Final February Friday, 2012

I crossed the valley on the final Friday in February to substitute in a 6th Grade classroom.  The teacher left a good lesson plan with all the papers, books, and materials necessary to implement it.  The students took a vocabulary quiz followed by a two page math test.  During the morning meeting they recited a metric rap which I wish I had copied to use and share in other classrooms.

A policeman came in for an hour to talk to the students, his fifth session out of six.  Next week they’ll graduate from what they call the NOVA program.  The current topic of discussion was survival.  He divided the classroom into three groups with a captain for each group.  Then told them, “You and your teammates have survived a plane crash in the mountains.  No one will be looking for you for two weeks.  In order to survive, you must walk to the closest town, 200 miles away.  There is plenty of food around you  in the mountains, but the temperature drops to below freezing during the night.  What three items will you carry with you to help you survive?  You have three minutes to decide as a team what those three items will be.”

All three teams chose steel wool to take with them.  None of them chose batteries.  He explained that to start a fire with steel wool you must have batteries or the steel wool is worthless.  Two groups chose water purification tablets.  But, as he explained, mountain water is some of the cleanest water available anywhere.  Other items would be more valuable to them on their survival trek.  One group wanted a wool blanket. It obviously wouldn’t spread far enough if it had to be shared with ten people.  Two groups chose a knife so they could kill wild animals for food and to make sparks by rubbing it against flint.  The problem with this is that probably no one would be able to distinguish flint among the mountain rocks and pebbles nor did they have enough experience to kill animals with a knife.

So what did he recommend they take?  Steel wool and batteries along with a hatchet, a much more versatile tool — and easier to use — than a knife.

I mention this experience as an example of one of the valuable gems I’ve collected while substitute teaching.  These gems are useful snippets of knowledge which have enriched my life.  Another one presented itself just a few minutes later when our class went to the library.  The students gathered in the kiva to hear a story read by the librarian.  She chose Wonder Horse by Emily Arnold McCully.  It’s a true story of a man who taught his horse how to read, count, and differentiate colors.  They listened more quietly than I had heard them all day.  They were completely taken in by this story, as was I.  I can’t wait to share it with my grandkids.

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