We are the ... T nutricula?

At Seabury, democratic classroom practices and student empowerment are at the forefront of what we do, and many classes choose a class name at the beginning of the year that has something to do with the subjects they are studying or the overarching concept that guides those studies. In the past, we've had class names ranging from the "Narwhals" to the "Supernaturalists." Often these names are base don an inside joke, or particular student's interest, but the name chosen always has to be justified, lobbied for, and finally voted on.

This year, the 5th graders chose the name T. nutricula, a type of "immortal" jellyfish. As a teacher, I love to see a student's passions sparked by the mention of a strange and little-known species in a novel we are reading in class. The fact that the students were interested in learning more about this jellyfish, were excited to research it and find out if it was real, and then became fascinated with the idea of its immortality is a great example of how students at Seabury take an idea and run with it, creating a classroom culture of wonder and excitement about learning that spreads through this school like wildfire. We ended up learning what a polyp is, discussing the difference between asexual vs. sexual reproduction, and extrapolating this into a philosophical discussion of how scientists are people who "believe in the possible" and then search and persevere in order to learn more.

In this respect, I think T. nutricula is a perfect name for this group of science-minded learners, and fully representative of the unique (and, yes, often quirky) qualities of each member of this extraordinary class.

But when you are a teacher of gifted students, your role is that of the "guide on the side," and it is more important what the class members themselves think. So, here's one student's explanation:

The amazing T. nutricula

Have you ever wanted to go back in time, to when you were little and life was easier? Unfortunately, humans can’t do that, but one outstanding species of jellyfish can. The T. nutricula is known for its amazing ability to revert back to its polyp stage. This means that the jellyfish is technically immortal, but it still can die of disease or being consumed by predators. This amazing species of jellyfish is the only animal in the world that can live forever. 

Some animals like the starfish can regrow certain body parts after losing them, but the T. nutricula can re-grow its entire body after becoming a polyp. This cycle can go on forever, meaning that if you see a T. nutricula it could be a thousand years old. You can find this immortal jellyfish anywhere, but it originated in the Caribbean.

The T. nutricula is so interesting that the children’s book author Jennifer L. Holm wrote [about it] in the novel The Fourteenth Goldfish. This story is about a girl whose grandfather eats part of a T. nutricula and becomes younger. In the 5^th grade class of Seabury elementary we read this book as a class and got interested in the T. nutricula. At that point we were still deciding on a class name and the T. nutricula was related to a lot of the things we were studying, like marine biology and health. Our class was given the option to vote for the T. nutricula or the aquamarines and the T.nutricula won by 2 votes. That is why our class name is now the T. nutricula.

-Art and essay by Seabury 5th grade students