Updated on 4.10.25 - KO
We have a beautiful, meaningful morning verse in Class Five. A few weeks ago, we demonstrated the line "reciprocals, a magic trick, flip the numbers quick and slick. One half becomes two, you see..." Students dug into this line and subsequently showed their understanding that one half can gracefully transform into two.
Last week I chose another line from the verse for us to explore: "Half a leaf and quarter pie." First, someone expressed their interpretation through drawing on the board. I asked for a volunteer to add to it (this was me being curious, as the first student's drawing was beautiful). A few students raised their hand and added to the board. Many of the additions involved fractions/decimals/percentages, which we had been working on.
With no volunteers left, I prompted again - "add to it." Students hesitated, eyes flicking between the chalkboard and me trying to think about what they could add to the board. Crickets were chirping so I added a tree to the board. Why? I don't know. Planned? Definitely not. Then, one by one, curiosity took hold.
Each student, in turn, approached the board, adding something unexpected—an extension, a shadow, a new thread to the tapestry. What had begun as quiet confusion turned into an unspoken work of art and intellect.
At the end of the day, no one could point to the artist. No one could explain it or give it a name. No one could say “yes” when asked if they created something that day. Many individual hands touched the board, and no more than one person was touching the board at the same time. Did we agree with one another? I don’t know. Did we disagree with one another? I don’t know.
I do know that we respected one another. For 90 minutes, we watched, thought, and uncovered different parts of the mind. For 90 minutes, we met all classroom expectations. Do you know what we made? I don’t. Yet, with no need for explanation, no final vision in mind, no conclusion being sought, the process itself became the point. A river doesn’t rush to reach the ocean—it carves landscapes, nourishes life, and changes course along the way. The movement itself is its purpose, just like how we weren’t racing toward an outcome; we were shaping something together, moment by moment.
Last week I chose another line from the verse for us to explore: "Half a leaf and quarter pie." First, someone expressed their interpretation through drawing on the board. I asked for a volunteer to add to it (this was me being curious, as the first student's drawing was beautiful). A few students raised their hand and added to the board. Many of the additions involved fractions/decimals/percentages, which we had been working on.
With no volunteers left, I prompted again - "add to it." Students hesitated, eyes flicking between the chalkboard and me trying to think about what they could add to the board. Crickets were chirping so I added a tree to the board. Why? I don't know. Planned? Definitely not. Then, one by one, curiosity took hold.
Each student, in turn, approached the board, adding something unexpected—an extension, a shadow, a new thread to the tapestry. What had begun as quiet confusion turned into an unspoken work of art and intellect.
At the end of the day, no one could point to the artist. No one could explain it or give it a name. No one could say “yes” when asked if they created something that day. Many individual hands touched the board, and no more than one person was touching the board at the same time. Did we agree with one another? I don’t know. Did we disagree with one another? I don’t know.
I do know that we respected one another. For 90 minutes, we watched, thought, and uncovered different parts of the mind. For 90 minutes, we met all classroom expectations. Do you know what we made? I don’t. Yet, with no need for explanation, no final vision in mind, no conclusion being sought, the process itself became the point. A river doesn’t rush to reach the ocean—it carves landscapes, nourishes life, and changes course along the way. The movement itself is its purpose, just like how we weren’t racing toward an outcome; we were shaping something together, moment by moment.
Return From Spring Break
March 24th, 2025
Curriculum Check-in
In case you are interested, my scribbles below show part of my process of brainstorming what we will be doing upon our return to school. Many lessons throughout this ELA block will rely heavily on students’ assigned/approved book. I encourage families to keep having conversations with your children about their book; this familial participation contributes significantly to growth in reading comprehension. Aside from the conversations, students should still be flagging pages or writing down anything they find interesting, confusing, weird, etc. The same applies to single words (words they have never heard are great!) and sentences. I would like at least five pages flagged and/or written at this point.
We are just getting our toes wet with a few of my favorite subjects over the next several weeks so please do not hesitate to request more academically rigorous work and instruction for your child; I love differentiating and creating/updating curriculum. I am available Monday-Wednesday after pickup for individual and small group tutoring (the same applies to parent meetings if you would like to have one).
Classroom Conduct
Experiencing teachers coming and going throughout a school year can lead to feelings of abandonment, which can be confusing and frustrating for children. I think very highly of this class and I hope that they have deemed me trustworthy at this point. No two of my otters are the same - I could write a page on each student pertaining to how amazing they are as individuals.
Classroom expectations, whether they applied to the whole school or just Class Five, are in place to ensure emotional and physical wellbeing. If student conduct is questionable at school, their privilege of attending the Pentathlon may be revoked. I need to see that students are listening, attentive, and adhering to rules so that I have confidence regarding their safety during the trip. I prefer to collaborate with guardians to solve any issues before an intervention is implemented.
If you have ANY questions about ANYTHING, please text, email, or call. I may lose an email to a “spam folder” travesty; please text/call if your email has gone unanswered for two or more days.
Sincerely,
Ms. Olivarria
In case you are interested, my scribbles below show part of my process of brainstorming what we will be doing upon our return to school. Many lessons throughout this ELA block will rely heavily on students’ assigned/approved book. I encourage families to keep having conversations with your children about their book; this familial participation contributes significantly to growth in reading comprehension. Aside from the conversations, students should still be flagging pages or writing down anything they find interesting, confusing, weird, etc. The same applies to single words (words they have never heard are great!) and sentences. I would like at least five pages flagged and/or written at this point.
We are just getting our toes wet with a few of my favorite subjects over the next several weeks so please do not hesitate to request more academically rigorous work and instruction for your child; I love differentiating and creating/updating curriculum. I am available Monday-Wednesday after pickup for individual and small group tutoring (the same applies to parent meetings if you would like to have one).
Classroom Conduct
Experiencing teachers coming and going throughout a school year can lead to feelings of abandonment, which can be confusing and frustrating for children. I think very highly of this class and I hope that they have deemed me trustworthy at this point. No two of my otters are the same - I could write a page on each student pertaining to how amazing they are as individuals.
Classroom expectations, whether they applied to the whole school or just Class Five, are in place to ensure emotional and physical wellbeing. If student conduct is questionable at school, their privilege of attending the Pentathlon may be revoked. I need to see that students are listening, attentive, and adhering to rules so that I have confidence regarding their safety during the trip. I prefer to collaborate with guardians to solve any issues before an intervention is implemented.
If you have ANY questions about ANYTHING, please text, email, or call. I may lose an email to a “spam folder” travesty; please text/call if your email has gone unanswered for two or more days.
Sincerely,
Ms. Olivarria
