It had to come to an end...too soon!

Today was the first day back from Christmas Break. I have always and will always believe that we should not start back with kids on a Monday from our long breaks (summer and Christmas). There are school around mine that only had staff development today...that would have been nice.

But, we didn't. The kids came with smiles on, happy to be back, and I was happy to see them again as well. I wasn't ready to jump right back into our normal schedule quite yet, so I planned something else. I knew each child would be very eager to tell me about something that happened over their break. Instead of sitting and listening to each child's story, they would write about it. This wasn't just a journal entry, their assignment was to brainstorm ideas, do a picture plan, a rough draft and finally publish their story.

As they were working on their stories, I was working on one of my own that the kids chose for me to write based on titles. Mine was "My Mystery Present". They chose that over "The Surprise Present" and "Golfing". I think they chose the best. They thought the present was going to be something amazing. (I'll try to my story tomorrow.) They asked for clues throughout the day, and knowing they would never guess the present, I gave the clues they asked for. It starts with a F and ends with an S. Some guesses were, "fine watches" (after they saw my new watch), "fire hoses", "fierce snakes", and some other very ridiculous things that didn't start with f or end with s.

Overall, I was very pleased with today's behavior and work ethic. Not everyone finished their writing pieces, but everyone worked very hard. I was able to conference with every kiddo and see where they thought they were struggling and also see where they were really struggling. This was also a good checkpoint to see their writing stamina that will be tested in less than 2 months. It's nice to know that writing is coming along okay, especially after receiving our Science Benchmark scores today and seeing how poorly we did. Did I say poorly, I meant terribly, atrocious, embarrassing! But, that's a whole other blog!

Are you refusing to work?

I have a very difficult students who I'm sure I've talked about before, but can't remember his alias. I guess I'll rename him with...Elliot. Elliot is severely unmotivated in most content areas, but especially in reading and writing. He often does not participate during reading mini lessons or write during Writers' Workshop. I've tried many things to get him going, but he just doesn't seem to care. I would like to rephrase that. He does seem to care, because when I talk about his behavior or refusal to work, he often gets a very angry look like he is upset with himself. In most cases, I understand where a child's anger or dislike for a certain type of work come to play, but with Elliot, it happens so often that I'm confused by it.

Today during math, we were noticing patterns when multiplying by 10s, 100s, 1000s. The class had a sheet to follow along with. We talked about the pattern, the answer for each one, and how we would figure out the next. Well, we excluded Elliot. I sauntered (we're learning about verbs of steel as well) to his desk only to notice all the blanks were filled with question marks. The first words out of my mouth were, "This is unacceptable!" I said this first because this was a discussion I was about to have for about the 10th time with Elliot. We've talked about it being unacceptable to write a question mark in the blank when we are working as a group and when there are 2 teachers to help (myself and my aide). I erased all of the question marks for him, tried to get him going again and he just put his head down. I asked, "Are you refusing to do your work?" He nodded his head.

-- I am documenting exactly how I handled the situation. I would not handle this type of situation like this every time, but I have given this child about 300 chances in many different settings within our classroom. You may not agree with this, but at the moment, and still during reflections, I agree with what I did. Also keep in mind that I already have a conference scheduled for tomorrow with this child's parents.--

I asked Elliot to leave my classroom. My door was already propped open, so I asked him to sit right in the doorway. When I got the rest of the class back on track, I asked Elliot if he was ready to re-enter our classroom and return to work. If he was not, I told him that he could go sit in Ms. H's room next door. (She is aware of this student's behavior and is very helpful in stressful times.) He followed me back to his desk and immediately put his head down. I said, "Grab your paper. You are going to Ms. H's room." "I don't want to go in there." "I'm sorry. It is not a choice. I gave you a choice to work and you chose not to. You have no more choices." He went to Ms. H's room and sat for the remainder of math.

