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♪♪♪

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WELCOME TO SILVER FORK 
SCHOOL IN KYBURZ, CALIFORNIA.

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AN UNINCORPORATED 
COMMUNITY WITH A POPULATION

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OF LESS THAN 200 PEOPLE.

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IT MIGHT NOT 
SURPRISE YOU, THEN,

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THAT SILVER FORK A 
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH-EIGHTH

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GRADE SCHOOL HAS ONLY NINE 
STUDENTS WHO DO

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ALL OF THEIR LEARNING IN ONE 
COZY SCHOOL HOUSE.

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

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IT'S REALLY A ONE BUILDING 
SCHOOLHOUSE WITH TWO ROOMS

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INSIDE THAT BUILDING.

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IT HAS TWO TEACHERS AND 
THEY SPLIT THE DUTIES.

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ONE TEACHES LANGUAGE ARTS

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SHARON: WHY WOULD THAT 
BE A PROBLEM?

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STUDENT: CAPITALIZE

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AND THE OTHER TEACHES

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MATH AND SCIENCE.

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

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TODAY, ALRIGHT?

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CHRISTINA: THE NINE STUDENTS 
- RANGING BETWEEN FIRST AND

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SEVENTH GRADES - 
LEARN TOGETHER.

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THE CLASSES ARE SPLIT BY 
SUBJECT MATTER RATHER THAN

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GRADE LEVEL.

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

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

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

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IN SOME WAYS.

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

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BUT THERE WAS LIKE 
ALMOST A MILLION.

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CHRISTINA: WHEN IT COMES TO 
BEING A STUDENT AT SILVER

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FORK, MADISYN MORGAN THE 
ONLY FIFTH GRADER AT HER

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

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MUCH AS PROGRESS, SO EACH 
OF THE STUDENTS RECEIVES

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THE LEVEL OF 
INSTRUCTION THEY NEED,

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INSTEAD OF WHAT THEIR 
GRADE LEVEL MIGHT DICTATE.

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MADISYN: THAT'S BETTER.

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

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

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IT'S ACTUALLY 
REALLY GOOD THOUGH.

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

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YOU GET LOTS OF 
BETTER STUFF,

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SO YEAH!

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CHRISTINA: WHILE THIS SCHOOL 
MAY NOT SOUND SO ORDINARY,

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TEACHERS AND 
STUDENTS SAY IN MANY WAYS,

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IT IS.

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A TYPICAL DAY HERE ISN'T 
MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT

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YOU MIGHT SEE ON A 
LARGER CAMPUS

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

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

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

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

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AS WELL.

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DENISE: LOOK AT YOUR 
CHOICES IN YOUR BOOK.

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DOES ONE OF THEM LOOK 
LIKE THAT?

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UPPER GRADES ARE TAUGHT A 
MATH SERIES THAT'S ALIGNED

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WITH THE COMMON 
CORE CURRICULUM,

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AND WHEN IT COMES TO 
TECHNOLOGY

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SHARON: WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE.

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WE HAVE A VERY 
MODERN CLASSROOM,

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WE HAVE LOTS OF COMPUTERS, 
AND WE HAVE

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THE SMART BOARD.

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PAT: "SO YOUR ALREADY HERE 
LITTLE PIG."

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CHRISTINA: PRINCIPAL PAT 
AKINS SAYS THESE KIDS TAKE

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ALL THE SAME TESTS AND 
PERFORM JUST AS WELL AS

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THOSE IN LARGER SCHOOLS.

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

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

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CHRISTINA:AS FOR THE STUDENTS 
THEY AGREE SAYING THEY

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SPEND LESS TIME WAITING 
TO ASK QUESTIONS

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AND MORE TIME LEARNING.

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>>I GET HELP 
EVERY DAY MOSTLY.

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LIKE ALL THE TIME.

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

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TO GO BY THE WHOLE CLASSROOM 
BEFORE EVERYBODY'S

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DONE WITH THEIR WORK

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CHRISTINA: THE SMALLER CLASS 
SIZE ALSO ALLOWS EACH STUDENT

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TO SPEND TIME ON THE 
COMPUTER EVERY DAY.

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THEY LEARN PROGRAMMING, 
FOREIGN LANGUAGE,

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EVEN ROBOTICS.

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AND WHAT THEY LACK IN 
STUDENT POPULATION,

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YOU MIGHT SAY THEY SOMEWHAT 
MAKE UP FOR IN PETS

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ANOTHER TOOL THAT'S 
USED FOR TEACHING.

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SHARON: IT STARTED WITH THE 
BEARDED DRAGON IS THE ANIMAL

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

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COMES TO SCHOOL AND 
THEN WE HAVE GOATS,

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WE HAVE RABBITS, 
WE HAVE A TURTLE,

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A TORTOISE AND FISH

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CHRISTINA: SHARON MCGAUGHEY SAYS 
THESE ANIMALS PROVIDE THE

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ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF TEACHING 
KIDS HOW TO CARE FOR OTHERS,

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AND HOW TO SHARE 
RESPONSIBILITIES

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NOT UNLIKE THE ENTIRE STAFF 
AT SILVER FORK.

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ASIDE FROM TWO TEACHERS, THE 
PRINCIPAL HERE IS ALSO

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THE SUPERINTENDENT.

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

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AND THE FOOD SERVICE WORKER.

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

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THEN A SMALL SCHOOL.

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>>THE KIDS ARE LIKE OUR KIDS

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

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SCHOOL, IT'S PRETTY SAD

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CHRISTINA: WHILE BOTH OF THE 
SILVER FORK TEACHERS CAME

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FROM MUCH LARGER SCHOOLS, 
THEY EACH WILL TELL YOU

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

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THERE'S JUST SOMETHING SPECIAL 
ABOUT THIS LITTLE

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SCHOOLHOUSE IN THE WOODS. 
WHAT IT LACKS IN SIZE

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IT MAKES UP FOR IN 
MANY OTHER WAYS.

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SHARON: IT JUST OFFERS 
OPPORTUNITIES WAY BEYOND

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THE NORMAL CLASSROOM.

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YOU KNOW TO SET EXAMPLES 
FOR THE KIDS.

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

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'CAUSE YOU REALLY DO, 
YOU BECOME A FAMILY.

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

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FOR HOW MUCH OF A FAMILY 
TYPE ATMOSPHERE IT IS.

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♪♪♪