It's time for a pop quiz!

Question: What do the following pictures have in common? 

A. The Litter Kwitter - a kit to teach cats how to use the toilet

B. The Snuggie 

C. The Privacy Partition 

Answer: All these products were invented as solutions for daily problems. 

The problems may not be huge -- the Snuggie will never negotiate peace in the middle east -- and the solutions may not be for everybody -- the litter box works just fine for most cat owners-- but for some people, these inventions may make a valuable difference in daily life. In a classroom of young children, where a tiny problem easily becomes a tearful crisis, a tiny solution may keep the lesson running smoothly and make a big difference.

Consider the Privacy Partition above. In my first grade class, this little guy was a lifesaver.

In my first year of teaching, the weekly spelling quizzes were a nightmare. One student would shout that another student was cheating, then the two would argue about it, and while order was being restored, everyone else slyly cheated. I felt like a cop, the kids were anxious, and the same problems arose week after week.

In my second year, we made these "privacy shields" in the first week of school, at the end of the third day when the kids were falling apart with exhaustion. It was a simple activity, requiring only three manilla folders per child, glue, and markers. Each child kept one in his or her desk. The children were encouraged to use their "privacy shields" whenever they wanted private space or needed to shut out distractions.

Although intended only to improve spelling quizzes, the privacy shield solved a lot of other small problems. Those well-behaved quiet students who were seated next to energetic little noisemakers were able to pull out their privacy shields to create a barrier during seatwork -- without interrupting the teacher or the lesson. Those chronically distracted students who desperately wanted to focus were able to create an "office space" for themselves. Some children used them every day, others rarely took them out. The privacy shield became a solution children could access on their own, part of their "toolkit" for solving problems independently.

I am looking to gather solutions like this from you, dear reader. Think of a SkyMall catalog for teaching ideas. Every time I observe a teacher teach, I see more fascinating and inventive solutions. When teaching in Japan, I saw dozens. What little solutions have you seen in other classrooms, in other countries, in other learning cultures?