May 29, 2014

I do not think I could ever take my class to Washington DC with the success that Rafe has. He had every single little detail of the trip planned out and the students know what is expected of them. I was really impressed with how independent Rafe allows his students to be. They are so mature for their age and it really makes the whole experience more enjoyable. I learned that you can register your classroom as a nonprofit organization and receive money for things like field trips and science kits. I thought it was neat that one of Rafe's former students who had graduated from Yale was his lawyer and allowed Rafe's classroom to become a non-profit. One thing that stood out to me from Rafe's trips is when he said that most teachers tape their students rooms so that they know if they left at night. I went on a trip to NYC in my senior year of high school, so most of us were 18 at the times. The chaperones still taped our doors, but did not tell us. They were impressed the next morning when they learned that no one tried to get out of their room. It's sad to think that our teachers couldn't trust a group of 18 year olds and Rafe can trust his group of 5th graders.

I love how Rafe gives each one of his students a chance to learn music. I have no idea how to read sheet music and it is a skill I wish I had and was able to learn while I was in elementary school. One of my favorite quotes from this chapter was " Rock 'n' roll might not solve your problems, but it does let you dance all over them" (200).

After reading about the shows that the Hobart Shakespeareans put on I would love to see one. They sound like a lot of fun. I hated learning about Shakespeare in class, I thought it was boring and I could never understand it. Rafe said that Shakespeare should never be read, and that is all we ever did. I would love to see their version of Shakespeare plays. I know it would be very fun and enjoyable to see.