I obviously have to figure out some way to motivate this student to work, but I'm stumped. He HATES cooperative work (and we do a lot of that), he hates anything that takes too much energy, he hates talking in front of the class (which I don't force on any child), and he hates when I ask him to do something. This child is very bright in math (commended on our state test last year) and fairly competent in reading. Unfortunately, he has only shown me that he is incapable of doing work without my step-by-step-by-step guidance....uuuugggghhhh!

Can I wear your glasses?

I have a student who has an obsession with glasses. He wants to know why people wear them (each one specifically), when are they going to get Lasik, and if he can wear their glasses. At times, this can be quite funny and at other times, it's quite annoying. Some things that are a part of his obsession are as follows:

- Continually asks me why I don't want Lasik. "It's not a big deal. A surgeon does it quick and easy. He just opens your eye and fixes it."

- Wants to wear my glasses, or my mom's when she visited, or anybody else's that are within his reach. He will almost steal them in order to try them on if I leave mine laying around.

- Once wore a pair of glasses to school that were not his. He told everyone they were his, but mom said they were not and she had no idea where he got them from.

- Wants to know the day people got Lasik if they did (or if they aren't wearing their glasses for some reason that day).

- Wants to know if every first grader is the little brother of a kid in our class who wears glasses.

Today he was trying to wear my glasses because they were temporarily left unattended on my desk. When I told him he should ask before picking things up, he asked, asked again, asked again and again until I couldn't stop laughing. When I said no he could not wear my glasses, he was trying to see through them without putting them on. He looked through the front and then through the correct side. He was so interested in what it feels like to wear my glasses. I have to keep an eye on where they are so they don't disappear at a random moment.

Is that private?

If you're wondering about the title and how appropriate the upcoming anecdotes might be, you're on the right track. Hopefully you've been keeping up with things and are familiar with my student named Victor. He is a special kid...in my heart and in spirit. So the story begins...

We were in the hallway. I was talking about hallway expectations (silence and standing in a line) when Victor started on his questioning rampage. I answered the first few and then when he went to hug me...this is something he likes to do to teachers--hug all of a sudden (kind of like pouncing on his prey). We're working on "personal space" and how that is not okay. He continues to hug randomly. And when I say hug, I mean wrap his arms completely around you and squeeze a little. I have to pry him off sometimes, as I see my aid doing as well. Well, our hugging and questioning session needed to stop because we needed to follow those hallway expectations. This is when his questioning took a turn for the worst. Please remember that Victor is one of those students who must have his questions answered. It's part of his charm and will not settle until he has all the answers he wants.

V: "Is there okay to touch?" (point at one of my breasts)
Me: "No, that's personal space. It is not okay for you to touch."
V: "Is that personal space?" (pointing to the other breast)
Me: "Yes, it is also personal space and not okay to touch."
V: "Is that private?" (point to the original breast)
Me: "Yes! It is part of my body that you may not touch. It is inappropriate to touch people in their privates or anywhere they think is personal space."
V: "Is that private?" (pointing to the other breast)
Me: "Yes, that is also private. I need you to get back in line. This is my space and you may not violate it."
V: "Is that private?" (pointing somewhere else...just think about it)
Me: "Yes, it is very private."
V: "Why are they called our privates?"
Me: "Because they are only for us. We don't show or touch our friends there."
V: "What happens if I touch you there?"
Me: "I WRITE YOU UP!"
V: "What do you mean?"
Me: "I mean I will write you a referral and you will go to the principal's office. That is not okay at all. It's not okay for teachers or your friends."
V: "What happens when you get a referral?"
Me: "You are aware of what happens. I need you to return to line. We can talk about this later if you would like."

I never thought I would have to have this conversation with a 4th grader, because they are usually aware of these things by now, but...Victor doesn't fit into the mold of the other 4th graders. If I hadn't had this conversation with him, he might have gone around touching and asking other people if their parts were private and in their personal space. It's never a boring day when Victor is in class.

