THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502120048
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
The school day is about 40 minutes old, and fourth-grade teacher Yolanda Bond pauses during a multiplication lesson to tell a quick story.
The textbook's mention of a pontoon boat has triggered a memory. When she was about 8, she tells the class, an aunt praised her because she rarely wet the bed. The aunt then challenged Bond and several of her cousins: Whoever kept the sheets dry that night wouldn't have to wash dishes the next day.
Bond, figuring she was in the clear, teased the others about the dishpan hands they'd get. But she had forgotten about all the watermelon she had eaten while fishing on a boat that afternoon. The next day, sure enough, she wound up doing the dishes.
``The lesson behind the story, class?'' she asked.
``Don't tease people,'' several students responded through giggles.
Such is the everyday classroom reality that often gets lost in debates over topics of the moment like school prayer or character education. Using anecdotes and more subtle methods, teachers often weave undisputed core values into classroom lessons. Bond says she would never focus on anything controversial or unconstitutional, only values most Americans still favor: A strong work ethic, responsibility, honesty, respect.
And this school year, Bond, who once ran a small landscaping business, created an employment office of sorts for her Southwestern Elementary School class. The idea, she said, is to give kids an early dose of the workaday world, as well as some rudimentary skills like interviewing, to help them someday thrive in it.
``I think just the fact that they have a responsibility, other than class work and academics, gives them the incentive to try to be better all the way around,'' she said.
``It's not always like when we were kids, when we had real chores to do at home and real responsibilities that, if we didn't fulfill them, we paid the consequences. Those are important lessons. . . . If we're going to be good teachers, we can't ignore them just because they may be missing at home, given everything parents have to deal with in today's society.''
Bond, who's taught school for the past four years, no longer assigns classroom jobs based only on a hunch or a raised hand. She now ``hires'' students.
Every six weeks, they can submit applications for one of 15 voluntary positions, each with its own job description. In addition to basic biographical information, they must list two references and explain why they think they're qualified.
Then comes a round of one-on-one interviews before the final selections. Those who aren't hired get first dibs the next time. Those who don't fulfill their duties get canned after three warnings. And, as she spells out in the ``Notice to job applicants'':
``The supervisor also reserves the right to terminate employment of an individual immediately if a serious situation arises related to job performance.''
So far, she's fired three students. Two of them had worked as ``equipment handler,'' the person who carries the ball or other play equipment outside and later puts it away. Too much temptation to play.
The other student, a former ``boys bathroom monitor,'' was a little too thorough in his reporting. She hires temps to complete unfinished terms. Those who lose their jobs can later apply for different ones.
Fourteen students, or about half her class, now hold jobs ranging from absentee officer to paper collector. If they do well, they earn certificates of appreciation at the end of each six-week period - in part because they've helped to ease the burden on their teacher.
``I like having responsibilities,'' said 9-year-old Andrew Latourette, attendance counter. ``It makes you feel grown-up, and it can be fun having jobs and helping Mrs. Bond. And you can learn things that will help you when you're grown up.''
The interviews, he said, aren't so great.
``I was nervous at first. There was a little squeezing pain in the back of my neck.'' But he'll never forget the time he got his first certificate.
``It makes you feel happy,'' he said. ``It's like getting an Emmy Award if you're a movie star.''
Minutes before the class left for lunch one recent afternoon, line leader Glenn Leigh took his place at the front.
``Am I afraid of getting fired? No ma'am,'' he said. ``I would never do anything bad to get fired. I like being first.''
Ten-year-old Nathan Jones, the new equipment handler, has three jobs under his belt. The experience comes in handy, he said.
``When my mom tells me to fix my bookcase or something, I can use the skills I learned as the librarian. I can put the books in ABC order or something like that,'' he said.
Bond - an energetic teacher who, even at 38, still seems a little hip to her students - sprinkles lessons with anecdotes, music and video. The classroom VCR and television set are her own.
In the seconds remaining before lunch or other breaks, she's fond of whipping out poems to read aloud - ``Little Orphan Annie'' is a favorite - or her two-page ``Multiplication Sing-alongs,'' which are set to tunes like ``You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog'' and ``Red River Valley.''
She seldom spoon-feeds answers. Instead, she likes to give just enough cues to help kids figure their way out of jams.
Southwestern has a schoolwide incentive program. On top of that, Bond also keeps a running tally of good-behavior points student teams can put toward a weekly prize.
Classroom jobs, she said, can help students mature and also get them thinking about teamwork and leadership. But teachers, she added, must set the example.
In her room, she posted classroom guidelines for everyone, including herself.
Among other things, she pledged to have a positive attitude; be polite, helpful and punctual; and assign homework every day except Friday.
Last fall, one student purposely misbehaved on the school bus to lose riding privileges and gain an excuse to stay home. She foiled the plan by driving the student to school for several days.
``I think what she's doing is a good idea,'' said Tracie Richards, whose 9-year-old son Christopher is in Bond's class. ``It's similar to what I do at home. If Chris doesn't do his chores, he doesn't get his allowance. It all strengthens their self-discipline.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MICHAEL KESTNER/Staff
by CNB