I cannot pin down any one point in this article, as it was all so relevant--I mean the whole idea of workshop. I remember participating in many a workshop in my first undergrad program. However, those experiences failed to transfer to my brain when starting out my first year at Colfax.
It seems apparent that the junior high model needs drastic overhaul, especially concerning the way time is blocked. I would like to see students in my class less frequently, but for longer periods of time so that we could actually get some writing done, just like at the university. Thus, I would propose that I would see one group of kids two or three days per week for two hours. I would also propose that there be a school-wide reading and writing day set aside every month, which could be moderated by someone like me.
This and Calkin's article reinforces my notion of creating a classroom environment and atmosphere that resembles the home as much as possible--large tables, comfy chairs, a place on the rug, plus an ample library and a well-stocked materials cabinet.
Ah, but we are always dreaming of Eden.
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Timothy... you can take on some of these issues. Maybe you can't change the schedule, but we have worked to build reading time in content classes and coordinate writing assignments so we both us time in our respective classes. That has worked well with time. We have also mixed up the schedule a bit so we could block students longer. I can explain how we did it. Fortunately I got rid of desks the year after I read Atwell's book ( about 1990) and haven't used desks since. It was easy to find old furniture and through many used book sales and freebies I have been able to build a library. It is doable and well worth it! Christy
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