When our younger daughter was in third grade, my husband and I attended a parent conference in which we were informed that Allison “wastes time.” A bright and capable girl she, her teacher’s observation puzzled me, and I asked for examples. Mrs. H could provide them easily: “Oh, she gets up and sharpens her pencil several times during a class. She often goes to the bathroom and is slow to return.”
On our way home that afternoon, I shared Mrs. H’s perceptions with Allison, who was quick to confirm them. She even provided identical examples. When I asked why she wasted time, she replied with all the brilliant insight of an observant eight-year-old: “If I finish my work too quickly, Mrs. H just gives me more dittos.”
Conversely, two years later Allison had a fifth grade teacher whom she loved and for whom she would do anything. Mrs. W was tough, and she knew her students. Students who worked quickly and carefully would be given enrichment activities that were both fun and challenging. For instance, when the class was studying Egypt, Allison and a couple of others who were very capable students used their extra time to build a mummy, with the help of an art teacher. Ultimately, that mummy was buried somewhere on the campus, and the entire class participated in an “archeological dig” to unearth and study it.
I was never as creative as Mrs. W, but students who finished their work in a timely fashion could read a book of their choosing or play a quiet game. The system worked for everyone.
Glass Full 