on the other hand….

Ok, after the long winded tirade yesterday (that was cathartic!), I would like to add that the most exciting thing happened at my jobette this week! (If it was full-time, it would be a job; part-time=jobette, just in case anyone was going to get their knickers in a twist) So, I run the computer lab at the elementary school my kids attend, about which you now know way more than you wanted to if you read yesterday's post. One of my goals is to matriculate 5th graders who can type like the wind, without even thinking about it. There are lots of things they can learn on the computers, but in elementary school, I think the most useful thing they can learn during my time with them is how to type with speed and accuracy, so they don't have to deal with typing issues as they get older and use the computers for more intellectual pursuits. So I look for web sites that have free (public school, we're all about free) and fun typing programs. One of which has this cute game called Spacebar Invaders, which is basically what you imagine, only with typing instead of torpedoes. I set it up so that whoever could beat my score (96,750) was entitled to a lab period of playing a popular non-educational computer game while the balance of their class toiled away at the usual school work. After four weeks, I got a winner!!!! A fifth grade kid blew past me to score 108,750, which is pretty darn respectable, even for an adult. I am so psyched to have had enough enthusiasm behind the deal to get someone to actually beat me! Yay! I am fairly certain I was more excited than the kid was. I know there are people who are opposed to "play" time during learning time, but if its good enough for the air force, its good enough for me. My standard line with the kids is that if they can map the nintendo/gameboy/Xbox/ playstation/whatever interface to their fingertips, they might as well do the keyboard. Take advantage of the neural plasticity while you've got it, I say! Which reminds me, I totally screwed up my atomic analogy the other day (thanks Dad). That's what I get for blogging so long after science classes wore off. You all got the idea.