If that’s where your family is today, then I’d love to chat with you about how Voyagers’ Community School can help. Whether you need to change right now or still have the luxury of planning for the Fall, consider how different your life would be if your child enjoyed learning and smiled each morning as he or she headed off to school.

For High School learners at Voyagers’, this time of year involves reviewing their current progress, updating their learning plan and beginning to outline their goals for the coming school year.  They enjoy a “different” way of thinking about and functioning within a school. They become an integral part of the process. They have a voice!

Most families find that this different way of learning is good for everyone in their home as stress levels are reduced and academic performance and demands are no longer central to everyday communication! Families have reported that there is more time to connect around mutual interests and to breathe easier.

Maybe embracing a different way could be good for your family, too! Call today to learn more and to reserve a space for your child, 732-842-1660

Often times a child arrives home with a report card filled with admirable grades; the parent is proud. In earnest a lot rides on this child’s grades but what do these grades mean; is there anyway to know for sure? In truth an “A” or a check on a scale is very subjective. We certainly found this to be true in years past when we hovered around reviews comparing and puzzling over rankings given by each mentor to his or her mentees. Some of these ranks were quite high while others were just average. One mentor argued, “I give average scores to every child unless he or she shows something extra. After all when did average become less than?” Another stated, “I begin with the assumption that every student is excellent and I only give a lesser grade if they appear not to be trying.” When both mentors were asked if they thought their mentee was outstanding compared to the other they quickly said, “No.” In fact they thought they were performing equally and were surprised to learn that each child’s rubric was quite different.

It seems impossible to fairly grade each student in a class, at a grade level, in a school or in a nation. There are too many variables. We feel one of the best representations of a child’s learning lies in an extensive, detailed, narrative generated by a child’s mentor and thoroughly reviewed and discussed by all teacher/researchers. And so… We commit, on average, 10 hours to this process for every child. We recently calculated the time dedicated to producing our last round of reviews. Over the course of about 4 weeks three teachers and our Director collectively invest 280 hours in this project. After a full day of work we each sat at our kitchen tables, in our beds, at the light table, at our desks, in cars, on trains and where every else possible to work another 17 plus hours each week.

The Beginning of the Process

Long before a mentor sits down at his or her computers to type the first draft of a student review the staff has met numerous time. During these meetings they consider each child thoroughly. They also consider class content, ways to improve over previous evaluations and organizational matters.

One of the first things we discuss is prior experience considering what has and has not worked in the past and what we would like to see changed. This year the staff talked over several meetings about the rubrics used for many years. We considered what we liked and disliked about them and came to the conclusion that these served little purpose, as they did not provide a good picture of the child as a whole person. After much discussion we decided that a written, descriptive evaluation alone would best satisfy our desire to provide a comprehensive, heartfelt review and would give parents a better understanding of how their child functioned in our school setting. Having made this decision we moved on, brainstorming a list of everything we should think about and evaluate regarding a child’s social, emotional and academic progress. Once these ideas are gathered we review the list, categorizing each point according to the headings we plan to utilize when organizing our thoughts and writing. Often an item we list fits under more than one category. This triggers lively debate, should we limited this to one category or is it important to be mentioned under several, each time in a different context.

It might seem petty to debate such a thing however this list becomes a reference point for all reviews, a checklist of sorts. As each mentor writes he or she ponders the points and is guided accordingly. Of course this is not the only source we rely upon. It’s important to remember these children have not come to us in a vacuum and the majority of them have been with us for several years. Past experience is important and past evaluations are often relied upon. We spend time rereading what has been sent home over previous years in order to consider goals that were set and progress that has been made since the prior writing.

Before settling in to write staff often brainstorms about individual children, listing the child’s attributes and traits exhibited in school. Since we all have an opportunity to work with each child at some point during the year we all have information and insights to share. Staff members help each other fill in blanks; we provide a system of checks and balances throughout the process.

Of course there is also each child’s body of work to be considered. Academic Journals, Writing Journals, math books, art projects, photographs, anecdotal day-to-day notes and artifacts collected throughout the year are organized, spread out on the table before the teachers and evaluated. We ask ourselves, “Is this his best work?” Does this really show what he is interested in? How is his work organized? What evolution have we seen since school began?” This is all taken into account.

All of this preparation to write fills many staff meetings and in some ways never feels finished. Eventually, however write we must.

