This picture was taken while I was looking up from my tree fort on the farm.
Elementary schools use a lot of paper. Everywhere. Paper on the bulletin boards, paper for the manipulatives, paper for worksheets, paper for free time, paper for art class, everything. Everywhere. New season? Let’s put new paper up. New unit? lets photocopy a million worksheets.
If you are teaching school, do you need to use so much paper? It seems that the answer is kind of yes. I look at some of the really awesome classrooms, and neat art projects, and say “man, that classroom seems to be working…but everything is paper!” Is that what makes a functioning day? By having everything photocopied, having “busy work” available for speedy students?
Yesterday I found some neat colouring pictures. So I photocopied 30 copies. When the students were done their work, they could grab a paper and colour. All the pages will end up in the garbage (not the recycling bin) never to be thought of again. BUT it did provide a task for these students do to, which they enjoyed, and helped with classroom management.
And so, for the sake of my sanity and stillness, do I become a photocopier addict and have a more settled classroom?
Now, I know that this isn’t just about busy work, that I could find them something un-paper to do, but the fact is that worksheets do help these kids learn. And if I want to facilitate learning…
I might just have to get over this personal conundrum, ignore my environmental tendency, for these next two months. When (and if) I become a classroom teacher, then my classroom can embody the three R’s; until then, I just have to hang tight for a little while and not think about the trees. … … BUT OH THE LOVELY TREES!! I cringe when I walk in the bush right now because I am the cause of the destruction of their brothers and sisters. Maybe “The Golden Spruce” was not a good book to read during this time…
A school uses approximately 3 500 trees a year for paper. But before you start hyperventilating, a treeplanter (a pounder that it) can plant that on a good day. Isn’t that cool? (it would take me almost two and a half). I have planted forests! That makes me happy. I should remember that when I discount art projects because of the paper use.
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