Lacoochee, again

On Tuesday I went into Lacoochee elementary school with a huge box of fired and glazed clay pieces the kids had made. I really would have liked to have the principal look at these colorful and delightful bas reliefs, maybe ooh and ah. But no.

As is usual, a number of parents and kids helped carry the bags into the classroom. We spread out the clay artworks on the tables, and I got the activities of the day ready to go. Today we were were going to make butter by shaking heavy cream. Then we would spread this on the homemade bread I had made early that morning. I also had some organic fruit spread to add to the bread. And there was the pyramid of beautiful organic apples!

After the pledge, we got down to business. First the kids had to fill in some scripted and dreary science sheets. They whipped through this, eying the apples and the mysterious containers of cream. Then, they and CareyAnne, their spectacular teacher, gathered on the rug and we began to make the butter. We put the cream into a shaker and everyone took turns shaking. CareyAnne got right into it, asking the kids to count their shakes by ones, then twos, then threes. She asked them questions about turning a liquid into a solid, where did cream come from, and many other things. She sang a ditty to make it happen. It seemed easy! The kids were totally engaged with the physicality of it. We passed out the paper plates with a slice of bread on each one, Giovanna passed out the butter and Danielle administered the jam. It was heaven!

We go to lunch and two kids hold my hands. I think of Laura, one of my all time favorite students (who is now a sophomore at Harvard) who held my hand every day for a year. When you hold the hand of a trusted adult, what you say is noted. Laura talked about her dog, Curley. These Lacoochee kids tell me about their little brother who is getting ear tubes. What's this? I try to explain. They tell me about their mom who will have surgery tomorrow. I wish our trip to the lunch room was longer because they have so many issues to discuss. Maybe Laura had some other issues beyond her dog, but it didn't matter. She knew her teacher would understand everything. And so it is with these Lacoochee kids.

The big buzz in the teacher lunchroom was that kindergartners were being tested on writing: they had a "prompt" and then were supposed to write expository writing from this. They had forty-five minutes to do this! Are we all crazy? Has no one ever read the literature on child development, maybe Piaget? (One teacher called this "suppository" writing.)

I think that this principal of this school (who tries to look like Dolly Parton with her amazing hair and nails and high heeled shoes) does not get it. For openers, why would someone in a rural school, not want to look available to the land and to kids? Get real! Wear clothes you can bend and run and stretch in, can get dirty! And then, a principal should galvanize the staff to be a real team, full of creative energy, and instead of back-biting each other, come together to make this school a model for the nation. It could happen. This staff is as good as any!

This is heresy, I know. Probably, if anyone at the school reads this I would be out of there for sure. I am reasonably certain that no one (except CareyAnne) at Lacoochee cares.

We need to energize public school teachers! They are the best!