♪♪♪

WELCOME TO SILVER FORK
SCHOOL IN KYBURZ, CALIFORNIA.

AN UNINCORPORATED
COMMUNITY WITH A POPULATION

OF LESS THAN 200 PEOPLE.

IT MIGHT NOT
SURPRISE YOU, THEN,

THAT SILVER FORK A
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH-EIGHTH

GRADE SCHOOL HAS ONLY NINE
STUDENTS WHO DO

ALL OF THEIR LEARNING IN ONE
COZY SCHOOL HOUSE.

SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU GUYS
TO DO IS FORM A SQUARE.

IT'S REALLY A ONE BUILDING
SCHOOLHOUSE WITH TWO ROOMS

INSIDE THAT BUILDING.

IT HAS TWO TEACHERS AND
THEY SPLIT THE DUTIES.

ONE TEACHES LANGUAGE ARTS

SHARON: WHY WOULD THAT
BE A PROBLEM?

STUDENT: CAPITALIZE

AND THE OTHER TEACHES

MATH AND SCIENCE.

DENISE: WE'RE GOING TO FIND
OUT HOW HEAVY WATER IS

TODAY, ALRIGHT?

CHRISTINA: THE NINE STUDENTS
- RANGING BETWEEN FIRST AND

SEVENTH GRADES -
LEARN TOGETHER.

THE CLASSES ARE SPLIT BY
SUBJECT MATTER RATHER THAN

GRADE LEVEL.

DENISE: YOU KNOW I HAVE 9 GRADE
LEVELS TO PLAN FOR BUT THEN

I DON'T HAVE 30 PAPERS AT
EVERY GRADE LEVEL TO CORRECT

SO IT'S EASIER IN SOME
WAYS AND IT'S HARDER

IN SOME WAYS.

I DO NOT KNOW HOW MANY
KIDS WERE IN MY LAST SCHOOL

BUT THERE WAS LIKE
ALMOST A MILLION.

CHRISTINA: WHEN IT COMES TO
BEING A STUDENT AT SILVER

FORK, MADISYN MORGAN THE
ONLY FIFTH GRADER AT HER

SCHOOL - SAYS THERE'S NOT
THE FOCUS ON GRADE LEVEL AS

MUCH AS PROGRESS, SO EACH
OF THE STUDENTS RECEIVES

THE LEVEL OF
INSTRUCTION THEY NEED,

INSTEAD OF WHAT THEIR
GRADE LEVEL MIGHT DICTATE.

MADISYN: THAT'S BETTER.

IT'S KIND OF ALL
MIXED TOGETHER SO YOU DON'T

REALLY KNOW IF YOU'RE IN A
GRADE OR NOT ANYMORE BUT

IT'S ACTUALLY
REALLY GOOD THOUGH.

I GET MORE ATTENTION, YOU
GET BETTER GRADES AT IT,

YOU GET LOTS OF
BETTER STUFF,

SO YEAH!

CHRISTINA: WHILE THIS SCHOOL
MAY NOT SOUND SO ORDINARY,

TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS SAY IN MANY WAYS,

IT IS.

A TYPICAL DAY HERE ISN'T
MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT

YOU MIGHT SEE ON A
LARGER CAMPUS

THOMAS: WE COME TO SCHOOL
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE LANGUAGE

ARTS AND THEN WE GO TO BREAK
AND THEN WE COME IN AND

DO MATH, AND THEN SCIENCE,
THEN WE DO HISTORY.

CHRISTINA: AS FOR WHAT THEY'RE
LEARNING THAT'S FAMILIAR

AS WELL.

DENISE: LOOK AT YOUR
CHOICES IN YOUR BOOK.

DOES ONE OF THEM LOOK
LIKE THAT?

UPPER GRADES ARE TAUGHT A
MATH SERIES THAT'S ALIGNED

WITH THE COMMON
CORE CURRICULUM,

AND WHEN IT COMES TO
TECHNOLOGY

SHARON: WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE.

