DREAM SCHOOL
Author: Dave Price
*Illustrator: Addie Pinsley
Kaycee Wise was not dreaming! She was actually living her dream, standing in front of a classroom full of excited students and their parents on “Learning Partnership Celebration Night.” KayCee introduced herself and welcomed everyone as she called them her new” learning team partners”. She told them they were going to create exciting ways to learn and find interesting questions to be asked. She promised to show them how looking for and finding answers can encourage a love of learning for everyone.” Kaycee was excited that the families sharing her start to her new “teaching dream” had chosen to be in this Dream School. She gave each family a “Family Dream School Project!!” She asked them to think about, talk about, write about, and yes even dream about this question.
“HOW CAN WE CREATE THE SCHOOL OF OUR DREAMS? HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS A SCHOOL WHERE OUR LEARNING DREAMS COME TRUE?”
A FAMILY DREAMS
Katelyn was running through a little song in her head as she listened to Miss Wise talk about dreaming and learning. The song was one that she had been practicing during her figure skating lessons all summer and thinking of the best things about school were already becoming part of her new song. Katelyn’s family started talking about their dream school as they were walking to their car. Katelyn’s new song was bouncing in her head as they arrived home. She quickly ran up to her bedroom and wrote some ideas in her new school notebook. As Katelyn read her younger brother and sister a story at bedtime, she knew that stories and reading were melodies in her dream school song. As Katelyn headed off to bed, her dream school song was playing in her head.…………
“There’s a school where teachers smile
And kids learn all the while
Where the gift of reading is done
With grace and style.
It’s a place where you have friends
Where the learning never ends
Where pride is the message
Each student sends.
The kids make their numbers count
And there is never any doubt
As answer after answer
Comes up to exactly the right amount
It’s easy to be smart
When deep down in your
You know that people care
About what you say.
We are happy to be here
Listen you can hear us cheer
This is our school
Hip! Hip! Hooray!”
When Katelyn woke up, she grabbed her pencil even before she dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. She opened her notebook and the lyrics from her dream school song became an exciting list to share with her family, her friends and Miss Wise.
Katelyn’s melody had tell of a school like this:
Smiling teachers
Exciting things to learn
Reading and writing are gifts
Many friends
You are proud of your teachers and school
You feel smart when people listen to your ideas
Counting and numbers give you exciting games to play
The more questions you have the more fun it is to find answers.
You are so happy; you cheer and cheer, and cheer about your
School.
When you dream, you can share your ideas in a song.
Katelyn joined the family at the breakfast table, unfolded her list and excitedly shared her dream school song. Katelyn even sang a few of the lyrics as she shared. The family agreed that Katelyn’s dream school would be a wonderful place to learn, and they knew that Katelyn was ready to share her Dream School Song with Miss Wise and the rest of the class.
THE LEARNING BELL
As they walked home from the meeting, Jeremiah was interested in talking to his mom about his upcoming soccer game, but she kept asking him questions about the school that might show up one of his dreams. Jeremiah talked about playing with his friends at school and how that made him the happiest. As they passed the old church on the corner by their house
They heard the bell in the steeple chime a pleasant “good night”.
The ringing of that bell, must have stayed in Jeremiah’s mind, because, his dream that night reminded him of the school he attended in the first grade. He remembered the Friday opening exercises where the entire school assembled at the flag pole, recited the pledge of allegiance, sang songs, and each class took turns ringing a large bell. The bell was on a large wheeled learning bell cart and the cart was decorated with the school colors. Jeremiah remembered well the deep tone of that large bell when it was his turn to “ring the learning bell.” He dreamed of how the ringing bell reminded him of his favorite days at school. Jeremiah’s learning bell melody dream sounded like this:
“Ring the bell of learning,
Ring ring it strong and clear.
Ring ring the bell of learning
Ring for all to hear!
We can read And we can write
And we can do t hem well
We can tell you What we think
So ring that learning bell!
We can walk in other’s shoes
And help them feel real proud
Hand in hand we stand together
To ring that bell out loud.
One by one the children come
To start the learning day
Proud to be a leader
Proud to show the way.
Ring Ring the bell of learning,
Ring ring it strong and clear.
Ring ring the bell of learning
Ring for all to hear!”
Jeremiah told his mom about his dream and how he remembered his chance to ring the bell to start the school day. As she heard his dream story, Jeremiah’s mom knew that he would work hard on a project to bring a real learning bell to this new school year………………
Addie Pinsley was a talented student here at
Discovery Charter School two years ago. You can find her art work on our T-shrits, Sweatshirts and in our annuals. We trust you will enjoy her artistic talents as we continue to share this vision of a “DREAM SCHOOL”
(To Be Continued)