Starting off I really like this way of teaching kids, giving a kid an orange tree and letting him try to care for it and letting it die. Not only is it a good way of teaching a young kid about the root system but I love how it is a way of teaching individual independence, taking care of things, and responsibility at a young age. I believe that I learn more from real life experiences than in textbooks and classrooms, so I love this teaching exercise. Also this method of teaching is fun, it will make young kids enjoy coming to school instead of dreading it.
The rest of the storys and things that happen in this classroom just do not seem real. Like who in the hell has class snakes. Maybe I am biased because I hate snakes but what the heck, what is the point of having class snakes. Sounds like a lawsuit.
Planting a garden seems cool but it teaches the same lessons as the orange tree. Not sure why they had fish. Now to the story of the puppy, I am not sure what this is. They bring in a stray off the street and keep it. Like What?! Who is teaching this class? The kids would not be able to get anything done, and as a teacher I would be so pissed. I’m not sure if the principal knows what’s going down in his classrooms. I love the last message about how they shouldn’t be frightened (although I am often frightened) and that there was value everywhere.
Barnes` Blog (Writing 1) 