The Day Show and Tell Almost Died

In 1st and 2nd grade, Mia always loved bringing in items to share for show-and-tell.  A shy child, she came out of her shell when she was explaining things.
She just assumed that Show and Tell would continue in 3rd grade, but she was in for a rude surprise.

In 3rd grade, Ms. Thompson, her teacher, stood in front of the class.  She didn't ask, "Who wants to go first for Show and Tell?" Instead, she said, "Alright, class, let's get out our math books,"

Mia's hand shot up like a rocket.

"Yes, Mia?" Ms. Thompson said.

"Um, aren't we going to do Show and Tell?" Mia asked, holding her rock collection up proudly in its box.

Ms. Thompson looked uncomfortable. "Oh, well, you see, we don't have time for Show and Tell anymore."

Mia frowned. "Why not?"

Ms. Thompson cleared her throat. "We have to make time for more important things like… standardized test practice. We're getting close to test season, and every minute counts!"

"But nobody told me Show and Tell was discontinued," Mia said, standing up from her desk.

"Well…" Ms. Thompson stammered, "we need more time for subjects like reading comprehension and math drills."

Mia shook her head. "If something isn't discontinued, then it's continued. Isn't that true?"

The class murmured in agreement, a few nodding enthusiastically.

Ms. Thompson hesitated. "It's not that Show and Tell isn't important. It's just that... well, it doesn't fit in the curriculum anymore."

"What does curriculum mean?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It means the schedule of what we're supposed to learn," Ms. Thompson explained, looking a bit flustered now.

Mia thought for a moment, then said, "Isn't communication skills part of the curriculum? And isn't Show and Tell a great way to practice communication skills?"

Ms. Thompson blinked. "Well, I suppose it is, but—"

"And isn't it part of science to talk about my rocks?" Mia continued, holding up the one with the fossil. "This one is from the Cretaceous period. It's a real fossil."

The class gasped in amazement.

Ms. Thompson looked around, clearly outnumbered. "You've made some good points, Mia, but we still need to cover a lot of material before the tests."

Mia took a deep breath. "I think learning to share our interests, speak in front of people, and listen to each other is real learning. And I bet if you asked everyone in this class, they'd want Show and Tell to stay."

Ms. Thompson looked at the students. They were all nodding vigorously. Timmy even gave a small, enthusiastic thumbs up.

Ms. Thompson sighed. "Alright, alright. You've convinced me. We'll have Show and Tell—but only for ten minutes. And you're up first, Mia."

Mia beamed and stepped to the front of the room. "This," she said, holding up her glittering rock, "is called quartz. It's made of silicon and oxygen, the two most abundant elements on Earth."

The class ooohed and aaahed. Even Ms. Thompson leaned in closer.

"And this one," Mia said, showing her fossil, "is a piece of history. A tiny shell fossil from when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth."

The room was silent with awe. Mia had saved the best for last. "And this rock," she said, holding up the one shaped like a heart, "I brought for Ms. Thompson. Because she listened to me today."

The class clapped and cheered, and even Ms. Thompson smiled, her eyes a little misty. "Thank you, Mia. You're right—sometimes the most important lessons aren't the ones in our books."

From that day on, Show and Tell was back on the schedule at Maplewood Elementary, officially *continued* by popular demand.

(This story is donated to the public domain.  Semi-autobiographical.)

--
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Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com

He/Him/His

"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
"Learning happens thru gentleness."
"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options."  David Suzuki

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