Using those resources!

The 5th & 6th graders would tell you they are on a new business endeavor, but I'm not sure it can be considered a business endeavor since the service is free. A public service, perhaps.

The sink in my classroom has had a dripping faucet since I took over this classroom in August but it seems to have gotten worse as the school year has progressed. I've mentioned it as a maintenance request but I don't think it's been a priority. Anyway, last week, my students decided  to measure the amount of water being wasted at our sink. It was a bit alarming when we realized how much was indeed being wasted. So we have a bowl permanently placed under the faucet to catch the dripping water. This morning it became apparent that we are not able to keep up (24/7 water collection) in using the water so when my students went to make the morning announcements to the school they announced the following: "Breaking news: the 5th & 6th graders will be providing free water to anyone who needs. Bring your water bottles down, kids!"

For a moment we thought no one was coming. Then in streamed 5-6 2nd graders with water bottles ready. My students welcomed them to the new business, filled their water bottles and left them with parting messages such as "Be sure to come back again" and "Tell your friends about us."

They are now in the process of trying to make a plan to discourage the use of the drinking fountain and instead use the water we have at hand. They are also trying to figure out how to reward frequent and faithful customers.We'll see where this leads. For now, I'm happy to have them channeling their energies to something of value.

I'm with Dr. King

From winter break to the winter blues: 5th and 6th graders fell prey to the winter blues not long into January. There just hasn't been a whole lot to blog about. But February has brought beautiful snow and the hope of downhill skiing (possibly as soon as this Friday).

Anywho, my students wrote essays inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and here are some of the highlights.

"Why it is difficult for most people to [have peace] is because they might not want to forgive someone so they don't treat that person equally. They could be mad at someone and want revenge and even though revenge sounds like treating people equally, it's not."

"Martin Luther King Jr. thought outside of the box and saw what was going on in the real world and thought of how to fix it. I like how it's changed and we can make a difference too."

"I think peace is the right way to go. So I'm with Dr. King on that subject."