And we’re back at McQuarrie Middle School. Dwight’s back too, and now the kids have a new common enemy: The FunTime Education System. Like I said in an earlier review, the author has an opinion about standardized testing and schools teaching to the test. It is not a good opinion, and it is an opinion which I share. As to the kids at McQuarrie.
So, the school failed the standardized testing last year, which ain’t good. As a parent, I’d probably be pulling my kid out of a school like that (it’s why my kid’s at a charter!). Anyway, in an effort to bring up the school’s grade, the powers that be get rid of all of the electives and instead introduce FunTime. Which is pretty much the opposite. The kids have to watch terrible videos and do boring worksheets every day. They hate everything about it. Origami Yoda tells the kids they need to form an Origami Rebel Alliance to fight the FunTime Empire.
Part of the problem is: who really is the villain here? The teachers? The principal? The school board? The superintendent? The parents? The government? Maybe all of the above? But the larger point is that the kids all start to work together, resisting what has been forced (derp) upon them.
The books do seem to be improving as the series progresses. They’re still clearly for younger kids, which is why my son loves them. Plus he’s folding all the dang characters – they’re everywhere in my house. And my car. He folds napkins at restaurants and leaves the origami with our tip. It’s kind of cute. As an experiment, we’re loaning the books to my niece who’s starting 6th grade in a couple of weeks. She’s more of an age with the characters, so we’ll see what she thinks.
Leave a Reply