Bits and Pieces

"It's just bits and pieces of information and there is no synthesis for the students", complained a fifth grade teacher. I understood her frustration. Our students are getting ready to take the New York Social Studies exam in November and it is a painful process. I have fifth graders who cannot differentiate between state and city, country and waterway, continent and capital. Granted, I was once chided by an adult who complained that I did not know the exact shape of the African continent. I have since learned that shape and have done fairly well with my life all things considered. It is good to know what shape Africa is and it is even better to know where it is! When my students think that Florida is a country, that Canada is a state and that New Mexico is the country of Mexico, it is time for action. Part of the problem stems from the fact that none of this information seems relevant to their lives. I asked one of my fifth graders which street he lived on. He said, "Maria Street". I said, "Maria Street is an extremely small part of a very big world and this social studies information takes your mind and moves it beyond the confines of Maria Street". "Okay, Missy", he said simply. He was not convinced, and frankly neither was I. We have gotten "test heavy" and "life weak" and I feel it more this year for some reason.

I do think for some reason that this particular student began thinking about the world beyond Maria Street this week. Yesterday, he got excited about the book on Hawaii. He also got excited about the book on New Mexico. Who knows what made those two particular states click in his mind? Well, it turns out this student is really interested in drums. Somehow he associated Hawaii with drums. He joined a drums club this year and enjoys it a lot! It has profound meaning and value and relevance for him.

This past week, my cousin and her husband survived a terrible motorcycle accident. He will recover in about 6 months but is agonizing through it all with a broken back, broken ribs and general trauma. She is more severely injured with a severed spinal cord and multiple injuries. They live in Ohio. When I told my students about it, this student who lives on Maria Street said immediately, "I will pray for her. My Grandmother has a lot of people who pray and I will tell her too". The others chimed in quickly promising to pray and some were even slightly teary-eyed. Two of the boys then spent class time drawing pictures of elaborate crosses for me to send on to my cousin's family. My students thought this accident had occurred in the Rochester area. I told them it happened in Ohio. To give them a better idea, I said, "You know...Columbus, Ohio...the states and capitals we have been studying? "Oh right Missy". Exactly, I think...connection...meaning...value and relevance...all vital things. We all need those things as adults. Why wouldn't our students? We may yet survive the November season of social studies testing!