On Tuesday, September 7, 1976, Calvin Arthur began his fourth-grade year at Washington Elementary, a public school located in the mixed ethnic city of Kingston, Delaware. Every student walked or was driven to school by their parents. There were no buses. There were also no white boards, smart boards, computers, or cell phones. Even without all of the technology, this book describes an uncanny resemblance to todayâs fourth grade public school education. The mode of teaching and learning are different but a lot of the socialization issues are very similar.
Calvin and his classmates navigate their fourth-grade year, from start to finish. They will be learning about humiliation, empathy, teasing, jealousy, humbleness, kindness, integrity, cheating, frustration, anger, and more. These subjects are not often a part of the formal curriculum in any school, but they certainly do exist. Calvin learns much like we all do, and did, both from the schoolâs and his peersâ curriculum. You will relate, learn, be sad, laugh and enjoy the up and down journey, Through Calvin Arthurâs 4th Grade Eyes.
On Tuesday, September 7, 1976, Calvin Arthur began his fourth-grade year at Washington Elementary, a public school located in the mixed ethnic city of Kingston, Delaware. Every student walked or was driven to school by their parents. There were no buses. There were also no white boards, smart boards, computers, or cell phones. Even without all of the technology, this book describes an uncanny resemblance to todayâs fourth grade public school education. The mode of teaching and learning are different but a lot of the socialization issues are very similar.
Calvin and his classmates navigate their fourth-grade year, from start to finish. They will be learning about humiliation, empathy, teasing, jealousy, humbleness, kindness, integrity, cheating, frustration, anger, and more. These subjects are not often a part of the formal curriculum in any school, but they certainly do exist. Calvin learns much like we all do, and did, both from the schoolâs and his peersâ curriculum. You will relate, learn, be sad, laugh and enjoy the up and down journey, Through Calvin Arthurâs 4th Grade Eyes.
It was the morning of the first day of 4th grade, and I had a feeling that my classmates and I were about to face serious classmate judgment and peer pressure. I hoped to just blend in and avoid any drama. Walking into my new classroom, I heard my new teacher say, âFind your nametag and have a seat at your desk. You will find a few papers that you can start working on.â I was curious to see who was going to be in the class, so I peaked at the other nametags, even though I saw my name, âCalvin Arthur,â right away. I was in the front of the class near the teacherâs desk. I really wanted to be in the back so I could blend in or hide when it was necessary. I guess I was sort of an introverted, shy kid. As I looked around at the names, I could see that I knew most of the kids from home or from playing baseball that summer at the nearby Catholic school. I also knew some of the kids from 3rd grade. I was now a fourth grader at Washington Elementary, which sounded so dignified to me. The thought of being at this level in school left me very nervous, excited, and, of course, worried about my classmates judging me.
As I found my seat, the butterflies in my stomach felt real. I unpacked some pencils and books from my
backpack and slid them into my desk. I kept a sharp eye out as more kids came into the room. Our teacher, Mr. Jones, seemed really nice. A chorus of laughs with oohhâs and aahh's came as each new student walked into the room. I was glad I had gotten there early. Kids began talking louder, and some of their greetings to each other were unkind, so I was thinking that Mr. Jones was about to quickly turn from nice to mean. I could see the embarrassment on the kids' faces who were just arriving as the smirks and comments were blurted out for them from the kids who were already present. Then I noticed that kids were also smirking over where other kids had been assigned to sit. Oh my, I thought to myself. My desk was next to two girls, Jesse Salvador and Hellen Matters. Although I liked girls (I have two sisters), I couldnât admit it to the other boys. The pressure mounted. My turn to be teased was on its way. I wondered what kind of year this was going to be.
As my mind wandered, I tried to brace myself. Then, unexpectantly, a boy plopped down in the chair next to me.
He said, âHi, Iâm Jesse.â
âOh, hi, Iâm Calvin,â I replied. I had thought Jesse was a girlâs name. Boy was I wrong. Jesse was tall with short brown hair and freckles. The kids didnât say anything when he came into the room, so I was guessing he was cool. I did remember Jesse from last year, but he was in another class, and I never talked with him or knew his name. He seemed quiet, so I thought he would be OK to sit next to.
