Spoons. Such a seemingly simple, little thing. Yet these are the things that our students are really worried about.
From an Ohio teacher ![]()
😢
😢Can't stop thinking about this little boy:
After dismissal during my hallway monitoring, I saw a 4th-grade boy who hadn't gone out the exit door, but had instead stayed back without anyone around and had his hand in a big bowl of plastic silverware packets.
I couldn't imagine what he had been up to, but figured it would involve sling-shotting something across the room somewhere/sometime.
My voice startled him: "What are you doing?"
4th-grader: Nothing.
Me: Well, you're doing something. You were supposed to be outside by now. What's going on?
4th-grader: Just grabbing about three or four spoons.
Me: Did you get permission to come back and get them?
4th-grader: (Deer in headlights) No.
Me: May I ask why you're taking them, then?
4th-grader: (Eyes puddling up with tears)
Me: It's okay. I'm just wondering why you would come all the way back here by yourself to get spoons.
4th-grader: Because we don't have any at home.
And legislators are going to expect a child who doesn't have a spoon to score as well on mandated tests as a child who has his own laptop.