Each kid in the class is allowed to bring stuff from home to sell during this Rendezvous. There are only 2 rules. One is you can't bring in broken toys to try and get rid of and the other is that the kids are not allowed to talk during this buy sell process. Only hand signals allowed. Supposedly this hearkens back to the time when the Indians and the settlers did trading, and not knowing each other's language, they too used hand signals. I personally think it is a clever teacher figuring out yet another "fun" way to keep the class quiet.
The first time Taylor told me he needed to bring something in, I think I baked him a batch of cookies and then scrounging around the pantry I told him he could also take in a couple of packs of popcorn. I didn't have much to offer. The cookies sold pretty well, but Taylor informed me that he would have gotten more bucks out of the popcorn if we had popped it first. I think this is directly related to the fact that they are 4th graders and into immediate gratification. Noted for next time.
Each time they hold one of these Rendezvous I ask Taylor how it went, how his stuff sold, what he bought and what other kids are selling. And let me tell you each time, the stuff that the kids bring in get better and better and more exotic. This is American capitalism at its finest. And my favorite thing that Taylor said was for sale? A real beaver pelt. Who on earth has a beaver pelt? And one that they are willing to sell for a couple of Baker bucks.
So Taylor decides that this Rendezvous tomorrow along with pre-popped popcorn, he wants to hold a raffle for a bag of candy. Apparently last Rendezvous, a few kids (ie parents) thought of this and made some serious moolah. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the sign that Taylor made advertising his raffle.
This is what goes through my head in approximately 3 seconds. How many kids are now bringing in beaver pelts to sell? Really, there are that many kids that have beaver pelts to sell, that it is now used as currency? Is there some sort of beaver club that I don't know about? Is this some sort of joke? I think this is going a little bit too far here. O.K. well not all of these things ran through my head in 3 seconds, but you get the picture. I was laughing and stumped at the same time.
I go to ask Taylor about the beaver pelt and he informs me that he thinks that one of the other 4th grade teachers use "beaver pelt" as their name for their currency. And at this Rendezvous they are mixing and mingling with these other foreigners, so he wanted to be sure that they understood what was needed to enter his raffle. Well that makes a whole lot more sense than kids carrying around bags of beaver pelts to sell don't you think?
3 comments:
What a great teacher. That sounds like a fun activity.
Im surprised some of those treats even make it to the Rendezvous. I think I would be tempeted to eat my treats and skip selling them.
Joseph had a couple of years where they had sales like that with behavior dollars. But beaver pelts?? Wild! Joseph says my cookies sold really well though. Funny about the popcorn.
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