The surprises continued. It was like opening a present every time someone new came into the room. You never knew what you would get or who would be next. As soon as the next boy came through the door the class let out a chorus of, âOohhhh!â It was a boy from the Southern Pines neighborhood. His name was Melvin Wood. He was a bit of a loud talker and also didnât have much of a filter on the words he chose to speak. In the past, everyone was always nice to him. Nobody dared to correct him or say anything to get him riled up. Melvin Wood was full of strong opinions. He was a dominant class character. After the chorus finished, Melvin stood there and announced, âThatâs right, you all got me this year.â Then he went to his seat with his chest puffed out a bit.
âOohhhh!â the chorus sang out again. This time it was Hellen Matters. I remembered her from second grade. She seemed really quiet and somewhat introverted. Never bothered anyone. She walked over with her head down as she tried to dodge the noises and sat on the other side of me. I felt bad when the kids sang out as she entered the classroom because it was the loudest greeting of all. You could see the embarrassment on her face. Then, as she sat down, they sang out again, âAawwww!â This one was directed towards me. Because Hellen was sitting next to me. My chest suddenly felt like it had a huge rock on it.
Finally, the teacher spoke, âGood morning, everyone, and welcome to fourth grade. My name is Mr. Jones. This year will be full of interesting challenges. The first challenge is to accept each other and our differences. We are not alike on the outside, but we are a lot alike on the inside. You cannot walk in everyoneâs shoes, but you should understand each other. We donât have to be best friends, but we do need to respect one another.â
âAny chance we can get extra recess?'' yelled Jesse. I didnât see that coming, but I was in favor of it.
Mr. Jones responded, âYour daily schedule is on the board. Show me you can be responsible and empathetic toward others, and you can earn extra recess.â I had a hard time believing extra recess could be achieved with this group of energetic kids. One could only hope.
It's 1976, and Calvin Arthur is starting his fourth year at Washington Elementary in Kingston, Delaware. He, like most children, has first-day jitters. He wants to be accepted while avoiding all school drama.
After the students have found their place cards, Mr. Jones (homeroom teacher) starts class with a speech full of wise words: "We are not alike on the outside, but we are a lot alike on the inside. You cannot walk in everyone's shoes, but you should understand each other. We don't have to be best friends, but we do need to respect one another."Â
Mr. Jones's advice was directed toward children, but its advice that adults should follow as well.
As the school year progressed, chapters reminded me of the Afterschool Specials I watched as a child. There'd be situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers, and at the end of the episodes, the viewer learned a life lesson. When Calvin decided to skim-read to move his story reading ranking from the middle of the pack to the top 3 readers, his classmates called him out for cheating. Calvin mentally acknowledged they were right. He realized that "integrity is better than cheating."
Another afterschool special scene involved a heated and humiliating encounter between Calvin and Mr. Sampson, the math teacher. Yes, Calvin talked in class, but the teacher didn't ask why. Instead, he hit Calvin with an eraser. Suppose the teacher had asked him why he might've learned that Calvin was having trouble understanding the new math concept. Calvin failed his math quiz because a teacher was a stickler for no talking in class. Calvin also messed up; he should've raised his hand and told the teacher he was having difficulty with the math lesson. As a parent or teacher, ask your listener(s) if this behavior by the teacher is acceptable and how they would have handled the situation. In my opinion, the teacher was out of line.
Readers will follow Calvin as he navigates through the bad and good times of fourth-grade life. We'll follow the class as they meet a (roughly) 1000-pound giraffe who spat on a misbehaving student. We join the students on their field trips and sit side-by-side as Calvin takes the dreaded standardized test. While most scenes are relevant to the day's school system, two stood out to me as not: teachers smoking in the lounge and paddling (disciplinary action.) But, as you recall in my opening line, this story takes place in 1976 when times were much different.Â
This story is perfect for those children going into or leaving the fourth!Â
Check it out and the others books in the Calvin Arthur series, too!Â