Ben had been working on the second part of his Heritage Fair Project, (the Reflection piece).
By answering the questions in Lorem Ipsum. I learned today, that is a way of injecting nonsensical words that look like readable latin in a text format as filler. When the teacher came over to check out his answers with a quizzical look, Ben told her he had written it in latin. So, she asked him to translate it. Then came the argument... why had she told him that he was all done the Heritage Fair, to then give him more unexpected Heritage Fair work? She shook her head. She is a lovely teacher, actually.
Grades 4 to 7 curriculum includes choosing a topic in Canadian History and doing a presentation, ultimately judged by judges that come to the school on a certain date who chose the best ones to go on to the next round of competition for prizes etc. Parents buy the big poster boards and kids decorate them with information and pictures etc. The students are required to include 5 "products" such as maps, timelines, fact files, pictures, 3D models etc. chosen from a list of at least 30 possibilities.
Over a month ago the teacher gave Ben the long list of products he could show and reminded him about the project very often. As the weeks went by, she was getting a bit frustrated that he hadn't begun. Good timing was that teacher-parent conferences came up and I brought Ben. We helped him narrow it down to 5 components and scheduled a calendar that home and school could work in tandem with.
The best thing lately has been that we bought him a portable scanner so paper is less of a big deal - (worksheets were getting lost, assignments got missed) So, now he scans his work, texts etc. and e-mails them to an account that he, school and home can access anytime. Progress:)
Anyway, back to the Heritage Fair. He put a lot of effort into his final presentation on the topic of The War of 1812, specifically Laura Secord. He did research and learned how to do a bibliography. Finally the day came for the presentation. The best motivation seemed to be the box of Laura Secord chocolates that we agreed he could have after the judging. It was a three day process. The kids presented to their classmates, and other Grade students cycled through, hearing their verbal reports, which they had to hone and perfect for the final presentation to the judges. Day 1, he was so exhausted and overwhelmed after that he couldn't sleep. Day 2 he took the morning off, stayed for afternoon presentations -got through it... and Day 3 he was so DONE! Chocolates... chocolates.... just think of chocolates.... he said to himself the whole time. He even sent me a video text of him smiling and eating a chocolate to "tide him over" during the last hour.
So, when it was all done, we all celebrated the effort and learning, and that it was OVER:)
When he was handed the blue paper with new homework about the Fair, he was not excited. And then he read the questions:
My Reflection on the BC Heritage Fair Project
Excellent work on your projects! Everyone should be very proud of their accomplishment.
A final assignment:
You are to provide a one-page typed reflection on your Heritage Fair project.
You are to include the following components:
- Introduce your topic and question.
- How could this project be described as a turning point in your learning this year?
- What new skills did you acquire over the course of this project of which you are most
proud of?
- How has this project changed your thinking on the topic?
- What would you have done differently? (Are there any other products you would have chosen instead?)
Ben's e-mailed assignment sent in tonight:
My Reflection on The BC Heritage Fair Project:
My topic was Laura Secord. My question was, "Was Laura
Secord A Heroine?". I think she was.
According to the definition of
turning point, which is a follows;
turning point
noun
1.
a point at
which a decisive change takes place; critical point; crisis.
2.
a point at
which something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph.
I would not
categorize this project as a turning point in my learning this year, unless we
recognize that it did have some striking resemblance to a crisis because it was
very stressful. And it interrupted my sleeping patterns.
The new skills
I acquired over the course of this project (of which I am most proud of) are:
• I learned to use a hot glue gun.
• I learned that hot gluing can be
somewhat dangerous.
• I learned where the War of 1812
museum was.
• I learned how to make a map on the
computer.
• I found my new favourite font.
This project
did not change my thinking on the topic as I had never thought of it before.
I would not
have done anything differently and there are not any other products I would
have chosen instead.
I put a lot of
effort into this project, and I am proud of myself.
I learned a
lot of interesting things about Laura Secord. I admire her for her courage. And I like Laura Secord chocolates.
Here is Ben's project, and him dancing after it was finished, and him smiling at the park.
It is easy to forget that executive functioning skills are learned and some kids need extra help breaking tasks down into manageable chunks - and that most kids are very capable once expectations are clear and assignments are well defined, and sometimes adapted. Asking ambiguous questions can lead to confusion, and resistance. What I love about Ben and Davis is, they are honest, logical... and bring lots of opportunities to not take ourselves too seriously.
I appreciate being reminded that some of what we ask of kids at school is hoop jumping, and I think it's okay to be open with them that a part of school is tolerating boring busy work at a prescribed pace, rarely based on their personal preferences or needs. And that sucks. I'm not saying that's okay, I'm saying kids keeping a strong sense of self while changing a fractured system from the inside is another way to make it better. There are many angles to take. Sometimes Ian and I find it hard to balance supporting the learning outcomes stipulated by the public school system, and clearly respecting the individuality of our kids, and we are lucky to have a few staff (not all, believe me) in Ben's life who allow him room to express himself and make use of helpful adaptations, like taking math tests orally, as one small example of many. Great things happen at school because of great people.
We care about his personal progress. That's it. We believe it's important for him to do his best in the present, be proud of successes and recognize that school is a place where information and learning opportunities are offered, but certainly not the place that has any power to define who he is as a person, or what qualifies as a turning point in his learning. He holds all the power to do that.
There are so many opportunities to broaden the educational horizons for our kids and stand by them when school tries to box them in too hard, while still maintaining and building good relationships with the adults who work with them. This is also progress:) And a fine balance. We've seen the best outcomes when everyone sets aside ego and focuses on common ground - the best interest of the child. I always believe this is possible, until it is proved that it is not. And we have had times where it was not possible, and that is very disappointing. But that is not the case so far this year with the staff who work with Ben; while we are not always on the same page, we are in the same book - Inclusive Education. And we are not the only family trying really hard to collaboratively improve educational experiences for all our awesome kids! I salute you.
And, I salute Ben:) Well done.I appreciate being reminded that some of what we ask of kids at school is hoop jumping, and I think it's okay to be open with them that a part of school is tolerating boring busy work at a prescribed pace, rarely based on their personal preferences or needs. And that sucks. I'm not saying that's okay, I'm saying kids keeping a strong sense of self while changing a fractured system from the inside is another way to make it better. There are many angles to take. Sometimes Ian and I find it hard to balance supporting the learning outcomes stipulated by the public school system, and clearly respecting the individuality of our kids, and we are lucky to have a few staff (not all, believe me) in Ben's life who allow him room to express himself and make use of helpful adaptations, like taking math tests orally, as one small example of many. Great things happen at school because of great people.
We care about his personal progress. That's it. We believe it's important for him to do his best in the present, be proud of successes and recognize that school is a place where information and learning opportunities are offered, but certainly not the place that has any power to define who he is as a person, or what qualifies as a turning point in his learning. He holds all the power to do that.
There are so many opportunities to broaden the educational horizons for our kids and stand by them when school tries to box them in too hard, while still maintaining and building good relationships with the adults who work with them. This is also progress:) And a fine balance. We've seen the best outcomes when everyone sets aside ego and focuses on common ground - the best interest of the child. I always believe this is possible, until it is proved that it is not. And we have had times where it was not possible, and that is very disappointing. But that is not the case so far this year with the staff who work with Ben; while we are not always on the same page, we are in the same book - Inclusive Education. And we are not the only family trying really hard to collaboratively improve educational experiences for all our awesome kids! I salute you.
