…but not wise enough.

The school year is under way and we had our Exploratory faire a week and half ago. Eighteen students signed up for Minecraft, including 2 eighth grade boys, 14 seventh grade boys and 2 seventh grade girls. That’s 2 more girls than last year!

All the computers were updated with the newest version and we were ready to go for our first Exploratory which was last week. I made the unfortunate mistake of thinking that I would hear about the computers not working if there were problems.

I arrived 10 minutes early and students were already there. I was hit with the bad news: “Bad video card drivers.” I called the tech department but they could not fix it in time to salvage our first meeting. With 18 kids in a computer lab, I had to think fast before things deteriorated into chaos.

“OK everyone, pair up (I love having even numbers of students) and play the game, Fire Boy and Water Girl.” This is a great game because kids solve problems together.
The video cards have since been updated and the computers have been checked. All set for this Thursday.

 
The video cards have since been updated and the computers have been checked. All set for this Thursday.

Minecraft and other virtual worlds can be feasts for the eyes and ears. In addition, these worlds can evoke deep emotional responses, inspire creativity and create lasting memories. Nevertheless, there are some senses that virtual worlds cannot stimulate:

• The feeling of the crisp, cold mountain air in the morning.
• The heat of the first rays of sun hitting your campsite.
• The butterscotch smell of the bark of a Jeffrey Pine Tree.
• The feeling of the cold river water engulfing you as you jump in a pool.
• The smell and taste of coffee in the morning and s’mores around the campfire in the evening.
• The tug on the fishing rod and the taste of fresh caught trout.

Can you tell where I have just came back from? Continue reading →

Tuesday: Like all good middle schools, we constantly educate our kids on how to be kind to each other. In response to some recent bullying incidences, a teacher produced a wonderful activity for a grade level meeting of 120 students. They shook hands with 10 kids with whom they have never eaten lunch. The activity went beautifully. The whole idea was to foster inclusiveness and acceptance of everybody in our community. The kids felt good and there was a lot of laughter and friendliness. Ten minutes remained, and the teachers opened up the floor to “What’s on your minds?”

There was, of course, the continual commentary on the food. Then one kid, who happens to be a minority, (you’ll see why this is important), said something that some kids chuckled at. He then shouted, “And today, Minecraft ENDS!” The students erupted with applause and laughter. The teachers quieted the group and swiftly pointed out what the boy had just done; he single-handedly undid everything the group had just accomplished. He used his “power” to single out a minority (the geeky kids) to be targeted and picked on. Please read on…

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