Back in our room...

While we've spent considerable time on activities outside school lately, the time we've spent at school has been pretty stable, which means that every week is still awfully interesting.

For instance, mancala and knitting are now the new crazes in our room. Chess remains extremely popular, so much so that school administrators are visiting our room to play with students and a brand new chess set mysteriously appeared in our room.

Seniors continue to get acceptances from colleges and fret over their projects, while among juniors, a free SAT class taught by Penn students is one of the most popular new activities. I continue to work with seniors with applications and essays, only this time, the applications are for financial aid and the essays are for scholarships. Just this Wednesday, we were in the computer lab holding a workshop so students could complete their FAFSA.

We continue to meet new students, either through their classes or friends. Some of them have just come from other countries, while others are from other floors of the school. Sometimes, the latter students are far shier about coming into the room. "What is this place? Can we come in here?" (Yes, they can. Just as long as it's their lunch period.)

We ended the week with a valentine-making project that turned into something else indeed, as students turned out glittery paper flowers and red-and-pink pipe cleaner glasses. Next week will be quite different, as we start to pursue some brand new projects. More to come...