Author: Kathryn White Role: Student Location: Easton, MA Date: 10-26-03 After I read John Crowe’s A Long Road to Choice, it made me realize that teaching and getting things just right in the classroom can take a while. He knew he wasn’t connecting with the younger grades and decided to search for a new teaching method until it felt right. It was great that he chose the choice-based method of teaching. He had the freedom to do exactly what he wanted, could connect with the kids, and gave the kids the freedom they needed as well. In school, I never had the one-on-one that John Crowe has with his students. It would have really helped to have the teacher’s input or even to have a discussion on art. Also, I especially liked how he created a new grading system with pictures of the hand, brain, and heart. This is the kind of grading system I would use. It is a lot easier to grade with and a lot easier for the kids to know how they will be graded compared to the old system of just using satisfactory and outstanding. Everything he did to change his classroom created a great learning environment for all of his students.

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