Of Scientists and Water Balloons

Leslie and Concepcion decorate their posters.

The end of school is here, which means finishing up final projects. Several of our Capilla kids had the same project last week--an essay and a poster about a famous scientist.

The students were able to use the office computer to find information and images, and we provided some of the creative materials, such as foam letters, construction paper, and other art supplies. I found my role as a tutor was mostly one of emotional support: "Yes, I think that picture looks great there. Sure, you could use these letters to spell out her name. What a great idea! Go for it!" Turns out you need a lot of confidence and courage to put the first permanent mark on a clean, white poster board.

The educator in me has to laugh sometimes at how far these assignments in practice are removed from their ideal. When Concepcion told me her subject was Dr. Mae Jemison, my reaction, naturally, was "Who's that?"

Deztiny writes about Sir Isaac Newton

The first African-American woman astronaut to go into space, apparently. But Concepcion and her friend Deztiny were both flabbergasted that I, an adult who claimed to be smart and college educated, didn't know about Mae Jemison. Hands on her hips, Deztiny turned to me and demanded, "Well, do you know who Sir Isaac Newton is?"

So, context is still a work in progress. But who knows? Maybe Mae Jemison should be as important as Sir Isaac Newton.

Anyway, this week we celebrated the end of this year's homework club with cupcakes, ice cream, and water balloons. I spent most of the hour standing by the sink, trying to fill balloons faster than the kids could throw them at each other--a pretty hopeless endeavor.

I finally stepped out into the sun just in time to get a bucket of water over the head, courtesy of Alex. The rest of the kids were shocked that he'd dared to soak an adult, but he just looked at me smugly and said, "Mother Karen told me she's going to make you ride home in the trunk."