The Writing Begins

Each staff member starts the process of writing reviews for their eight to ten mentees. The first items addressed are the six sections of the Social Report. These are the hardest to write and take the longest time for most of us. The teacher assembles all of the information available for a child and attempts to put it into words in a respectful and caring way.

To avoid making blanket impersonal statements about a student the mentor provides as much supporting evidence as possible in the social write-up. These small details give the parents a better understanding of how their child spends his day and what his approach to school looks like and results in. We often ask ourselves if we have painted a clear picture. This portion of the review is intimate, as we talk about the inner child, the outer child, the child interacting with others, with space, with materials, with himself, the child as a whole being. Sometimes there are tough things to say. We labor over these and often revisit them time and again to be certain of our thoughts and our delivery. We strive to be fair, generous, kind and gentle. We are sure to find value and worth in every child and in that sense we love capturing our thoughts on paper.

In addition to the Social Report the staff must summarize each class he or she taught during the period being addressed. A class description covers a teacher/researcher’s initial goals and intentions for the class. It states the direction the class actually took and the topics covered. Each class description also provides the outcome and a list of new and remaining questions if any exist. Once these are composed each teacher/researcher considers the work of each student in the class and composes another portion of his review. Here the teachers must provide specific feedback, which is generated from daily class notes that are maintained over the course of the class.

When considering a child’s gains and contribution in class we think about his level of enthusiasm, his willingness to converse, share, consider, negotiate and debate, his organizational skills, his reliance on prior knowledge, his use of new knowledge, his ability to connect with and use this information from class to class and across curriculum areas. With these considerations in mind we quickly garner a complete story.

While in the process of writing or when a first draft is completed the teacher/researchers will engage in a read aloud. This not only allows the staff to fix grammatical and spelling errors but also provides another opportunity for each person to suggest changes based on his or her experiences with the child. The staff also considers the language and words used in the review and their impact within the context of family culture. The average review takes at least an hour to read through given the constant interruption to discuss the smallest point. We try to reach a meeting of the minds on every review. Finally, each review is edited incorporating all of the feedback given.

These completed reviews are then sent to the Director of the school for her approval. She reads every review and makes comments. These comments are either incorporated into the final version of the document or brought back to the staff for reconsideration.

Compiling the Document

We are constantly documenting our students’ in anecdotal notes and picture; this process goes on day in and day out. Each day we download three cameras and the multitude of pictures are categorized in separate folders by child and again by subject matter. We have thousands of photos from the first half of this school year! These are the files we visit to complete each child’s process folio. Once the text is completed the mentors review all the pictures selecting those that best reflect the story being told. Pictures are examined, cropped, resized and dropped into a new series of pages that are carefully laid out. Each child requires at least 20 minutes; we have this process perfected.

Once everything is completed the printer is called to work overtime. Each review is printed and carefully matched up to the child’s corresponding class descriptions, photos, reviews and physical artifacts such as artwork, which is placed into plastic sleeves. All paper is hole punched and placed into each child’s process folio. Piles upon piles fill every surface of the art room, often including most of the floor. As we go along we check, recheck and cross check the materials and for each student. Before each Process Folio goes out the door we try to be sure we have included everything that will be helpful to the parents and the child.

This document is often the most intriguing and important report we can give a student according to feedback we have received. With the amount of in-depth thought and emotional investment we give when writing we hope that we have conveyed their character clearly and created something that will be useful to them in the future.

In the End

While all of this is going on teacher/researchers are still on the job providing for children’s learning and, in our most recent case, planning, organizing and preparing a Winter Solstice Celebration for 75 guests. This is an amazing feat. The average review includes approximately 9 pages of text and 2-3 pages of pictures. In the end the staff has turned every corner and looked under every stone in a true effort to provide a document that serves parents, children and staff members.

You might think it ends here; no such luck. Soon after we are back at the table considering what went right, what went wrong and what we can do to better. Developing Process Folios is a process that has gone on for five years and will continue to take shape over the years to come.

Copyright 2009

Like many of our classes, the students’ interests determined the course of study for the recently completed third session of Physics This class for the older students culminated with the students photographing a high speed object (the BB from an air rifle) with a camera. Yes, you read that right- guns in school. More about the air rifle later.

The Idea
It all started when students expressed interest in the high speed video they see on television, specifically seeing things break or blow up in super slow motion. They expressed a strong desire to learn to make a video like this. Of course the school can’t afford $50,000 video cameras; the teacher had to find a compromise. Some research yielded methods to take high speed photographs using an ordinary flash unit in a darkened room. The teacher thought this would be a good goal for the six week class since it covered setting up repeatable experiments, velocity of objects, electrical circuits, properties of sound waves and kinetic energy. The students were excited and worked to learn this technique and its nuances in order to achieve their goals.

