MiddleWeb | Juli Kendall's 2004-05 Journal

Juli Kendall's
2004-05
READING/WRITING
WORKSHOP JOURNAL

Entry #12

Priceless Classroom Moments

Homer Simpson went to the Super Bowl on a January Sunday in 1998. He headlined a 30-second MasterCard ad—one of several funky spots airing during "The Big Game." The Homer spot, part of MasterCard's ongoing "Priceless" campaign, was titled "The Simpsons" and highlighted a typical day for Homer, who ran some errands so he'd be able to spend more time with Marge and the kids. Homer's first stop was the Kwik-E-Mart, where he grabbed a six-pack of Duff, a hot dog, potato chips and some doughnuts as the voiceover intoned, "Diapers, milk and laundry detergent...$25". And so it went, with Homer getting his oil changed, visiting his barber, and ending up at Moe's Tavern, where he was served a beer.

"Getting your errands done quicker to spend more time with your family....Priceless," said the voiceover, before repeating itself more sternly a second time.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," Homer replied. "Stupid voiceover."

– Adapted from an Internet website about "Priceless" commercials

This description of Homer Simpson's "Priceless" commercial for Mastercard got me thinking about the things I think are priceless — what is it that I value the most? It's that reflective time of year anyway. New Year's always has that effect. Right now I'm reflecting on the things kids are saying as they go about their writing that are "priceless."

Quatrelle calls out from the computer, "Hey, come here and look at what just happened?" While I'm glad that Quatrelle has finally gotten engaged in his word processing, I wish he would remember our class rules. So I respond back, "Ask three and then me!"

After a few more minutes, the timer rings to send his group off to another activity, and he calls out again, "Already?" You never can tell what he's thinking. Priceless.

"Can I have a post-it?" Henry asks. This is so cool! Henry's finally gotten the idea that getting a post-it when he's unsure of a word and trying out his spelling several times will help him visualize the word better. It works for him since he figures out how he wants to spell the word strength. His three attempts (strangth, stranegh, straneght) show that he's getting much better at approximating spelling. Priceless.

Nayeli and Patti are sitting together revising Patti's writing. Nayeli reads aloud for several lines and then says, "Look, this doesn't make sense, You need to add another word to make sense." Next, a question: "What's the title?"

Patti's response: "Hold on!" As Nayeli chuckles softly to herself, Patti scrambles to come up with a title. She settles on "The Scary Christmas Eve Night." Priceless.

"I need someone to print the paper," Gladys says. I'm back to my traditional response, "Ask three and then me," so she asks Casey to give her a hand. Casey seldom gets to sit down because the kids call on him as a technology resource all the time. When I ask if that's OK, he responds, "Yeah, I don't mind. We got five laptops at my house." Obviously, kids are choosing the right guy to help. Priceless.

During a small group discussion about writing "tiny moments," the subject of tamales surfaces. Many of the kids were helping their families to make them over Winter Break, so it's a great opportunity to develop the idea of writing about small details. "My grandma has rules!" Hector announces as he proceeds to describe step by step how his grandma makes tamales and what everyone else has to do when they help. After a full explanation, Hector adds one more thought: "We wash our hands so much. The skin feels funny." A tiny moment! I can just taste his grandma's delicious tamales. Priceless.

So a new year begins. The opportunity to teach kids and listen to what they say as they are working and learning together. That's truly priceless!

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