Our two 5th Grade teachers, Shelley Greer, and Donna Kelham, will never be "Schooled" by any other teachers on Planet Earth. They did "GET" the book Schooled by Gordon Korman, and made awesome tie dye shirts to bring art and literature together at The Westfield School in Perry, GA. Check out these amazing shirts and how the story evolved, well, from a story by Gordon Korman.
So what is the story? Shelley and Donna read the book, Schooled by Gordon Korman. Cute cover, huh? The cover just draws me in and makes me want to read this book!
Click here for Gordon Korman Website. From the website, I copied a brief summary of the book. If I were in 5th grade, I would REALLY love this book!
Capricorn Anderson has never watched television. He’s never tasted pizza. Never heard of a wedgie. Since he was a little boy, his only experience has been living on a farm commune and being home-schooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. But when Rain in unexpectedly hospitalized, Cap has to move in with a guidance counselor and attend the local middle school. He knows a lot about the Beatles, tie-dying, and Zen Buddism, nothing could prepare him for the dog-eat-dog world of C Average Middle School.
While the teachers were reading the book to the 5th graders, Mrs. Greer and Mrs. Kelham approached me about tie dying with 5th grade in art. Apparently, there is some tie dye action in book and they decided to attempt to "tie together" (ha) art and literature. Hey, I really love these teachers and I love this idea, but there was no way that I could make 5th grade art class tie dye happen during the month of May. I had already shot some other teachers down about tie dying class shirts for them in art. So, it was a NO. Honestly, it was a sad no. I love tie dye. I love these teachers. I love them doing something extra for the kids, but I do not love having high blood pressure and stress, so I had to pass. Now art teacher friends, you know how this story goes...If you say YES to all the requests, you are a very loved person. But, if you say NO, you will face the "hate eyes" for several months.
Guess what? I said no, but the 5th grade teachers still loved me. They still gave me their "happy eyes" and all was good. Then, one day I see them on the playground and I noticed their cool shirts. I was like, Wow, I LOVE THEM! Then, the teachers explained to me that they found a process that would work for them. Are these not cool?
Yes, these handsome and very talented guys are twins!
Here is a great video that explains the process that Shelley and Donna used to get the tie dye effect on these fun shirts. In reality, you are tying together art, science, and literature.
The 5th grade kids liked the shirts. How do I know? I know because I live in a small town and I see the kids at the grocery store, the drugstore, and the neighborhood. If a 5th grader wears a shirt in public, they like it.
What about these two teachers? Honestly, they are great! This was their first year as a team and boy, did they make a dynamic duo! 5th grade is a hard grade to teach because the kids are still elementary, but so close to the middle school madness. As any teacher knows, middle school years are tough. In my opinion, 5th grade (especially the end of 5th grade) is more difficult because the kids are so anxious about middle school and its unknowns. These two teachers made the life of 5th graders less stressful and more fun.
Will the kids always remember reading the book Schooled by Gordon Korman and tie dying shirts? My guess would be yes. Also, they will also remember these teachers doing a little extra to make these difficult "growing up" years a little less stressful.
In a few months, the teachers will be back in the classroom pouring out knowledge in a 1,000 different ways. Hopefully, the teachers have had lots of rest and relaxation. They will be excited and highly motivated to impart information to classes and to individuals.
A motivated teacher transfers this energy and motivates students. It is education, folks. If we lack ability to motivate students in 2016 with all the bells and whistles that we have available, it may be time to retire or change professions. The last thing we want kids to feel is...
like another brick in the wall.
Closing out with "Another Brick In the Wall" by Pink Floyd.
1965
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