WE HAVE A VERY
MODERN CLASSROOM,

WE HAVE LOTS OF COMPUTERS,
AND WE HAVE

THE SMART BOARD.

PAT: "SO YOUR ALREADY HERE
LITTLE PIG."

CHRISTINA: PRINCIPAL PAT
AKINS SAYS THESE KIDS TAKE

ALL THE SAME TESTS AND
PERFORM JUST AS WELL AS

THOSE IN LARGER SCHOOLS.

PAT: IN A LARGE SCHOOL IT'S
DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS TO

GIVE THAT 1 ON 1 WHEN YOU
HAVE 30 TEACHERS IN THAT CLASS

CHRISTINA:AS FOR THE STUDENTS
THEY AGREE SAYING THEY

SPEND LESS TIME WAITING
TO ASK QUESTIONS

AND MORE TIME LEARNING.

>>I GET HELP
EVERY DAY MOSTLY.

LIKE ALL THE TIME.

PALO: THE TEACHER, YOU DON'T
HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE TEACHER

TO GO BY THE WHOLE CLASSROOM
BEFORE EVERYBODY'S

DONE WITH THEIR WORK

CHRISTINA: THE SMALLER CLASS
SIZE ALSO ALLOWS EACH STUDENT

TO SPEND TIME ON THE
COMPUTER EVERY DAY.

THEY LEARN PROGRAMMING,
FOREIGN LANGUAGE,

EVEN ROBOTICS.

AND WHAT THEY LACK IN
STUDENT POPULATION,

YOU MIGHT SAY THEY SOMEWHAT
MAKE UP FOR IN PETS

ANOTHER TOOL THAT'S
USED FOR TEACHING.

SHARON: IT STARTED WITH THE
BEARDED DRAGON IS THE ANIMAL

THAT'S BEEN HERE THE LONGEST
AND THEN ARNIE THE DOG WHO

COMES TO SCHOOL AND
THEN WE HAVE GOATS,

WE HAVE RABBITS,
WE HAVE A TURTLE,

A TORTOISE AND FISH

CHRISTINA: SHARON MCGAUGHEY SAYS
THESE ANIMALS PROVIDE THE

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF TEACHING
KIDS HOW TO CARE FOR OTHERS,

AND HOW TO SHARE
RESPONSIBILITIES

NOT UNLIKE THE ENTIRE STAFF
AT SILVER FORK.

ASIDE FROM TWO TEACHERS, THE
PRINCIPAL HERE IS ALSO

THE SUPERINTENDENT.

THERE'S ALSO AN AIDE WHO
DOUBLES AS THE BUS DRIVER

AND THE FOOD SERVICE WORKER.

IN SOME WAYS, THEY'RE
MORE LIKE A LARGE FAMILY,

THEN A SMALL SCHOOL.

>>THE KIDS ARE LIKE OUR KIDS

AND WHEN THEY GRADUATE 8TH
GRADE AND GO OFF TO HIGH

SCHOOL, IT'S PRETTY SAD

CHRISTINA: WHILE BOTH OF THE
SILVER FORK TEACHERS CAME

FROM MUCH LARGER SCHOOLS,
THEY EACH WILL TELL YOU

THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE THEY
WANT TO BE. THEY ALSO SAY,

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING SPECIAL
ABOUT THIS LITTLE

SCHOOLHOUSE IN THE WOODS.
WHAT IT LACKS IN SIZE

IT MAKES UP FOR IN
MANY OTHER WAYS.

SHARON: IT JUST OFFERS
OPPORTUNITIES WAY BEYOND

THE NORMAL CLASSROOM.

YOU KNOW TO SET EXAMPLES
FOR THE KIDS.

AND TO HELP THEM WITH THE
THINGS THEY NEED HELP WITH.

'CAUSE YOU REALLY DO,
YOU BECOME A FAMILY.

AND I THINK I EXPECTED THAT
BUT WASN'T REALLY PREPARED

FOR HOW MUCH OF A FAMILY
TYPE ATMOSPHERE IT IS.

♪♪♪