We use a lot of big paper in Room 200. When Thirdlanders turn their papers in to the basket, I ask them to fold the papers in fourths. There's this one Thirdlander who just mangles the paper in a unique kind of squashing-rolling technique. Yesterday I said to him, "Look, let's go over folding in fourths again. I
invented this useful tool when I was 22. It's called the
Heffernan Fold. You fold the paper once in half and then in half again, making sure the corners are lined up as well as can be expected. Voila. Never forget the Heffernan Fold. It's going to serve you well in so many sundry circumstances, for the rest of your life." The Thirdlander smiled, but to be quite honest, I sensed he wasn't even really attending to the demonstration. His eyes kept wandering around and his visage revealed a rushed mien.
I guess I did the best I could, but once again, I'm left with the eternal query of all amazing teachers everywhere, "Why can't
I reach these kids?"
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