Split Class

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So when I was in 4th grade, I was in a split class. My teacher was Mr. Mazmanian, but he let us call him Mr. Maz. This was by far my favorite class in elementary school. What was so cool about it was that as a 4th grader, I was in a class with older kids, we were all learning the same things, but they were older and could help us if we didn't get something. The older kids learned to work with younger children which reinforced our confidence. And likewise they provided emotional maturity, leadership and academic skills that we could model. The best part was that Mr. Maz took us home to have dinner with him and his wife in pairs. Sometimes we were paired with a friend in our grade, and sometimes not. He was super cool and his wife was really nice. It was the first time in my life that I thought of my teacher as a friend rather than an authority figure. I still abided by his authority as an adult and a teacher - but it was the first time that I realized he was real and human just like me. Kind of like when you find out that your parents aren't perfect or the first famous person that you meet is really just as human as you. I will never forget Mr. Maz or the impact his style of teaching had on my life.

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