Capturing a photograph of a high speed event requires very little equipment and a lot of preparation. To record sharp photos of a fast moving object required that they capture an image over a very short amount of time, about 1/30,000th of a second. Since a fast camera can open and close their shutter in 1/8000th of a second a different approach was required. If you open the shutter of a camera in a dark room and then set off a flash unit to light up the room for 1/30,000th of a second you can freeze fast moving objects, like when a strobe light flashes on a darkened dance floor. The trick is to initiate the flash unit at the right time, since only one flash is required to capture the image on the camera.

The Preparations
The first concept the students had to understand was velocity and conversion of units. They started small, by timing ourselves in a 100 meter dash and using the times to determine their scalar velocities. They also practiced their ability to quickly convert SI (metric) units to English units and back again.

In order to build a device that would initiate the flash unit the students had to learn about another branch of physics, basic electronic circuits. They had to understand the function of resistors, capacitors and other components to understand how a sound initiator functioned. This type of device uses an amplified microphone connected to the flash unit to spark the flash. This sound initiator was used by the children to take photographs of balloons popping. They learned that the location of the initiator was essential to the success of the photo due to the speed that sound travels. They observed what photos looked like as the initiator’s microphone was moved farther from the balloon. After multiple attempts they were able to calculate how long it took for a balloon to pop based on the position of the microphone and the speed of sound.

The Next Step
This balloon photo was an excellent start, but being between 10 to 15 years of age, they really wanted to see something break apart more dramatically. This led to the cracker and the egg. One of the key factors in taking high speed photographs is consistency. Yes, a student could hit an egg with a hammer, but could they do it in the dark and be absolutely consistent so the result is measurable? Besides, eggs don’t make noise like balloons. The class talked about various methods they could rely upon to safely make something move fast and accurately while also being safe. One student suggested a firecracker, but that was immediately vetoed by the teacher as being completely unsafe and also illegal.

The next student offered the use of his BB gun. It took quite a while for the teacher to answer that offer. The response was based on many positive attributes: the ability to move an object(the BB) with enough velocity to make a dramatic photo but not so quickly as to hurt someone if something went wrong, moving the object at a consistent velocity to make the experiment repeatable and having the ability to secure it to eliminate the inconsistency of a human aiming a gun. The potential drawback was singular but huge, it was a gun. Yes, guns are weapons, but they are also really just tools, not unlike the knives in the kitchen or the ones used to carve wood in class. Based on the safety and control the students had demonstrated in Archery and the use of carving knives in Woodworking, the answer to the offer was eventually “yes”.

This turn of events required a whole new type of initiator, since a BB gun is too quiet for the sound initiator. A new flash initiator based on an infrared beam was built and tested. It was designed to send a signal to the flash a short time after the BB broke the beam of light. Varying the delay gave them the ability to calculate the velocity of the BB as well as the kinetic energy of the impact.

The Experiment
To ensure the safety of the group members the air rifle was placed in a vise to aim and secure it. Students were given a safety briefing and were required to stand in a safe area to the rear of the experiment set up. The BB’s were safely stopped by a piece of cloth after making the twelve inch trip from the end of the barrel to the target.

The students were able to take two photos, one of a cracker just at the moment of the BB’s impact (that copper colored ball is the BB traveling at 50 mph) and an egg (the BB has entered the egg but still hadn’t exited at the time of the photo). From these two photos, the students were able to see how the kinetic energy was transferred to the cracker as well as how the liquid in the egg absorbed the energy and emerged with just a few cracks.

The Lesson
In the end, the class accomplished their goal of taking a photo of something dramatic and to freeze time to find out what really happens when things break. They had to learn about velocity, electronic circuits, sound, microphones and kinetic energy before finally using a BB gun to capture their photographs. The world we live in is filled with an appalling amount of violence and guns, both in movies and real life. It’s actually a relief to learn that sometimes a gun can be used as the carrot rather than the stick.

As the demand for improved standardized test scores looms over our nation’s education system we, children and teachers, are becoming more isolated from society. Typically students and teachers spend more and more time in a classroom leaning over a textbook or worksheet “learning” about the world. This is followed by hours of homework each week and sometimes each day. When do children ever get a chance to explore and experience the world around them and beyond? When do teachers open the doors of their classrooms to invite people in or to take children outside to seek answers and direct understanding of the community that surrounds them?