Editing

Today we talked about editing and peer conferences. I introduced the 3 steps we were going to use for editing and how to go through each step. Using the 6 traits of writing, they would first look in their paper for certain things for ideas and organization, then word choice and voice, and lastly sentence fluency and conventions. Each step had some steps within. They were to do the steps themselves, then with a buddy, and then conference with me. It seems pretty straightfoward, but of course, there were always more questions. I don't mind questions because then I know the kids are trying to understand. I 100% prefer it to the students who sit at their desk because, "I don't know what to do." Unfortunately, I have a questioner who never gets anything...even the answers I give him.

R: "What do I do now?"
Me: "You need to look at your paper for these things. Once you see them and check for mistake or things you need to change, sign your name on that line."
R: "So, I just sign my name on this line?"
Me: "No. You need to check for these 3 things in your paper first. Do not sign your name until you have done that."
R: "I'm going to sign my name."
Me: "NO. You need to read your lead, conclusion, and the middle first."
R: Moves to sign his paper.
Me: "Wait! You need to underline your lead in red."
R: Underlines whatever he feels like (or so it looks).
Me: "What did you underline? Where is your lead?"
R: "What are you talking about?"
Me: "Remember last week, we talked about engaging leads. We even hung a poster on the wall and looked for them in books we were reading. We were all supposed to be writing our leads for our paper last week."
R: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Does your lead (I point) use one of our types listed on that poster?"
R: "What poster?"
Me: I go point and begin reading some of them.
R: "What am I supposed to do?"
Me: "You need to read the lead types and figure out which you want to use. How about dialogue??" (I give example specifically for his paper.)
R: "Where am I supposed to write it?"
Me: "Right here between the lines. We leave these lines to have space for changes later."
R: "But I can't write there, I have to write on every other line."
Me: "I know, but that space is there so we can use it when we need it...like right now."
R: "What?"
Me: "Go sit down and ask a friend what you're supposed to do!"

Peanut the Squirrel

"Tonight your homework page is called 'Peanut the Squirrel'. We talked about the difference between character traits and character feelings yesterday. You are going to read about Peanut and use the back to write some of his traits and feelings. For example, if Peanut lost his nuts, he would be sad or upset. If he got more nuts today, he would be happy and excited. Now, if Peanut was able to keep track of his nuts, he would be responsible. If Peanut kept track of his friend's nut, he would be trustworthy. Do you all understand what your homework is?"

How many of you found this explanation as inappropriate as I did? While these words were coming out of my mouth, all I could hope is that one of my students wouldn't pick up on the inappropriateness of my directions. If this had been last year's class, I wouldn't have ever thought about saying these particular words in this particular order, but this year, my class is so sweet that even if they did get it, they never brought it to my attention.

Hurricane of a day!

We found out late yesterday afternoon that today was going to be an early release because of the hurricane that is headed towards Galveston/Houston. Austin was trying to prepare for the evacuees from the coast. Some of the kids knew when they arrived at school and I informed others that school would be releasing at 12:45. This was a bit difficult for Richard to understand...
R: "My mom doesn't know today is an early release."
Me: "How are you supposed to get home?"
R: "My mom was supposed to tell me. She doesn't know that today is an early release."
Me: "I understand that you don't think she knows about today, but how were you planning on getting home today?"
R: "The bus."
Me: "Then you are still going to ride the bus. It's just going to leave school a couple hours earlier than usual."
R: "But my mom doesn't know it's an early release."
Me: "It's okay. You are going to ride the bus and get off at your house."
R: "But she won't know and won't be waiting on me."
Me: "But you know where your stop is?"
R: "Yes, but my mom won't know that I will be coming."
Me: "Is she home today?"
R: "Yes, but she won't know that I'm coming."
Me: "It's okay. If she is going to be home, you can just get off at your stop and walk to your house."
R: "But my mom won't know that I'm coming."
Me: "It will be okay. Just get on the bus today, get off at your stop, and then walk to your house."
(I would like to say this is an exaggerated conversation, but that would make my life easier.)
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Some things are funny...it's natural. I try to make the day fun for everyone, but some kids find humor in things that aren't really funny. Because of the hurricane and their never-ending questions, we watched the United Streaming video on Hurricanes. The kids loved this. I explained that I was not a hurricane expert and this video could explain things a bit better. We also looked at Ike's track on www.stormpulse.com. We talked about where they weathermen predicted it would go and also about future hurricanes. I read the list of names for the rest of this year's hurricanes and one of them was also the name of a child in our class. Well, this is what Victor found more hilarious than necessary. He began rolling on the floor laughing hysterically about the hurricane having the same name as the kid in our class. According to Victor's response, there hasn't been anything more funny that's happened in his life. Imagine a child rolling on the floor and laughing hysterically...he was unstoppable!

