Ski Club

For the next five Tuesdays a third of my class leaves at 12:10 for "ski club." They excuse themselves quietly from the middle of reading, while the remaining 12 watch longingly, foaming with envy. Some classes have as many as half gone during this time. I am supposed to "continue with instruction, but not new instruction." I was at a bit of a loss when planning for this afternoon. What exactly is "old" instruction? Some of the remaining students need tutoring, some need enrichment. Some were behind in a couple of assignments, but several were up to speed. A glorified "study hall" was the best I could come up with.

Then I couldn't help myself. I had a Settlers of Catan game left in our car from vacation, and we had just finished our unit on colonial settlers... The curriculum connection seemed perfect. Okay, not perfect, but at least palatable. So instead of tutoring the kids who needed help in math, I let them wander around the classroom avoiding work while I taught the small group of accelerated students how to play my favorite strategy game. At no moment was I deceived that I was making a wise instructional choice, but it was simply too delicious, too much fun, too rewarding to pass up. The kids loved the game (which involves probability and economics). And the others got caught up on their math pages... for the most part. No harm done. And maybe even an ounce of good. I, for one, can't wait for recess tomorrow.