Exerpts from practice writing papers...

Prompt: Write about something special you've received.
-- Then it was St. Patrick's day and we had a small get together with friend and family the at 7pm my mom broke her water so we had to herry up and go to the hospital. My mom said that she has to have a sea sektion to get my brother out. So my dad had to wear this weird suit. so about 1 hour of waiting my dad finally got out and said, "He is out of the world."

Prompt: Write about a time you made a new friend.
-- We talk on the phone with each other. We stay on the phone for like 3 minutes.

Prompt: Write about a time you helped someone.
-- If I wake my mom up for a whole week, I get $10 every week. When I hit 10 weeks I'll be so excited I'll want to pee on myself but then my mom would whoop me.

Prompt: Write about a time you learned something new.
-- The time I learned something new is about my teacher! I found out sooooo many things about her. Her name is Ms. L. She's very, very, very cool. I found out that Ms. L. likes the longhorns, kids, and most of all being a teacher....
Ms. L made a class store for the class and she made a game where you put your tickets in a bag and she pulls out your name and you pick a prize. (also known as a raffle where I sucker them into giving me all their tickets for a prize so they can't spend them on other things)
Another thing I learned is that the reason she likes teaching is because she took a class about teaching and she likes kids.
(She did get extra points for writing about me of course!)

-- The intruder's aroma was the weirdest one I'd ever smelled. It smelled like a pit hole of wine. I thought, "Why'd I ever smell wine in the middle of the night?"
(I thought that too...especially a 4th grader! And what is a pit hole of wine?)

--Something new I have learned is how to make new friends. My mom would always say never be mean, give them alone time, tell them nice things. I always yelled "ok" and I always do that she told me to do. But sometimes I get to carried away here and I am too nice to a lot of people. Then they think since I'm so nice I'll give them whatever they want, but that doesn't happen. The easiest part to me of making friends is not getting mad very often. The hardest part is giving them compliments, especially if I have to. But to me, making friends is a piece of cake. Also, it's good to have good friends because if you lose some you can still have some, but it is so good to be nice to your friends so you won't have to lose them. But I will not ever lose my friends because I already have all their phone numbers and I bet if they get it changed, they'll call me and tell. Also, it's not good to lie to your best friends cause if you lie, they can't trust you anymore.
(Some wise advise!)

Tattling

I don't like tattling. Fourth graders should have figured out other ways to deal with each other without tattling by now...but no, they haven't. I'm not against teacher assistance in solving a problem, but that is completely different from, "Ms. L, she took my pencil." Just ask for the stupid pencil back! Now, if she's throwing it at your head...that's when you involve me.
So, to deal with the unnecessary tattling in my class, I started charging tickets for tattling. This is meant to have the kids think a bit before they tell me. And I love when the other kids say, "Ms. L, make sure they pay you 5 tickets for tattling!" OR "Ms. L, I tried talking to her, but she's not listening, so here's my 5 tickets.......She won't stop singing!!!"

The reasons I'm a teacher...

The kid who NEVER brings back his homework or anything else brought me a present for Valentine's Day (on time)!

Hearing kids brag about who their teacher is to their friends, which makes me an instant celebrity.

To hear a kid say, "Oh, I get it now!"

To get hugs, just because kids like to hug.

To have listeners for any story I want to tell.

To be a stable person in kids' lives.

To be involved in crazy school drama!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Valentine's

During our discussion today about tomorrow Valentine's Party...

Sasha: "Ms. L, do you know how to eat a chocolate rose?"
Me: "Why do you ask that? Why do I need to know how to do that?"
Sasha: "I'm just curious!"
--I received a chocolate rose for Valentine's...what a surprise that was!

Valerie: "Can I please tell you your Valentine's surprise?"
Me: "Why would you want to do that?"
Valerie: "Because I can't hold it in anymore."

I know why...

I was model writing a story when I was explaining that my dad said no to something and then demonstrated how I begged him PLLLLEEEAAASSSSSE!

