My goodness I love my job!!! My kiddies are just too cute. Once again they have bought into the bread tab collection project and we are on our way.
On the first day of school, I once again posed the question "Do you think we will make it to one million bread tabs by the end of the year?" Once again, at least three quarters of the class raised their hand to indicate that, indeed, this was totally within our reach. I am still trying to decide if it is optimism that brings about this response or complete lack of understanding about how much one million really is. I suspect it is a delightful mix of the two. I love the can-do attitude of 9 and 10 year-old children. I can only hope that this belief that nothing is impossible will stick with them throughout their academic and post-academic lives.
I am most fortunate to have a very enthusiastic intern in my class. I explained this crazy idea I had about trying to collect one million bread tabs for no reason other than to show children what it would look like. If she thinks I am completely insane (which I can't help but think she must) she has been kind enough to keep that opinion to herself. She even brought in some bread tabs to support the cause. I believe I may be warping the minds of the next generation of educators.
Nonetheless, over the summer, a variety of wonderful people handed me a variety of small and not-so-small bags of bread tabs. The first day, students estimated the number that were poured on their tables and then began filling the various bags. The frenzy that develops of combining tens, hundreds and thousands is really quite amazing. It can also be very telling as to the amount of work we have to do in the upcoming year. One student quickly informed me that five tens make one hundred and two hundreds make one thousand. A former colleague informed me that he wished that money worked that way. Hmmm, me too! I stayed at that table, by the way, and taught a quick lesson on how each place value is ten times the one before it. I'll stick close by that table in future counting/tabulating classes.
This activity, also, is a great way to read the personality of my new students. Certain students rush to get the bags full so they can get more to count and "beat" the other groups. Other students count methodically and carefully and are all about making sure they are doing everything "right". Still others count away as they chat with table mates and happily hand completed hundreds and tens bags to other groups to help them reach their next goal. This is the group that I feel will never develop stress-related ulcers.
Last but not least there are the organizers. These little sweethearts have a plan. They want desperately to fill tens, then hundreds, then thousands bags with one colour of tabs. Two of my precious wee ones managed to count, slowly and carefully, 500 each of purple and yellow tabs. They decided it would be okay, as they had equal amounts, to mix these together in a thousands bag. They informed me that their goal is to fill a ten thousand container with equal amounts of purple and yellow. They even tucked their thousand away so that no one would pour it into a "regular" ten thousand container. I believe I may have mentioned once or twice that my kiddies make me laugh.
I even had a teacher from the Grade 2/3 class come up to me and inform me of a conversation in her room:
Student A: May I take these bread tabs up to the grade 5 class?
Teacher: Of course you may.
Student B: Oh Madame Peters is going to be so excited when you show her those!
Later in the day, the student met me in the hall and said "Remember me? I'm the one who gave you the bread tabs!" I assured the little darling that there was no way I could forget.
Our beginning of the year total is 224 888 bread tabs (If I am permitted to count the secreted-away bag.) Yes, in two partial math classes, my 23 little terrific tabulators counted 23 100 plastic closures. The faithful 2-litre ice cream container is once again almost full, so the fun will continue soon.
Life is never dull when you work with students. I am a very blessed lady.
She said that someone had stopped into the restaurant at the beginning of the summer and asked them what they did with their bread tabs. The response was a confused, "We throw them out." No doubt followed by an inside-the-head voice saying, "What else would we do with them?" Anyways, this person told them all about my class' project and the crazy teacher that was leading the charge. They said they would be happy to save bread tabs for us. This secret advertiser for my cause never returned to the restaurant, so they called me and asked if I still wanted them. 