It’s a bit after 4 p.m. in early March at Officer Elementary School in East St. Louis, and in Margaret Carey’s classroom, second-grade students have just finished a 10-minute exercise using their imaginations to build big structures with colorful straws and connectors.
“This is a roller coaster, but y’all may see y’all gotta have y’all seatbelts on, because this big thing could hurt y’all,” says eight-year-old Diary, showing off her group’s construction to much applause. Two more students present their group’s creations, a house and a beach, to similar encouragement.
“Clock it!” Carey and the other students respond in unison, making a pinching motion with their fingers…