IN THE CLASSROOM -- Divide and conquer

Danette Goulet

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

reporter Danette Goulet visits a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District and writes about her experience.

Little heads bent in concentration as their teacher’s voice rang out in

clear tones.

“What shape would you have if you cut this ball in half?” asked Norma

Edelhauser. “Mark it on your paper.”

“No. 8: what is the perimeter of this figure?” she continued.

I had forgotten that elementary school teachers read test questions out

loud. I was immediately transported back to grade school, where

Edelhauser -- with her slow, precise voice -- could have been any one of

my teachers.

Second-grade students at Sonora Elementary School in Costa Mesa were

taking a practice exam, preparing diligently for the Stanford-9

Achievement Test that they will take at the end of the month when they

return from Spring Break.

They have been cramming to learn all the required material and to become

comfortable with filling in the bubbles on the answer sheets, Edelhauser

said.

Questions on the practice test ranged from “How many sides does a square

have?” to calculating the perimeter of a square.

Shouldn’t students have a firm grasp on the first question before

tackling the second? It seemed slightly advanced to me to teach those two

geometry lessons at the same time.

In second grade, students are expected to master addition and

subtraction, then move on to multiplication and division, Edelhauser

said.

I clearly remember learning how to tell time in the second grade, which

seemed pointless then because everyone had digital watches.

Today, these second-graders are taking geometry tests.

The occasional student would break the silence between questions.

“But Mrs. Edelhauser ...”

“Just choose the best answer,” she replied.

They corrected the test as a class so students would know what they

needed to work on before the real test.

Pumping fists accompanied hissing “yeses” when students got the right

answer, while mistakes only warranted a groan or two.

When they finished correcting the test, they all began tidying up to

hurry outside for a short recess.

As I sat there marveling at how advanced some of the math was for

second-graders, a little boy rushed up and began frantically tapping me

on the arm.

“Is 63 divided by seven, nine?” he asked.

I just looked at him, dumbfounded.

He, of course, knew the answer was correct, but wanted to show off for

someone new, Edelhauser assured me.

FYI

* WHO: Second-grade students

* WHERE: Sonora Elementary School

* WHAT: Preparing for the Stanford-9 Achievement Test