By Mattrix Miller
I was honored to be one of the first reporters to contribute to our school blog. At first, when Mr. Riley encouraged me to do this, I was skeptical about what to write down. Then, when I was invited to do a report on a project in Mr. Clarke’s homeroom, I was concerned about how I supposed to act, what to do, and where to sit. But mostly, I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone during my first experience as a Maywood reporter.
When I first entered the room it felt like everyone’s eyes were on me I was quite nervous. But soon after, with the support of a caring staff, I started to feel confident enough to ask questions.
Ms. Donna had started a lesson called “reading around the world.” The first book takes place in Africa; the title of the book was “Rain School,” by James Rumford. After every significant scene in the story, the students would develop a visual translation that give them a better understanding of the story, and for each scene Karen would draw a picture that the kids would guide her to draw with words.
Another way to retain the story is called “Mind pictures.” The way Ms. Donna uses mind pictures with the student is she has the students illustrate the part of the book. This book was about kids in Africa and their school year.
The kids would came to school and the school would be have been hit by a rain storm. The roof had fallen and the dirt walls had crumbled. When the kids arrived at the schoolyard they found no class room or desks and the school was in pieces. The kids have to rebuild the school from scratch. As they construct their school they learn math and science.
After I learned about education in other countries I appreciated my education and not having to build my school each year. When I saw that the kids made a MODEL of the rain school that included bricks, straw and mud I was surprised. I would never have the patience to work on each and every brick.
Vocabulary word! MODEL Copy of object: a copy of an object, especially one made on a smaller scale than the original.
MAYWOOD school MATTERS 
My compliments on a job well done. Thank you for coming to our class and for sharing what you learned through the Maywood blog. Ms. Brayton
Excellent job Miss Mattrix!!!
Thank you Mattrix for this wonderful story. We have so enjoyed this unit and appreciate you taking the time to capture it in writing. Your reporting is detailed and descriptive! Well-done:) Ms. Donna
Mattrix,
I really like how you shared how nervous you were about entering a classroom that was new and different from what you have known. It’s impressive! Nice job 🙂
Great Job Mattrix! You should be really proud of your hard work!
Great job 🙂