Teacher Feature

Teacher Feature: Ms. McDevitt

Ms. McDevitt’s Marble Creations

As my 6th graders have learned, the final engineering project for them this quarter is to create a marble track. The idea behind it is to use simple machines, to design and construct a marble coaster along a section of wall. All the materials are set, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

When I was a kid I LOVED building marble tracks, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to make that part of the project this year. I don’t remember getting my first marble track, but I still have it. It’s thick plastic in primary colors. By the time I was seven I could make the marble twist, jump, and go backward with just a few clicks of the pieces coming together. Over my childhood, I acquired three more sets. One was bright orange and green featuring “old school” Nickelodeon characters like the Rocket Power gang, Jimmy Neutron, and SpongeBob, back when he was still a new show. The last one was magnetic, and probably my favorite. I got it for Christmas from my dad. I hadn’t even asked for it, but he saw it and just knew that that was the perfect gift.

I built, combined and created more and more marble creations, each becoming more complex as I got older. In the 4th grade, my teacher allowed us to have free time in the classroom when we have to have recess indoors or earned a special reward. These days were my favorite because in the back of the classroom there was… a marble track set. By the end of the year, I had mastered making the marble jump onto a chair and magically glide across to the rest of the tracks. My teacher was so impressed when she got a new computer (desktop by the way, which came in this gigantic box!!) she allowed for me to work silently in the back of the room, during reading time after lunch, turning the box into whatever I wanted. This is when I discovered cardboard as a building material.

From then on, anytime I could find cardboard I would hide it away for my next big project It was almost to the point of hoarding. With cereal and Kleenex boxes, toilet paper tubes, and empty soda bottles, I would spend hours down in my basement building elaborate marble tracks.

Back then, I didn’t have TV, reliable internet service, or any game consoles, and I lived about 15 minutes from town. It was either play with my younger siblings, who were all under 5 or entertain myself. I chose the latter.

Here is where things really got intense! My tracks would span ceiling to floor, across the basement (think basically the size of the lab room). The marble would cross tables, under chairs, loop around support beams, and even bounce onto the floor and up to the next section of track.

My siblings loved these coasters! Every time I go home now, they beg me to build a new track for them, especially my brother Mitchell. He is a 6th grader this year, so I thought if he liked building marble tracks, then why wouldn’t my 6th grade students?

Marble tracks have always been a huge part of my life, which may seem a bit weird. It allowed me to be creative, work with my hands, and for me, it was the most fun I could have. My 6th graders have a lot to live up to, but I am sure that their creations will be awesome!!

-Ms. McDevitt