Amani: "I know why he changed his mind...girls have that voice, that one you're doing right now, THAT voice!!! And dads just can't say no."

Couldn't stop laughing...still smiling when I think about it, because I know how right he was! At least he realizes it now so when he has daughters, he's aware!

Things Teachers Look Forward To...

...holiday parties.
...tests.
...parent conferences.
...working late (later than usual).
...principal drop-by observations.
...grading papers.
...field trip madness.
...lesson planning.
...spending your hard earned money on classroom stuff.
...receiving your pathetic paycheck ONCE A MONTH.
...staff development.

If you're a teacher, I hope this brings a smile to your face after you sense every bit of sarcasm that is included!

Ms. Jones

Why does it bother me so much to hear..."That's what Ms. Jones did!" OR "Ms. Jones tried that!"
I just want to shout, "Well, I'm not Ms. Jones and this is how I'm doing it. It will work this time!!!!!"
The teacher it didn't work for told the kids to shut up and harped on the negativity. She also refused to let a child use the bathroom, which resulted in her peeing herself.

After months of Ms. Jones rehab, it's nice to hear, "Who's Ms. Jones?"

Makes me smile!!

Don't...

...judge a kid by his/her handwriting...well, maybe sometimes!

...tell one kid a secret, the rest will find out.

...ask me how much longer recess is! You may get an extra 10 minutes if I don't look at my watch and realize we're late for the library.

...ask me a question after I've answered it 20 times already!

...ever feel bad for giving a consequence when a student makes a bad choice. They knew the rules and still made a bad decision. Hopefully, they'll learn from it and you'll never have to feel bad again.

...say you're going to do something and then forget to do it. You will be reminded 22 times that you forgot.

...forget to do something after you've said you'll do it TWICE!

...forget to use your teacher status for discounts. They come few and far between, but take advantage when you can!

...try teaching when holidays are approaching.

...ever ever try to do serious teaching the day of a holiday party!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hoy...That's not today in Spanish, but how I feel after today...

Why do kids talk non-stop? Don't they talk at home? When I have kids, I will never tell my kids to stop talking, because if I do, I know they will just go to school and bother their teacher by talking all day.
But...being the teacher is so much fun on days like this...I am the teacher and can make them do whatever non-fun thing I want to get my point across (because I can't teach (or think) when they talk!)...like practice their multiplication facts repeatedly. I promise...they needed the practice and I was planning it all along!

A little laughter...another 4th grade teacher overheard two boys in her class talking...
"You're never supposed to tell a girl to shut up."
"And, you're never supposed to buy her a large when she's really a medium."

More from the Minds of First Graders

Flora: "Your first name is Katie? That's a cute name."

Flora: "Katie, I'm stuck in my chair, can you help me?"
(Remember that I'm her teacher and she has always called me Ms. L before this.)

Yasmine: "I don't like running. Can I do Kung-Fu instead?"

Cade: "I colored my goldfish and ate it...it was magic!"

Flora: "Are you a Cheetah girl?"
ME: "No, why would you ask that?"
Flora: "Because I was watching them on TV and you look like one of them."
(I guess that may be a compliment.)

ME: "What a cute haircut you got!"
Flora: "Yeah...my mom decided that I was going to get it cut so I wouldn't be late to school anymore. And you know what? Ever since I cut it, I haven't been late...AT ALL! I guess since I don't have hair to play with in the morning, I can't be late."

From the Minds of First Graders

Just a few of my favorites from student teaching!

During a class discussion...
ME: "Where do we get money from?"
Henry: "Trees!!"
ME: "So we just go pick it from the tree in our backyards?"
Henry: "YES!"

While I was sitting with the kids during lunch one day...
Lily: "How much fat are in those chips? I only eat healthy things."
Flora: "I don't know."
Anoush: "How many cavities are in those chips?"

At recess...
Mia: "Ms. L, you looked like a supermodel when you were walking towards us with the sun behind you and your sunglasses on?"
ME: "I guess I will have to walk with the sun behind me and wear my sunglasses ALL THE TIME!"