Never Leave a Rolling Chair Unattended

YAY...it's finally Friday! It was a good week and we accomplished a lot. I also learned a bit more about the abilities of my students. And along with all of that bizness, I have also gained some great stories...Let's start with the odd balls...I mean unique students in my class. I truly don't mean odd balls, but rather, children who are out of the ordinary model students.

This student who I will call Kevin is a very capable child. He is on grade level in every area. This child has one thing going against him. His body and mind are unable to concentrate on anything he does (also known as a form of ADHD). I am constantly redirecting this child back to work. He NEEDS me to stand around him in order to get him back on task the moment he is off task. I understand that children need a bit of down time and that is not what I'm referring to, but it is more of the kid tying himself in his chair with his jacket instead of working. He is also the child who lays out his jacket on the ground during dismissal in a very meticulous manner in order to sit down for 2 minutes before the line heads home.
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Victor is another story. Literally, another story...
He is the student I have with special needs. Today he did a few humorous things, which is a usual day for him. He has a great personality, is very entertaining, and is really a joy to have in class (regardless of the extra attention he requires). Today as I was helping him write and turned around to help other students. When I returned to his desk, he was holding the sharp end of his pencil in his ear. I took the pencil out and he immediately began apologizing. I explained that it's not safe to put pencils in your ear because you could poke things out in there.
"What could I poke out?"
"The inside of your ear."
"Where's that?" And he continued on. He also began saying that his ear at first didn't hurt after poking it and then he see-sawed back and forth about whether or not it hurt. He also then tried grabbing my finger and putting it in his ear. I had to inform him that, "My finger does not go in your ear."
This all may sound a bit odd to you, but this is the usual day in the life of Victor. In the life of Victor today, I also left my rolling/spinning chair unattended near his desk. When I returned after helping other kids, he was sitting in it and spinning around. It was funny, because I know none of the other kids in my class would have tried that (at this point in the year).
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"Ms. L, my mom said I will probably have to get braces when I'm older. Do you think I'll look cute with braces?" Of course I responded she would. She would actually look cute wearing or doing anything. She is a miniature 4th grader. She is much smaller than most of the other kids, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for with courage.

I love each and every one of my kids (at this point). They are each unique and wonderful and great students. They have exceeded my expectation with what I was hoping for this year and I go home happy and knowing that I've met my goals for the day. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

Are you supposed to be sharing this?

As I was walking my class to lunch yesterday, a student began telling me about her mother. This wasn't any ordinary story, but rather it was one that I'm sure her mom would not want her telling everyone.

- "Ms. L..."
- "Yes?"
- "My mama might be pregnant?"
- "Oh really?"
- "Yeah, she thinks she's pregnant, but she said she doesn't want to get a pregnancy test until next month because insurance won't pay for it until then."
- "Ohhhhhh."
- "She's been having stomach aches in the morning and she's always tired. She's been sleeping a lot. This is how she acted when she was pregnant with my sister.
- "Hmmmmm."
- "Yeah, I really want a baby brother, so I hope she's pregnant. I already have a sister and a brother and we want another."
- "Oh, you want more brothers and sisters?"
- "Yeah. I hope she gets that test soon so we'll know."

