As students we never get to study innovation, at least in my school district…
It was a blast to finally work on a project solely devoted to an innovation’s impact on the bigger picture last week.
Three of my classmates and I researched and made a presentation about Civil War innovation of the ironclad vessel, very interesting stuff. Monitor vs. Merrimack changed the entire future of naval warfare in a little over five hours of fighting. But like I said, this was the first innovation project I’ve done since 6th and 7th grade the class in which I owe everything to.
I was in a looping classroom in 6th and 7th grade, which I give credit to any academic or innovative achievement I’ve had or will have, called CRICKETS, Celebrating Responsible Independent Confident Kids Enjoying Their Success. BTW, this is Mystic Middle School, in Mystic, CT. It was taught by Mrs. Denard and Mrs. Deary, my two favorite teachers ever, and it taught me a new way to think. It taught me to think of problems and solutions, efficiency, time management, group management, leadership, and the creative desire to look past the conventional method, among other things.
The program itself is only grade specific to math class, and then the rest of the topics are intertwined between grades. There is no social studies or science or English block of the day. The projects and labs and programs are spread around three major working blocks. The beauty of it is that one day you might have math and work on multiple components of a project for the rest of the day.
We didn’t write long research papers. We didn’t take notes on battles. We didn’t make Power Point presentations that would put you to sleep. Instead, we made solutions. We would read and discuss until we found that light bulb moment of enlightenment that goes past the last page. We would create real-world solutions. We invented, everyday.
And that’s where 100% of my drive for innovation comes from – two years in that classroom. If I were to run against Obama in 2012, my education platform would be CRICKETS philosophy in every school in the country, completely serious.
The world needs to push for innovative educations like CRICKETS because that is what the future leaders will have to possess. In CRICKETS you learn how by doing, you learn to invent solutions, and by the time you come back to CRICKETS as a 7th grader you’ve learned the values of leadership, the values to create and think on your feet.
I’m not saying us CRICKETs alum are going to be the world’s next great leaders. But I look at some older CRICKETS and some younger ones as well and I see some very bright futures in them, including the three with quotes below.
It isn’t just a math/science program either. Ask any Cricketier and they’ll tell you, “the suspension of habeas corpus by the Supreme Court in the Civil War is not your regular old majority ruling” or “the war of attrition in the American Revolution would not have been possible without the great French leadership of the Marquis de Lafayette.”
What you learn and how you learn it is what really sets CRICKETS apart and holds it in my book as an extraordinary learning environment that really is hard to improve upon. Here’s what some other CRICKET students had to say:
“Crickets was a great experience. It pushed me to learn more about various topics. It was also the most fun I’ve ever had in school.” –Dan Riordan
“Crickets allowed me to be prepared for what was ahead of me and gain work ethics and knowledge for my future. It strengthened me along with my classmates to allow us to be better students and citizens.” –Chloe Slater
“Crickets made learning fun and interesting by experiencing what we learned with field trips, projects, and labs. It helped us prepare for high school and real work positions and the responsibilities that come along with it.” – Annika Burgess
Hopefully none of my other high school teachers will be reading this. But they ought to learn something from CRICKETS because even at that 6th and 7th grade level, there isn’t even a comparison of what I was experiencing then, and what I’m taking notes on now. At all times remember we’re talking public education as well. I say this because it shows just how real the possibilities are to have programs like CRICKETS in schools around the country.
You might think my opinion is bias, which it is, I totally understand that, but I used to love to wake up and go to school. What we were doing didn’t feel like school. It felt like something completely different. I can’t really put words to how the feeling differed from school because that’s just how unique it was and is to this day and I’m sure for many years more.
CRICKETS “celebrating responsible independent confident kids enjoying their success” is exactly what went on every day in that classroom and that’s something that deserves to be noticed. So to Mrs. Denard, Mrs. Deary, and Mrs. Scott, CRICKETS teachers, congratulations because as educators you’re making a difference that allows kids to enjoy coming to school. You’re fostering success and innovativeness every day. I write this post not because this is where I’m coming from, but because educators and programs like these that are going above and beyond deserve recognition.
Don’t Stop Thinking…Let’s Show the World
For more on CRICKETS, e-mail me at [email protected] I can easily pass on questions about the program to the teachers or anyone else you wish to speak to.
Happy Holidays
Devin White
Editor’s note: Devin White is our resident teen blogger.
