Weeks ago, I went to visit my son Chase's teacher for math problems in the fifth-grade classroom. Afterward, we began to 1 about teaching children and we both agreed the most important thing is to shape little hearts to be kind and brave and 2 to a larger community. Not until then was I told a(n) 3 activity in her class.
Every Friday afternoon, she asks her students to write down four children with whom they want to 4 in the following week, and nominate (提名) one student to be the 5 brilliant classroom citizen. All the 6 votes are handed to her. After the students go home, she 7 those pieces of paper and studies them. She looks for patterns. "Who is not getting requested by anyone else? Who never gets 8 enough to be nominated?" 9 she is not looking for a new seating plan or "brilliant" citizens. 10, she is seeking lonely children, who are struggling to 11 others.
It's like taking an X-ray of a 12 to see beneath the surface and into the hearts of students. As she said, the 13 comes out on those private sheets of paper. I was quite 14 and couldn't help asking, "How long have you been doing this?" "Every single Friday afternoon since Columbine," she said.
This brilliant woman watched Columbine, knowing all outward violence begins as inner 15. So she decided to fight violence early and often within her 16 What she is doing when 17 those lists is saving lives. She knows everything-even love, even belonging — has a 18. She finds the patterns and 19 the codes (密码) of disconnection. Then she gets lonely kids the help they need. It's math to her. All is 20— even math.