At our very first staff meeting this year we began to identify our intention to expand our sense of community. We determined that community is not only those in our immediate school circle but also those near and far who affect our thinking, support our inquisitive nature and potentially add something to our life experience. There are many knowledgeable and interesting people whom we can tap to enrich our lives no matter what the subject might be. We decided to make a concerted effort to include more people in our circle either by visiting them or by inviting them into our space. We are taking our students off school grounds as often as possible and inviting experts and others in so we can learn at least as much if not more than our peers through direct experience. Over the last ten weeks groups of children have taken 10 field trips and welcomed at least 12 guests into our school. We are thrilled with the effect as both the children and teachers have been given the opportunity to expand our viewpoint and our skills.

Mushrooms

During a recent visit to A Child’s Place School Voyagers’ teachers learned that the students there were studying mushrooms they found in their environment just as the Voyagers’ students had been doing. We immediately saw the opportunity for collaboration. Students from each school began writing back and forth, sharing wonderings, drawings and information about our new found knowledge of mushrooms and fungus. Recently, the mushroom study group from A Child’s Place visited our school. Our students were able to show their guests our collection of dried mushrooms, guidebooks, drawings and a slide show of our photographs. All of the teachers hovered around with cameras poised to take video and stills of everything the children did and said. It was partly humorous but also validating to see another Reggio-inspired teacher doing the same work as us.

During the visit we invited the students to explore our woods to see mushrooms growing on site. The group took notes, drew diagrams and had interesting conversations about all their findings. Some of the mushrooms in our woods were types that the visiting students recognized on their school grounds. They realized that the same mushrooms grew in both places. We explained that the mushrooms growing in their yard might be part of the same fungus web of the mushrooms growing in our woods since the mycelium web can grow for hundreds of miles underground. This possible connection was powerful. The children were also able to see that they shared some of the same questions. Through careful listening the teachers were able to discern where the children were going. We clearly understood that our perspectives and those of the ACP students were influencing the thoughts and actions of each other and that our relationship would continue to be intermingled in the coming months.

This type of interaction with other schools validates the children’s work. Not only do we give their work worth in our community, but people in our extended community respect their focus and look to them for information. In addition, their continued studies have led them to discover experts around the world who are also studying mushrooms. Through this they gain a global perspective on the rich traditions surrounding mushrooms as food and as medicine and make additional connections.

Mural Artists Teach History and Culture

One of our most complicated field trips to date was a visit to Philadelphia where three classes with three separate purposes coordinated visits so as to eat lunch together, share their findings and return on the same school bus. During this visit several students and their teacher of History Through Decades took a self-guided walking tour of some of the 3,000 murals in the city.

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program began in 1984 as an anti-graffiti project. It grew from the need to engage the city’s youth in the creation of purposeful art instead of random graffiti. The program has grown over the years and has become the model for other cities both nationally and internationally. The murals are painted on the side of buildings and are, on average, 35 feet tall. All of these add to the visual interest of the city while making the viewers think.

The murals that the students viewed were all within walking distance of The Reading Terminal Market. Students took turns reading a map and directing their fellow historians to the various mural locations. The complexity of the murals is appealing from a distance but up close the students were amazed by the design and content facts. From a technical standpoint what appeared to be brick was actually paint on a smooth concrete surface where contours and 3-dimensional aspects were created with paint. As historians they noted the depiction of social struggles, political unrest, a desire for peace and harmony and questions of human rights.

Upon returning to school, each student picked her favorite mural and discussed the details and her personal outlook and understanding of the work. As a class students interpreted the meaning of the paintings. With themes such as the role of the Arts, Knowledge and Gay Pride evident in their choices their reflections covered current and past topics of relevance and fit nicely into our class outline. In addition to these historic notes the children were presented with another way to speak out, to be thoughtful and to share with others what is important to them. Imagine the power of paint on a wall. Students were awestruck with the size and complexity of the murals and were captivate by the story each told. They possessed a greater interest in the artists and there meaningful work

Farming and Food

The Food class visited, Merrick Farm, a local organic farm. There they spoke directly with the farmer growing the produce and meat. They found out first hand that a lot of work and thought goes into producing healthy fresh food. The class extended their reach when visiting The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. There they were then able to see fresh local foods being distributed. The Market has managed to sustain family businesses for generations. Upon returning students watched a video interviewing family members who have been involved in the market since its inception. It showed the dedication behind the production and preparation of the food being offered for sale. It was apparent to the class that being good stewards of the earth and making responsible food choices is a major part of what these people based their lives on. The children found this inspiring.

