Matching Tracksuits

Some days, out of seemingly nowhere, every single class clicks. Every period, kids are focused, doing what they need to do, and doing it well. Doing it thoroughly. And appearing even to enjoy what they’re doing.

Where do these days come from? How is it that we’re doing almost exactly the same thing we did yesterday and yet everything is different? How is it that the same students are here, even the students who can exhibit problematic behavior at times, and yet we have a totally different result?

The frustrating thing about it is the timing: we have 20 days of school left…

Tonight was the ACE Awards, a local award program that recognizes the kids who might not be in the spotlight all the time but are making a difference. The “unsung heroes,” as they’re called.

One of the two winners from our school, a sweet young lady named A, is in my English class. You’ve never met a sweeter, kinder human being. It’s an honor to get to work with such kids.

Sometimes, the regularity of my teaching surprises and almost depresses me: am I so predictable? Four years ago today, I wrote about beginning Lord of the Flies with my honors kids.

And what did I do today? I began Lord of the Flies. We always begin with Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” for a couple of reasons:

• Bragging rights: How many teachers have their eighth-grade students reading Plato?
• Pedagogical purpose: We need to cover what an allegory is, and what better way than to look at one of the most famous.

It’s a challenge for the kids, though:

And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette¹ players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.

I see.

And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.

You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.

I have them draw the image presented in the text, then go around sharing with other groups what their group determined:

Few get an accurate image like this:

Of course, they’re only given a few minutes for the whole task…

State testing is coming up, which means the state Department of Education mandates a meeting to cover test administration protocols.

It’s the same every year. Nothing ever changes. Ever.

“Can’t you test out of it?”

If only…