. Today I found some writing assignments from my grade 4 class that I just had to share. This one is from the beginning of the school year when my class had not yet grasped the importance of gymnasium safety. After several warnings, their listening skills did not improve and I decided that we could not safely continue our Phys. Ed. lesson. Back to the classroom we trekked, and since I had no alternative planned, they wrote a short response explaining the "Importance of Listening."

This is what one student wrote:
You could get hurt.
You could disturb other classes.
You could waste gym class!
The teacher could make you write a dumb note.
You could get in trouble.

I can't argue. It was a dumb assignment. But on the other hand, we had no more problems with listening and gymnasium safety that year!

Another of my favourite samples:
You're supposed to listen because if you don't, you will get in a lot of trouble. If you don't listen, you won't get to pass any grade and you won't get a job and you'll b e poor and have to live on the streets or live in a box! Nobody wants to live in a box!

And last, but certainly not least! The guilt trip:
It is not safe and people should have been better listeners but it is still a little harsh to make the people that were good in gym, come in here and write. They should of continued and everyone else that was not good listeners should be in here.

I wholeheartedly agree! If only teachers could be in two places at once. :(

While Tim may not appreciate me posting this on our blog, I think it's quite profound so I'm posting first, asking forgiveness later. During a discussion of Christian Conservatism vs Christian

"Liberalism, he wrote, "It's relative right. Compared to Doug Padgitt, we're screaming uber-fundies. Compared to the late Falwell, we're screaming foaming at the mouth liberals. In any case, I think of myself as a relatively quiet guy who asks 21st century questions, and finds the only decent answers in the 17th century." My husband is an extremely intelligent man. :)

Saint Andrew's By the Sea

Private Rocket Launch

This afternoon, we had a private rocket launch to test out some new rockets before showing them to the campers. This is "The Harvenger" and it worked exactly as it was supposed to. We even got it back! Yay!

There's just no place quite like the lake!

Student Views on Education

I really like to read because it gives you ideas and it works your brain.

I Want to Sit With My Friends

This is an imaginary conversation that took place in one of my students' writing assignments. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd share. Once again all names, except mine, have been changed to protect privacy.

Student: I really want to get back to a group with my friends again. So Mrs Carruthers why don't you put up back in a group?
Mrs Carruthers: Well, I know you guys will start talking again.
Student: But if you can find it in your heart to put us back in a group please. Please give us a second chance. But just give it a second chance, please.
Mrs Carruthers: I'm still not going to put you back in a group.
Student: But why are you still separating us when we are sometimes quiet?

PS Johnny [the student sitting beside him] bugs me a lot.
PPS You should chat with him. He does not do his work. He plays games. He talks too much too.

I really enjoy the last line of the conversation where the student says, "We are sometimes quiet."