Everybody Helping Everybody
We were playing with our classroom "catapults," crude ping pong ball shooting devices that are not really catapults at all, but act like them with the help of rubber bands, which I built in my garage one summer. They are always extremely popular play items and because I'd only made six of them, they are always short in supply with occasional conflicts erupting as the kids figure out how to share them. At the beginning of the morning, I'd supplied a couple dozen balls, but the available supply had now dwindled to a handful, the rest having been "lost" under the classroom furniture.
"Teacher Tom, all the balls are gone," announced on boy who was carrying a catapult possessively not wanting to give it up.
"Not all of them," I answered, "But there were a lot more earlier."
"They're all under there," he said, pointing at the gap between some cabinetry and the floor.
I nodded.
"We have to get them out."
I agreed.
"I tried to reach them, but they're too far. You try it, Teacher CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Everybody Helping Everybody