# 68 Wildclickers arranging a ball

Sounds idyllic, Dan. And you and draw too?! Is there anything this man can't do?
Thanks for sharing the pics, all. What a pretty school front, Stradee. My schools weren't all that quaint or pretty, per se, but I have great memories of school days.

Off to get a click in.

aktbird57 - You and your 290 friends have supported 2,261,102.7 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 101,019.5 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 290 friends have supported: (101,019.5)

American Prairie habitat supported: 48,478.7 square feet.
You have supported: (11,681.6)
Your 290 friends have supported: (36,797.1)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,111,604.5 square feet.
You have supported: (168,917.9)
Your 290 friends have supported: (1,942,686.6)

~~~~~~~~~~~

2261102.7 square feet is equal to 51.91 acres

Hey dev, yep, I've always drawn things - here is an interesting perspective of a cat we had when I was attending the U of Tampa in 1973. It was sort of dangling itself of the back of the sofa staring at me so I sketched it - then added the "moon" for balance. Just fun stuff.

I love it! I wish I could draw, that and play the piano. I can sing though!

Off to click!

Teenyboone,
all the best to you and your husband.

Danon,
you are a multi talent.

About schools- elementary school was a very new building, full of light and it had a huge playground for breaks. The classroom was large and it had an extra room, seperated by glass wall. It had bookshelves, Legos, Matador and Mecato ( construction games), an aquarium, hamsters and we could go there when we had finished our tasks- or the teacher used it for special lessons ( extras for highly gifted or special need children).
Gymnasium was an old building. It was a school for boys only until 1950. Then the first girls moved in. Separate entrance, Separate school yards. Co-ed started after my time.
The school I work is even older- the building is more than 300 years old.

ehBeth,
an article about Toronto- in German.
http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2363235

Still fighting the flu.

dev, thanks. I also have good memories of grammar school. Guess it doesn't matter what building facade the schools have, but what we learned and friends met during our formative years. When I have occasion visiting the city, one of my stops is the old neighborhood.

Dan, cool cat! A chapter of your drawings a good addition for the book!

taptap

Today a perfect day for staying indoors and reading. The Sierras gave me the gift of a free day! All the foilage and pines peeking through blankets of snow - and i'm heading outdoors for picture taking. The herd <after a second day of snowfall> have adjusted to the scenery, and are investigating what nature sent them. Too cute.

Have a good day all ~

ul, the school building and curriculum sounds so interesting!

Although parochial, my school did not separate the boys from the girls, except during recesses - but the rule wasn't strickly enforced, especially since Sister Presentation <the yard superintendant> could toss a football better than most NFL quaterbacks. Academically though, all was equal.
A student either earned "A's" or they earned "A"s. Competitive? You bet.

I recall a word our teacher decided to imprint in our brains for eternety. Most of the class missed the word during a spelling test - so Sister, veil flying behind her, flew up and down the rows of desks and with each two letters she'd hit the top of desks...<smack> "IN" <smack> "IT" <smack> "IA" <smack> "TI" <smack> "VE"! <arms raised to ceiling> INITIATIVE! Nobody missed the word next spelling quiz.

Sending good thoughts that you initiative the flu elsewhere.

LOL - ul, thatabe "initiate" the flu virus away!

good thing Helen didn't read that!

I'm going to my hometown on the weekend for mrs hamburger's 75th birthday. I'll be going past the high school - and one of the public schools I went to.

The biggest shock I've ever had (related to the old high school) was about 7 years ago when I went to the football field/track to let Bailey have a big runout. The bleachers were tiny! I remembered them as GINORMOUS - great things to hide behind ... but no, they were teeny tiny ...

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aktbird57 - You and your 290 friends have supported 2,261,898.7 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 101,136.5 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 290 friends have supported: (101,136.5)

American Prairie habitat supported: 48,502.1 square feet.
You have supported: (11,681.6)
Your 290 friends have supported: (36,820.5)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,112,260.1 square feet.
You have supported: (168,941.4)
Your 290 friends have supported: (1,943,318.8)

~~~~~~~~

2261898.7 square feet is equal to 51.93 acres

Many Happy returns for Ms. Hamburger, ehBeth!

Fantastic!

Thanks for that link, ul.

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Now get better everyone!

Happy Birthday to Ms Hamburger- and many more!


Stradee,
to sit in rows I learned in Austria. We had group settings, swivel chairs and were free to chose our desk- as long were not "disturbing" ourselves or the class by chatting. I loved it- and so do my kids now.

