- The Two Rivers Public Charter School Expeditions [Two Rivers PCS is mentioned]
The Two Rivers Public Charter School Expeditions [Two Rivers PCS is mentioned]
Examiner
By Mark Lerner
May 22, 2012
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of attending the spring expeditions at Two Rivers PCS. The expeditions represent the culmination of student year-long research and study of a significant issue facing society today in science and social studies.
As I entered the lower school campus a student welcomed me enthusiastically to the expedition and at the same time directed me to turn my cell phone to vibrate. I immediately complied with her request. I was then quickly whisked up to one of the upper floor classrooms. Here I was handed a glossy brouchure describing the projects that were to be showcased.
Although I had visited Two Rivers several months ago I was immediately impressed once again with the design of the building. The classrooms are more spacious than you would expect. They are equipped with white boards and smart boards. The large windows let in an abundance of natural light. The room was packed with parents and families.
I walked into a fourth grade presentation on watershed ecology. About 21 well-dressed fourth graders were arranged on the side of the room. Two students at a time stood up and talked to the audience regarding their own specific focus of their work. What impressed me most here was that the nine and ten year olds spoke without notes. They had memorized their presentations which were integrated with slides and videos. It was as if I was watching a highly polished lecture back at the office.
After the formal reports Two Rivers founder and head of school Jessica Wodatch took me to various stations in which pairs of students reviewed with me their contributions to the expedition. On the classroom walls were their multiple handwritten and typed drafts of their reports. I could plainly see that many hours and much deep thought had formed the basis of their final products.
Ms. Wodatch then enthusiastically bought me to another room where fifth graders had studied history though protest. Here the students had focused on a subject close to my heart, the inequity in public funding between charters and traditional schools. They had researched the issue by looking at methods that had been used in the past to drive public policy such as strikes, petitions, and legal action. After the formal talk again we visited various stations located in the room next door.
It was here that I what I saw brought tears to my eyes. While talking to the students about the various steps people have utilized to bring about reform, I asked if these were means that the charter movement should employ to solve the funding disparity problem. "No," the students replied. "I don't think this is a good idea in this case." So although these young people could perfectly articulate how sitting in the front of the bus or Brown vs. the Board of Education impacted the civil rights movement they did not believe that these kinds of interventions were appropriate to the issue at hand. They had obviously deeply reflected on the subject and concluded that other measures were the more suitable way to change the world. I had no doubt that changing the world for the better would be exactly what these students would do.
There is a second evening of expedition presentations tonight.
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