Merryl Goldberg
Arts Education and The Fifth Grade Promotion Speech
Posted by Jul 08, 2010 1 comment
Merryl Goldberg
Summer school is in full swing - and I wonder how many kids are being encouraged to use their imaginations as a part of their learning. My daughter was "promoted" from fifth grade this June and a speech made by the fifth-grade student association president, Zane, was recited at the promotion ceremony. All 90 or so fifth graders dressed their best, boys in actual shoes that for kids in southern California are quite an anomaly (flip flops and sneakers are daily wear) as well as their over-sized jackets on their frames that remain small especially compared to the girls, many of whom tower over the boys and who look very much like developing teenagers.
The two weeks prior to their promotion, boys and girls were separated from each other for a course in "human growth and development." I got a phone call during the session that my daughter had a stomach ache. As it turns out, my daughter was not alone: "Liana did complain today of an upset stomach," wrote her teacher in an e-mail. "However, it seems to be going around right now. It became an 'epidemic' during Human Growth and Development when all the girls had to learn about the boy parts. It was actually quite comical. That might have had a little to do with her extra nausea at the end of the day. I hope she is feeling better."
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