I am just curious- how do you meet the different needs of different pupils in Elementary school? I mean, in first grade you get a set of very different personalities- some can already read, some can't speak the language properly- and nobody should be bored.
Right now I am more than happy that my school has managed to add "group rooms" to each classroom.


What is the connection:

March 3rd, mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius), coreopsis, orange blossom, panther (Felis concolor coryi), Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides ***) ?

Morning ul, and, may I add my - Happy Birthday to Ms Hamburger !!!!

What a great plan for your students ul. I can't imagine any of them being uninterested in your classroom. The "group room" idea is interesting - there are students who would otherwise be bored that in this manner are not.

all clicked.................

ul, your schools sound so interesting for the kids! Schools have changed quite a lot since i attended elementary - the kids all received individual tutoring when necessary, and i found the curriculum interesting.
Structure didn't hurt me any - in fact, i was less bored when attending parochial school, than a public high school. Learned as a senior at high school what i had been taught during 8th grade studies at elementary
So in that respect, parochial schools alloted a more defined edcuation than public schools - with more attention to each childs academic needs, plus the atmosphere was much the same as you explained about your classroom. Varied, light, interesting, and motivating.

I'm not the person to ask regarding today's schools, as i'm not involved with everyday school activities - no youngin's or grandchildren attending local schools. I can say that the public school system in California could use a complete overhaul. I can' t speak for other states, but parents have the same concerns as we did when our kids attended public school.

There are disticts though, one is Tahoe, CA - where the kids when graduating high school, have the opportunity for attending Stanford, and other good Universities in the State. Not just some of the kids, but most!

So location has much to do with how students excell - most important I believe <for any district where students face inner city challenges>, is parent participation, individual motivation, and good teachers fighting the system for their students.

"I am just curious- how do you meet the different needs of different pupils in Elementary school? I mean, in first grade you get a set of very different personalities- some can already read, some can't speak the language properly- and nobody should be bored.
Right now I am more than happy that my school has managed to add "group rooms" to each classroom."

I found when working at school <when the kids were in elementary> most younger students did very well in school. There were no language barriers <and i don't know if that issue exists in city schools> children whos parents are bi-lingual taught their kids english also - so when school began, they were able to understand the teachers.

In San Francisco schools, diversity is such that most teachers are bi-lingual, or there are interpreters on staff for helping kids adjust to speaking English.

Your school sounds so interesting, ul!

aktbird57 - You and your 290 friends have supported 2,264,450.8 square feet!

Marine Wetlands habitat supported: 101,253.6 square feet.
You have supported: (0.0)
Your 290 friends have supported: (101,253.6)

American Prairie habitat supported: 48,572.3 square feet.
You have supported: (11,705.0)
Your 290 friends have supported: (36,867.3)

Rainforest habitat supported: 2,114,624.9 square feet.
You have supported: (168,964.8)
Your 290 friends have supported: (1,945,660.1)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

2264450.8 square feet is equal to 51.98 acres

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Sneakin' up on 52 acres!

It is snowing-again.

Bi- lingual is not the problem, our major problem are the
children coming from different ethnic groups and speaking many different languages- and their parents can't speak German or not well enough to teach them.
Interpreters would be great- but ...
Most of them catch up quickly in understanding, but talking and writing take much longer.
They love the English lessons- in these lessons they are equal. Now that English starts in in kindergarten ( which here is no kind of school, more playgroups) they will be left out again. Most of these children don't attend a kindergarten.
So they do need special attention in many ways.

"So location has much to do with how students excell"- " parent participation"-
This is true and sad. The children didn't chose.

Good morning ul. I'm all clicked in. (I've been slacking lately)

Good morning to you-- I guess you have a sunny warm day--kind of green envy here.
A nice winter we had, but now it should pack up and retire.

ul, how true! Kids are so willing to learn, yet language barrier issues are not only challenging for students, but teachers as well.

Was reading an article regarding students required to take something called an "exit exam" - basic English, math and algebra to graduate. Problem is, over 40,000 students <California> who have enough credits to graduate high school, don't speak English.

So the testing administration devised a plan <with pre-testing classes available for the kids> Students who speak little English may have the test directions read to them in their home language. They may also use a hand-written glossary when taking the test, but only if there is no explanation of the English word beyond its exact translation. And they may take all day to finish the testing.

Here is the article link that explains how the testing works, and what students that don't pass the test must do in order to receive a diploma.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/27/MNG2GHFBFJ1.DTL