There are 25
students and two adults in Room 202. That's a lot of people in a room
for 6 hours a day. Needless to say, there is a shortage of space. It's
hot. It's stuffy.
On the first day of school I told the kids, as I always tell my new students, to push in their chairs when they leave their desk. I told them this is especially true this year since we have so many people.
They listened. Not only did they listen the first day of school, they kept pushing in their chairs day in and day out. It may seem like a small thing, maybe even insignificant. But it's more than a simple act of pushing in a chair...it speaks to the character of the class; and ultimately the character of the individual.
A fourth grader has many things on their mind...least of which is to push in their chair when they get up. They have to think about their school work, their friends, their family; who they are going to sit next to at lunch and play with at recess. They have to think about the amount of homework they are going to have and how they are going to get things done at home. They know, in the backs of their mind, that they are growing up, becoming more responsible; more accountable. This responsibility an accountability can sometimes be a heavy load for a 9 or 10 year-old.
Yet...
... they push in their chairs when they leave the room.
Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten
On the first day of school I told the kids, as I always tell my new students, to push in their chairs when they leave their desk. I told them this is especially true this year since we have so many people.
They listened. Not only did they listen the first day of school, they kept pushing in their chairs day in and day out. It may seem like a small thing, maybe even insignificant. But it's more than a simple act of pushing in a chair...it speaks to the character of the class; and ultimately the character of the individual.
A fourth grader has many things on their mind...least of which is to push in their chair when they get up. They have to think about their school work, their friends, their family; who they are going to sit next to at lunch and play with at recess. They have to think about the amount of homework they are going to have and how they are going to get things done at home. They know, in the backs of their mind, that they are growing up, becoming more responsible; more accountable. This responsibility an accountability can sometimes be a heavy load for a 9 or 10 year-old.
Yet...
... they push in their chairs when they leave the room.
Mr. Casten
August 30, 2013
