"Fair" Weather

Last night our family finished the round of February "fairs": science fairs at LMS and Central, and World's Fair at LMS. I also had the chance to judge the 6th-grade Science Fair at LMS on Monday. I know there are also science fairs this time of year at Harney, Perry-Worth and Hattie B. Stokes.

Here's Nina and her group with their excellent teacher, Eric Williams, at World's Fair, last week:

Like many parents, I often groan when "fair" time comes around. We're plenty busy with regular schoolwork, community and church activities, work, and swim practices, without adding in extra school projects.

But I'm usually happy to see the results of the extra effort, and this year was no exception. Students have to come up with an idea and really see it through, then they have to talk to adults about it. This is a unique learning opportunity, and takes them out of the round of reading, writing, and preparing for quizzes and tests. Some students really have a chance to shine, and show abilities that might otherwise never be recognized.

If you have helped with projects--buying supplies, checking over reports, finding resources for a student, judging or just coming to see the projects--thank you. And if you get a moment, you might thank the teachers who put these fairs together.