Caring For Pets

Learning from experts in their fields allows children to see the value in their studies. It bridges the gap from the classroom to the broader outside world. As the children in the Caring for Classroom Pets class began their quest for more information about the turtles we took a trip to the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center where we spoke to a naturalist. He provided them with a bounty of information regarding our turtles and how best to care for them. More importantly, the gentleman respected their course of study, their questions and their way of thinking. He was interested in their thinking and impressed with their thoughtful questions and analysis.

In Our School

There are also examples of meaningful community interaction on a weekly basis. Each week Cindy, a Colts Neck resident and passionate reader, shares her unique literary perspective as we each apply our own lens to the analysis of the text Of Mice and Men. She encourages each participant to engage in thoughtful dialogue. Tracy, a talented parent, comes in each week to teach sewing. She works on developing projects that grow from children’s interests and shares these with the students who learn from her commitment to them.

Our Movement Class has had the opportunity to work with Jeff a Black Belt master in Karate and Lydia a Yoga professional. Our Dance Class has also had visiting teachers. Doris, Carl and Wanda have taught the students the Fox Trot, Jitterbug and Charleston. In turn the children have invited them to join in a conga line and line dances. All these children are indeed developing new skills. However, more importantly, they are talking to people from other generations with varied perspectives given their life experience. They are learning about another time and another way of viewing the world around them. This kind of learning is rich and varied. It provides children opportunities to talk to adults in a context of mutual respect. Through the exchange of ideas our invited experts view first hand the children’s desire to learn and the children come to realize that their voice is important beyond their school environment. Children’s ideas are heard, pondered upon and discussed in all sincerity. Through all these interactions we can continue to provide opportunities to prove that our student’s words carry weight.

It is true that a student’s most immediate sense of community exists in the classroom. It is also important for our school to extend itself into the surrounding community. Finally, our global perspective allows us to look near and far for connections to and with human kind. This enables us to be social citizens, who care, love, trust, hope and create with others for the betterment of the whole.

Gatto, John Taylor (2001). A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling. Albany, CA: Berkeley Hills Books.

We have many approaches and methods in place for peacekeeping. The first and most often used is the Peace Conference. Students who are upset with one another are expected to call a mediated peace meeting and talk out their differences before resentments build. During this meeting the mediator, typically another student, facilitates the conversation. He enables each student to share her side of the story, tries to help each see the others perspective and continues the conversation until a solution is found. The mediator must stay neutral, restate what he has heard, ask questions and give each person the opportunity to speak to the other. This process empowers the children to take responsibility for handling their own conflicts. We find this to be a very effective method but not fail proof. Occasionally, a mediator will conclude that he cannot help the parties involved. On these occasions students agree to disagree, agree to revisit the issue at another time or with a different mediator or call a teacher to the table.

Our second approach to peacekeeping is the all-school meeting. This is typically called when a problem is obvious to all, affecting a large majority if not all the members and/or seems unsolvable. These begin with a reminder of who we are and what foundations we are built upon.

Once this is established the problem is named, prior attention given to the problem is outlined and the conversation begins. We look at the problem from all angles in hopes of hearing a new prospective or developing a better understanding of the conflict or issues. We name names, call on involved individuals to answer questions and explain their reasoning, feelings and desires and expect change that will benefits all. We strive to listen, to care and to help rather than to accuse, to posture and to grow angry. We expect everyone to be honest, take responsibility and participate wholeheartedly. Typically a meeting lasts 45 minutes to an hour and can take place once or carry on over days until the community is satisfied. Often these conversations reveal underlying problems, new facts and additional stresses around an issue. They expose greater details and provide a clearer picture of the whole problem. They most often lead to solutions that stick.

If all else fails the buck does stops with the teachers and the director. During our third approach a child will, from time-to-time, be asked to attend a staff meeting where she will be called upon to address a negative behavior or position that requires change. We restate the problem, outline the change the community expects and ask the child what she is willing to do and what she needs to get it done. We are concise, kind and willing to listen. We are also serious and state a clear expectation. There is no question regarding the desired outcome or the potential consequences.

