Oh, the fun I would have.........

I rolled on by Alsea School at 20 mph and saw the sign in front that says they are searching for a new Superintendent. My mind exploded thinking of all the fun I would have as Superintendent. First of all, I would treat all the kids as if they were gifted and talented. I would want ALL of them to win. I would set the school up to teach on three levels on every subject--review, learn at the level at which the student tests, and to teach above the level of the student for enrichment to introduce advanced concepts. This would be every day for every student. I would model the school after the curriculum I developed for my homeschool in Arroyo Grande, CA from 1978 to 1982. It would work like the classroom of Marva Collins in Chicago and the best schools where all children win.

First of all, I would concentrate on individual sports so everyone would be healthy. I would buy everyone roller skates and turn the gym into a roller skating rink for one hour a day for students and teachers. We would also use the track for walking and running that includes all students and teachers. Events for walking and running would be set up and students would be encouraged to participate in local and state running and walking events. Nutrition would be taught to everyone and the meals would reflect healthy choices.

Next we would move on to the school lunch program. Alsea School doesn't have a federal free school lunch program but it would with me in charge. I would march myself over to Salem and have a talk with the Governor to fix this. We would set up a hydroponic greenhouse to grow all the fruits and vegetables needed for all the students. If Epcot Center at Disney World can grow all the food for the resorts and restaurants, we could grow all the food needed for the school. Master Gardeners would be encouraged to teach and give special expertise plus horticulture students from OSU. Students would learn about gardening by working in the greenhouse.

The money saved from team sports would be put into taking buses to the Portland Art Museum, OMSI, the Portland Zoo, the symphony, and other trips like this. We would have band and orchestra starting in grade one and by the time the kids were in high school, they would be amazing.

Every day, the whole school would read for an hour, including teachers. The school would participate in the National Spelling Bee, the National Geography Bee, the NASA Robotics competitions, math competitions, and more. We would send up rockets and kites. The students would write every day and participate in a school newspaper from grade one through 12th where they would end up submitting articles to magazines and participating in National Novel Writing Month and National Screenwriting Month.

Anyone in the area from elite distance runners to biologists and experts with advanced degrees would be invited to share knowledge. I can see the fun it would be talking to the kids about the escape speed of a ball needed to travel out into outer space from earth and never drop back down to earth would have to be at least 7 miles per second, and that if you squish the earth into a ball the size of a ping pong ball that it would become a black hole which is where the escape speed is greater than the speed of light. I believe that you can teach a five year old anything, IF you explain advanced concepts clearly enough and show them how fun learning can be.

We would debate Supreme Court law cases to teach forensics. We would learn about world leaders, history, and the Constitution. We would play chess. We would all learn ballroom dancing. We would teach logic and reasoning. We would film movies and write plays. We would learn about all the ologies, like entomology. Oh, the fun we would have and the things we would learn. My heart skips a beat just thinking about the possibilities and the joy. The best way is for me to write about my school that exists only in my head with all the students winning, who love to learn, and all go on to college, 'cause it's not going to happen in the real world. Oh, well....back to reality.