Today...
- "I hope my mom does the test."
- "What test?"
- "The little brother one!"
- "Huh, what test are you talking about?"
- "The one where she knows if she's pregnant."
- "Oh, okay."
- "She said she might take it sooner. I hope she does. I want to know."

ME TOO!

Field Day

Oh, how it all began...

I vividly remember Field Day from when I was a kid...the whole class wore their class t-shirts with their class name, "Coyle's Cobras" (my 3rd grade class), a hat, lathered on sun screen, laced up their tennis shoes, and marched into the field behind the school to claim what was rightfully their's...the pride of being the winning class at the end of the day. We had the 100-yard dash, tug-of-war, some relays, etc. The events had already been chosen for each student by the teacher. The kids who weren't participating were cheering on their team because there would be a Team Spirit Award at the end of the day as well. I don't ever remember if I was in a winning class or if I won any events on my own, because the whole day in itself was so much fun. Those types of field days are in the past...well, at least at the school where I currently teach.

I was excited to have a break of teaching for a day before I found out that our Field Day is in reality a Field Half-Day. I would have to keep my crazy kiddos in the room learning all morning and then we would have our chance at the fun in the afternoon. Our schedule was very screwed up...lunch was 2 hours earlier than usual, no specials, and we had to be in different places at different times.

11:45 was within breathing distance, so I asked who wanted sunscreen after most of them said they didn't have any on or in their bag. If my mom taught me one thing during my childhood (and even adulthood), it is to lather on that sunscreen...it's easier than handling the pain of a sunburn (and healthier too). It ended up being an impromptu lesson on how to apply sunscreen because most of my class had no idea where to put it, how to rub it in, and most importantly--don't rub it over your eye lids. I put dots on their faces where they needed to rub it in after a few kids started rubbing it in their hands and one on his chin. Yes...we were finally protected against harmful UV rays and ready to expend all the energy I'd been trapping within the walls of my classroom all morning.

We headed to the "Gym Area" for our first activities of Field Day. I was, at first, disappointed. The activities seemed lame and I figured the kids would tire of them easily. I was WRONG! They loved the ridiculous games that had been set up--bowling, carpet races, Dance Dance Revolution (using tape on the floor rather than video game mats), a boogies station, limbo, sponge relays, clamming in a plastic baby pool, broom ball, pizza delivery (see picture), and some other games that I can't even think of a good name to describe them. The kids loved playing at each of these stations. They especially loved the boogie station because at one point, Soulja Boy came blasting out of the speakers. It was as if they were all in hi music video...not a single kid didn't know the dance. They also all knew how to "Walk It Out" and do some break dancing (see picture). It was a good time though and it was nice to allow my kids to dance and not get upset because they are doing in the classroom and distracting everyone from learning. We moved on to some other activities where I learned that my class does not know how to divide themselves into equal lines. At many of the "events", there were 4, 5 or even 6 different groups. The person working the event would ask them to get in equal lines and it never failed that they were unable to do this. (Guess what we will be practicing next week?!?!)

Finally...TUG-O-WAR! This was the only event that reminded me of my many years as a Field Day participant. Round 1: Boys vs. Girls (FYI: I have 13 boys and 7 girls) I was on the girls team and felt like I was the only one pulling. My hands were burning from the rope after we were easily defeated. Round 2: Numbers 1-10 and 11-22 (their classroom/student numbers...about even in boys vs. girls) It was an easier match than the first round...one of the teams won. Round 3: Even vs. Odd (classroom numbers again) This was again an easy defeat. I noticed one person who was on the winning team each time...who played anchor...for a reason.

