The Great Starvation

This image began my literature unit this week. I asked my students what they could tell me about the photo. Here were some of the responses: It’s the Great Starvation! It’s a picture of the 1980’s. My grandma watches that on TV. It’s about enslavement. Yeah, it’s the Great Enslavement. I scribbled all their responses down ready for a quick laugh later.

But then I started thinking more deeply about their misconceptions. I have known people in my life time that experienced the Great Depression. My students probably have not. I understand how the Great Depression happened and the impact that it had on our country and isn’t it my job to teach them why this event was so important? So I started researching how to teach this era. I found a cool video clip, and a game and I have a great idea about how to build a model Hooverville. Monopoly was invented during the Great Depression and it would be fun to play for a class activity. I thought about dressing up and maybe putting together a slide show of some of the things that were built during the relief projects. My ideas are endless.

However, it has been a week. I feel like a cop not a teacher. Stop. Listen. Open your book to page 366. 366. 366. Turn the page. Where is your pencil? Is that a good choice? Inside voices? Find your seat. Page 366 for the ninety-seventh time. The cheating, stealing, bullying, vaping. Yea, fifth graders vaping. It is freaking exhausting and it makes me not want to do anything fun or creative. It makes me want to call in sick and stay under the covers all day.

My arm pit is on fire. Ever since the breast cancer, when I am run down, or a little sick, my arm pit will throb. My incision on my hand from last week’s surgery is healing, but I had another lesion taken out this week. This time in my mouth. So I am a little worried. I have had three lesions in six months and I am not sure how to turn it off. Not sure I can. I can’t help but wonder how stress is impacting my health. Is this my body’s way of pushing me to another path?

I am not sure about any of that. I do know I have a long weekend to relax and let my wounds heal. But this also happened to be the night of school district elementary show reception. Even though, an evening of children is the last thing I wanted, I decided to drop by the show. I watched one of my fifth graders stand proudly by her art. Her mom thanked me and took a photo. Then a kindergarten girl came and her grandmother could not be more proud that her baby got best of show. A lot of people stopped by the Park View panel and exclaimed over our art. It was a great way to end a tough week.

Even if it is crazy, I will probably try to bring some sort of hands on creative version of the Great Depression to my class. And with nineteen days left, it might be my last stab at an idea that works. After all, the Great Depression is a great example of strength, determination, and hard work. Maybe a little creative thinking is the ticket to a strong finish. Or maybe it will be a complete flop and I will call it the Great Disaster. If I have learned anything this year, it is that turning off my imagination and instinct for creating is impossible.