There will be a teacher's conference this week. I asked the kids if there are anything they'd like me to talk to their teachers on their behalf. Gabriel (Age 7) thought about it and said, "Yes, I'd like to change seats."
Curious and concerned, I probed for more information.
"I want to change to the Red Table." He said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because they always win!" He exclaimed.
His classroom has an interesting reward system that rewards good behaviors not based on individual merits alone, but as a group of 3 or 4 students that are seated together. The Red Table, as it turned out, is "always winning." So far it leads by having 4 wins while other tables trail behind.
"What color is your table?" I should know this, but I didn't.
"Green," he replied. "We only had 3 wins."
It turned out that there is a kid at their table that likes to chatter. Teacher were told, personal "offices" were put up (a separation device that a student can put up on his desk whenever he needs quiet work time.), and confrontations were met - but the chatters continued. So now Gabriel wants to move to the Red Table.
I continued to ask him about the number of wins for each table when he announced,
"I would be fine moving to the Yellow Table, too. Red Table is my first choice, and Yellow Table is my second choice." Yellow Table tallied the second highest win.
"What other tables are there? You have Red, Yellow, Green, and...?"
"Blue and another desk."
"How about you move to the Blue Table?" I suggested.
"No! They are losers!" Like literally, only 1 win thus far in the year.
"What's the other desk that you were talking about?"
"X sits there. She has her own desk right in front of the smart board. She has the most behavior problem and everybody knows that so she has her own desk so she won't disturb others."
"I see."
"I'm going to tell the teacher to name that table Purple."
He then went on to tell me who is sitting at which table before he turned his focus back to his number one choice: the Red Table.
"I want to move to the Red Table. But if I'm at the Red Table, I want the table to be turned like this, about 30 degrees counter-clockwise." He hand gestured the rotation.
It was surprisingly specific. He went on to say that his current seat at the Green Table was back to the smart board so he can't see well. And every time he turned his chair to face the board, his chair got stuck with the neighboring Orange Table.
"I kept on bumping into Nate's chair. That's disturbing him. I don't like doing that to him." He expressed his concerns about the other kid's welfare.
"So how about turning the Green Table a little so you won't bump into anything?" I was trying to see how much thought he has put into this.
"But the Green Table is too close to the Orange Table. I tried scooting my chairs, but it always gets stuck."
"So you wouldn't have this issue at the Red Table?" I inquired.
"Not if the table is turned like the way I said. I'd want to sit at this seat (he got a piece of paper and started to drew pictures of his classroom arrangements). If I sit there, I'd be facing the smart board. It's close to the pencil sharpener that is not broken; somebody stuck a crayon into the other sharpener that is closer to the Green Table. And it's a mechanical sharpener, too! The teacher tried to fix it, but it still doesn't work as well. The Red Table is close by the sink and the only drinking fountain in the classroom. Next to the drinking fountain, there is the homework bin so it'd be easier to get to. The Red Table is also next to the teacher's desk and the white board."
Is it just me or am I starting to see this child's potential in real estate development?
"Who sits at the Red Table?"
"My friends, Angel (a boy), Jenny, Eli, and Nia."
"3 or 4."
"So if you move there, someone would have to move away because the Red Table already has 4 people."
"Yeah, I think Eli can move to the orange table because they only have 3 people there." He suggested. He went on to discuss the entire classroom seating rearrangement.
"Or I could move to the Yellow Table at this seat," he marked the seat with a star. "They only have 3 people at that table right now."
"Or I could move to the Yellow Table at this seat," he marked the seat with a star. "They only have 3 people at that table right now."
"I see. How about we let the teacher decide about that." I continued, "Are you friends with the people at the Green Table?"
"No. We don't play at recess." Apparently, he only considers people that play with him at recess are friends; others are just considered classmates.
"So if all of your friends are at the Red Table and if you'd moved there, wouldn't you want to talk with them at the table?" I asked.
"No, I would concentrate better actually. Jessica is my math partner, we don't talk when we are not supposed to, and we get our work done the fastest. Besides, I'm the only one that hasn't changed seats since the beginning of the school year. Everybody else moved seats, not me!"
"Why don't you write down all of your concerns for me. You told me a whole bunch of points, I want to make sure I'd remember them all when I meet with your teacher and show it to her on Wednesday."
After 5 minutes, he handed me his drafted letter and said,
"I am going show this letter and talk to my teacher on Monday. I will ask her to change my seats by Tuesday. She will keep this letter at school, so when you go on Wednesday, you can talk about it with her."
I want to move to red table (first place)
because people in Green are distracting
me because Jessica, Ireland, Sammy are
talking. In red table, it was magnificent!
They were so quiet and they won four
times. And also my friends are there.
But I won't talk to them. Second place
I want to go to Yellow because it
has 4 times win, too. They are also
very quiet and I like it.
Sincerely,
Gabriel
to Mrs. Funes
NOTE!!!
Please change on TUESDAY morning.
p.s. If I move to the red table,
I'd like to sit where Nia sits, and
have the red table turn 30 degrees
counter-clockwise so I can sit
better. Right now my seat at the green
table is back to the smart board,
and I can't see well. My chair keeps
getting stuck in Nate's table whenever I turn.
So after he wrote the letter, he has decided to take the matter into his own hands. He has decided to talk to the teacher by himself and wants get his seats changed on his own.
He has a problem, and he has clearly thought it through after he has exhausted all other usual options. He was able to verbalized his concerns point by point with persuasive arguments and logical reasoning. He didn't shy away from approaching the authorities (parent and teacher) to help him resolve the problem. He has an issue, and he has found not one, but two solutions to the problem. He took the welfare of others into consideration as well as his own. He was willing to make a compromise with alternatives. He has resolved to adhere to the general (classroom) rules to keep peace while getting what he wants. He proposed a well thought-out and enforceable plan. He even set a deadline in order to reach his goal. All those talks about having a problem solving attitude, Romance of The Three Kingdom, and the French Revolution did something for him. I gotta say, what he was doing is a lot more than what I could do at his age. And what he was doing is definitely a lot more than what a congress could do to get a bill passed.
Yes, dear. You go right on ahead. May your petition to change seats be granted by Tuesday, so your mama won't have to do it for you on Wednesday!
Monday Update: Gabriel talked to the teacher, and he was changed to the Yellow Table and won for the day. Now the Yellow Table has the most win!
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