I don't believe that I've yet mentioned how dreadfully hot it was outside. We were standing on cement much of the time, which only made it more of a sweat fest. And the big conclusion for this fabulously, fun, and fiery day...the parent who "doesn't take stock in anything I have to say" appeared! He didn't say a word to me and I kindly smiled at him when I felt it necessary. I had mentioned to a substitute for another 4th grade class what had transpired between this parent and myself. (She was the short-term sub for my class between the old teacher and when I arrived.) This parent went to talk to her and I could hear my ears ringing...of course they were talking about me! What else would they talk about? He still never once uttered a word to me (only through his daughter), but the sub filled me in on the conversation. She was explaining how hard it is to take over a class, especially this one and what a great job I've done, etc. She went on and on. She told me she knew he was listening because he even agreed at one point that, "Yeah, it must be hard." Was this an epiphany? Did he finally realize that his attitudinal daughter was not my only concern on a daily basis? Maybe, maybe not...the only thing that mattered to me was that she did not even give him time to say one bad word about me. Maybe he'll think about it and realize how wrong he was. Even if he never apologizes or speaks to me again, I'll know that his words were out of ignorance and not understanding how much a teacher deals with from day to day.

After a small victory there, I was headed home, for I was exhausted and barely had a voice remaining. It's tiring yelling at your kids to get in equal lines at every event. It's hard saying over and over again that you aren't allowed walk around the school where ever you want. It's even more difficult standing out in the sweltering heat for 5 hours, just because it's different from the daily routine in the classroom, which I have built up stamina for. Thank goodness that Field Day is only a half day and that all the kids were able to participate at every event. My kids had a blast and I can say that I had some fun myself (letting the kids hug me when they were soaked just because they thought it was funny).

Below are some pictures of some activities we did...at least the ones where no students' faces are pictured.Part of the obstacle course...they all seemed to have a problem going under this without knocking it over.

Another teaching practicing her dance skills with Dance Dance Revolution.

Bowling...the lane dividers were 2x4s.

Snow Shoes...i.e. sliding your feet across the floor using carpet squares.

The dummy to run around in the obstacle course. One was the Fantastic Four the other was Daffy Duck.

Collect as many tennis balls in the bucket as you can without using your hands.

Pizza Delivery...collect one box each time...then stack them all back before any other team.

Bug Collectors

Broom Ball Relay...use the broom to get the ball through the goals.

I can't remember the name of these things, but I remember friends having them when I was younger. I wasn't very good at them and I'm still not. My class got quite the laugh when I tried it. These were in the station with jump ropes and hula hoops.

I don't think the calories do anything to me.

Today was an Early Release day, which meant we jam-packed the morning in order to send the kids home at 12:45. The afternoon was meant for parent conferences, but I only have one parent who wants a conference. If you'll remember, I had another scheduled, but it was cancelled because the parents "doesn't take stock in anything I have to say".

We visited the computer lab to do a fossil web quest, figured out what a family of 4 could buy with their budget when going to Six Flags, and continued with our independent reading for our scrapbooks (will discuss later). The kids could have been crazier today and I was thankful they weren't. The weather wasn't great and their altered schedule combined make for one hellacious day.

While working on our web quest, I had kids asking me what to do. Let me first explain the directions they were given and then I'll tell you their questions...
"Okay y'all...you are going to the page titled "Now and Then". When you get there, choose a picture. Write down what it says after "Now" and also what is says after "Then" in your science journals. You should have made a chart for these two spaces. Got it? Click, read, and write!"
Them: "I don't get this! I don't understand...what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to write down? I don't want to do this because I don't know how!"
Are you kidding me, didn't I just explain all of this? And these were the kids who were listening. The ones who weren't listening just figured it out. This is the story of my life...repeating directions because they weren't listening or just because they are too lazy to try and figure it out on their own.

