So, my principal makes the grand announcement that we have painters contracted to paint the insides of the classrooms during the school year. We were originally told to simply have the items removed from our bookcases, cupboards, and walls, and have them placed on desk and table tops and covered, as preparation for the painters. Oh, and by the way, our students have to be temporarily relocated to a completely new set of walls for three days when it is our classroom's turn.
I am the third classroom in line for the big job. I should mention that they are also squeezing in painting the outside walls to the entire school during days of good weather. As a result it is actually taking them somewhere between four and five days per classroom.
I did the math. At three days minimum per classroom with no interruptions, that puts them painting my class sometime within the last two weeks of school. We were told if the paint job carries over into the summer, we will be required to box up our items, rather than simply covering them up. I remember a time when this was a requirement anyway, so I had a plan in place.
I would buy boxes and organize a game plan to get my students directly involved in the packing process. Today, I laid an unfolded box on each student's desk. We watched video about three dimensional shapes, and the students were more than thrilled to be making large cubes all by themselves. They made the boxes, folded them over, taped them, and managed to help me pack eleven boxes worth of hands on manipulatives and books in one day.
The packing was impressive, the box building was cute, and the progress on the daunting job of packing eleven years worth of STUFF was exciting, but I was so surprised at how well they worked together. They took the initiative, cooperated voluntarily, and found solutions to problems with almost no need for my intervention. Now if only adults could figure this out!
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