Fourth and finally, teachers and the director do work one-on-one with students all the time. These are informal moments where we try to better understand the child and provide another opportunity to explore issues. During these sessions children are asked to reflect and share their perspective through drawing, acting out, dictating and conversing. This is a more intimate exchange where confidences are often shared and vulnerabilities are revealed. During these exchanges we sometimes learn of outside stresses that are affecting a child’s viewpoint or behavior. Sometimes a child tells of conflict with friends outside of school, or of sleepless nights, or insufficient breakfasts, or unpaid bills or car troubles or parents facing conflict or illness. They tell of the things that are not in their control but weigh heavily on their minds. We continue to engage in these conversations in hopes of providing an outlet, offering support, easing their worries and validating their feelings. Together we brainstorm solutions and identify coping methods that are productive and satisfying. This often frees the child and results in a greater capacity to participate in our school community.

This fall we seemed to encounter greater and more regular conflict. Despite many Peace Conferences, several Community Meetings, lots of one-on-one exchanges and a few student/staff meetings we were unable to change the tide of conflict. Little was being solved and the same issues were being brought to the table again and again by the same sets of children. Children were growing tired of mediating and teachers were growing more and more anxious. Despite our efforts to keep an even closer eye on the dynamics between children, to head off conflict and to give students tools to work with harsh words and physical altercations were more often evident. It seemed as if we were running out of rabbits to pull out of our hat.

Confronting small problems individually and in peace conferences did not seem to be working as each person took a hard and fast stand. Community meetings exposed many issues but students were reluctant to take responsibility for their actions. The community decided to name names and share individual students’ undesirable actions and words with the whole group. Although children were more inclined to admit their part in conflict they were unwilling to cross the lines they had drawn in the sand. We announced that we were a community under stress and needed to find resolution and peace.

We identified trouble spots in our routine. Our morning walk was providing an opportunity for cliques to be established and power games to be played. Pokemon Card playing lent itself to exclusions and positions of authority of some over others. During lunch, workshop time and recess children were excluding, taunting and ignoring one another. In transition from class-to-class children were delivering verbal jabs and physical blows. The troubles were mounting.

In answer to these problems the staff began implementing community-building activities to help students who normally become aggravated with each other see that they can work together and accomplish tough tasks. Through these activities students began to verbalize what they were experiencing and how they were beginning to feel better about each other. We purposely grouped together or separated certain students to accomplish particular goals. Although this helped we speculated that a complete overhaul of routines might be necessary. We were willing to try anything; building this community up was and continues to be our most important goal. We decided to revamp.

We rescheduled our morning walk, cancelled all Pokemon card playing, changed our lunch routine, rescheduled workshop time, eliminated battle play at recess and borrowed the lunch routine we observed at A Child’s Place School and made it our own. Now the morning begins with a half hour of workshop time. During this time teachers offer specific activities and check in with groups of children. They are closely observing interactions and calling into questions behaviors that are adverse to building friendships. At 11:30 each day students and teachers walk together without wandering ahead or falling behind. While the students are exploring nature, one teacher stays behind and sets up for lunch, placing name cards around the tables indicating where each child will sit. When the children and teachers return each one finds his name card, spread out his place mat, unloads his lunch and place it under his seats. We wait for everybody to be ready before a teacher begins lunch with a poem or other recitation. Once finished we all clean up together. Then, instead of going straight to recess, we retire to the library for ten minutes to enjoy a book read aloud by a teacher. We are currently reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The transition from lunch to clean up to reading and then to recess has helped the children remain calmer. There is far less desire to rush through lunch in order to gain a better position in a game or get the most desired ball or jump rope for recess.

Relying on place card seating at lunch has proven quite enjoyable. First, students need no longer race to a table to grab a seat and save seats for their friends. Second, no one feels deflated because he or she is left out of a group. Now we sit with new people each day and engage in conversations with those at our table. Children who would not normally find time to talk to each other are growing closer as they become more familiar. The atmosphere at lunch is easier and more relaxed without social wrangling and bickering over Pokemon cards or recess rules. Sitting quietly for a story has been a challenge but the success is clear in the fact that students want to be there and help each other remember to listen attentively. Recess without battle games has led to the establishment of a new and creative interactive game where all parties are members of one team with one purpose.

Things are not perfect but they are greatly improved. Children understand that the community expects positive thinking, a cooperative disposition, honesty, integrity and a desire to be a friend rather than a foe. They also know that they will be held to these standards and confronted if they do not get on board. Finally, children see that their input is essential to the health of the whole and that they are the keepers of our peaceful community.