After school today, I had two of my students stay and help for a few minutes with cleaning up the room, organizing the books, and sorting papers. They usually go to the YMCA after-school program, but were complaining about how mean the teacher is. I allowed them to help for a few minutes. When I told them they had to go back, I walked them inside only to listen to a strange conversation one of them was having with himself.
Brandon: "One day I ate 2 whole gallons of ice cream. I love ice cream! I can sit and eat it all day. And I don't think the calories do anything to me."

I wish I could say the same thing...at least it was a humorous ending to my day.

Just Another Ordinary Day

Today was just about average on my scale of maintaining a successful learning environment. Nothing abnormal or exciting happened today. I spent the morning giving a reading assessment and returned to a calm classroom (thank goodness!). My class doesn't have the best track record with subs. Needless to say, the day was off to a great start...tests were done, I didn't have an awful sub report, and I wasn't worn out from a morning of teaching.

I did have one story that was told to me today that truly disturbed me. It came from the girl who has a pretty bad home life who I've written about before. Knowing where this story comes from makes it worse. She comes up and says, "I saw someone die this weekend." WHAT?!?! "He was very drunk and fell off the boat. He hit his head when he fell. He was bleeding everywhere and he died." I asked a few probing questions, but didn't find out much more. I had 2 main concerns about this story. 1 - How is her emotional well-being after seeing a person die this weekend? 2 - Why is a 4th grader with adults who were drunk enough to fall off a boat?
I referred her for further inquiry only to find out the story was one big lie! The only thing that was true was a guy did fall because he was drunk, but he hit is head on a nail, not the side of a boat...and he's still alive! Her story kept changing and I'm not even sure if I know the truth.

Was this a cry for attention or what? It makes me sad that she has to contrive such an awful story in order to get attention. I know that I could give her more attention in my classroom, but unfortunately, I have a whole classroom full of kids that need more attention. I know that she probably doesn't get much attention at home so what she gets from me is all she gets. Trying to help her before she goes through a life of struggles is what I became a teacher for.

When is mating season for hermit crabs?

Today was a dreary Monday that felt more like a Thursday. The kids were fine until the cold front started to blow in after lunch. After that they became very talkative and resembled the class that I have trouble dealing with most days of the week.
The morning went close to fabulously and we were on target for behavior and work to be done. We were able to do a very interactive lesson because everyone was being very attentive and quiet. I like teaching like that...I hate teaching where I talk and the kids listen because they don't know how to participate appropriately. That's why I became a teacher...not to lecture. Kids don't learn by just listening.
On the way back to class from the bathroom this afternoon, I was bombarded with stories and questions. My kiddos seem to think that walking in line is the time to ask questions and tell stories. I know they have all kids of things they want to talk about and not enough time in the classroom, but walking down the hall is not the time. I may need to put a box on my desk for questions they have or stories they want to tell.

I almost forgot to write about my educational lunch. Each week, I give a group of kids the opportunity to win Lunch Bunch. This consists of me eating lunch in the classroom with the kids and sometimes we watch cartoons as well. During today's lunch we turned on the Disney channel to see what was on. Apparently the kids were in agreement that they didn't like the show that was on and they had a long list of shows they preferred. I heard them all sing the theme song for Witches of Waverly Place and some Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) songs. Did I mention that this is a group of boys who won Lunch Bunch today? They also taught me the difference between a few shows and why certain shows were better than others. I was moving furniture during most of this TV education, but I did catch something I thought was funny. So, I was asked what happens when a genius and rocket scientist get married...(because it happened on Kim Possible). You never want to marry a rocket scientist if you're a genius and vice versa because your kids will be so smart that they know how to build rockets and they'll do it in the house. I had no idea such issues were happening on the Disney channel. haha...Oh and The Suite Life of Zach and Cody is the best show on Disney!

Writing this blog has caused me to reflect daily and make changes accordingly (i.e., adding a story and question box to my desk)...it's been a wonderful thing.

Oh yeah, the title...I was asked that while walking down the hall by our resident hermit crab fanatic. Am I really supposed to know things like that?