Sept.15: Gators Day!

When I stepped into the classroom this morning, Ms. Carson looked at me in sympathy. She said that she didn't have my phone number, so she couldn't call to tell me to wear comfortable clothing. Because it's "Gators Day"! Gators is their school symbol, and the Gators Day is a play day event which takes place twice a year. The students would be spending most of the day outside, playing games.

The teams were divided in an interesting manner. At first, I thought that the class would be a team unit, but I was wrong. Each team consisted of students from Gr.1 to Gr.8. During the morning assembly, Mr. Yake, the principal, emphasized that the day is arranged to unite all the students in the school. They get to know each other, cooperate with each other, and learn from each other. There would be two awards at the end of the day -- the teams with the most points, and the teams that demonstrate the most spirit (which is the more important award).

Outside, different stations were set up on the playground. Two teachers were responsible for each station. Two teams were assigned to each station, they would compete for 15 minutes, and then each team would move on to another station. Most of the teams made up a cheer, which might earn them a spirit sticker.

Ms. Carson and I were responsible for the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game. The teams lined up in two rows, and they played against each other. After the first round, the ones who lost would step back, and the winners would keep playing until the all of the players from one team lost. Some of the little kids wasn't sure how to play it, so Ms. Carson and I arranged them to stand closer to us, so we could help along.

Throughout the morning, I saw that some of the bigger children were really kind to the little ones. I really saw them uniting and working with each other. It was quite touching.

After recess, I stayed inside to do work. I helped Ms. Carson to sort some alphabets into a little box, prepared some booklets for both Ms. Carson's and Ms. Jone's class, and copied the word walls envelopes from Ms. Jones. Ms. Carson told me that the teachers get 180 minutes of prep time in a week, and it's increasing by year. She said that it might be reasonable for the higher grades teachers, but primary grades teachers need more time for their preparation, because of all the cutting and pasting that's involved.

After lunch, we met in the gym again. A slide show was projected to the front of the gym, and every student was watching their own photographs in fascination. Beforehand, the teachers asked some Gr.8 students to take pictures while they play along. During lunch, Mr. Yau and some other students uploaded the photos and put together this slideshow. They were really efficient! The pictures captured the warm and cooperative atmosphere in the playground, and I thought that it was a moving moment.

Each student received a participation certificate, and the winning teams were presented. After that, Mr. Yake told us a story. He said that one year, he watched the Olympics, and saw a fascinating scene. It was during the marathons, towards the end of the competition, when one of the athletes fell down due to exhaustion. The other athlete who happened to be next to him helped him up, held him, and walked with him slowly until they reached the finish line. This game has united the two people, and that's what Mr. Yake would like to see. Today, he saw more than one of these incidences. He felt proud of the school, and proud of the students. And most importantly, he let them know. As he talked, he brought with him "his friend", which is an alligator stuffed animal. He told them that whenever the students feel that they have done something really good, they can feel free to knock on his office door, and bring this "friend" to their own classroom. It would serve to remind them of the good deed that they have done, so they can be proud of themselves. In my mind, this is what educators would call "character education". He has shown me how to educate these young people, right in front of my eyes.

I noticed that some of the Gr.1s weren't so fond of the Gators Day in the morning. But when I saw them again in the afternoon, they were so excited! I was really glad.

P.S. While the students were trying to find their homeroom teachers before departing from the gym, a little girl called Mahi found me and held my hand. I was surprised, and I was very happy that she feels comfortable around me. =)