Yesterday, the fourth graders at my school ventured out to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. I was well prepared and knew my class would be well-behaved.
We started out seeing an IMAX movie about Texas, which I really enjoyed. I sat next to Victor during this movie, which I also really enjoyed. He seemed to love the movie and also asking me which city every clip was of. After the IMAX, we had some time to view the exhibit before lunch. My kids broke off into their groups and went to work on their assignments. (Yes, they had an assignment!) There were specific parts of the exhibit that they had to answer questions about or compare to another part. As the teacher, I took the most difficult group of kids. They aren't necessarily badly behaved, but this group of kids tends to get over excited and that affects their behavior in a negative way. I took these guys for myself so I wouldn't have to later get onto them for not listening to the chaperons.
Overall, the reports from the chaperons were all wonderful! The kids were very well-behaved, followed the agreements we made about behavior in a museum, and represented our school positively. Now, we were not the only school at the museum. There was a school from another city who must have not discussed museum etiquette. While I had my group looking at part of an exhibit, this other group of kids pushed their way in front of my class and was grabbing everything. They were also running around other places and yelling loudly. I once asked them to not yell, but it was ineffective. I would have been completely embarrassed if it was my class behaving in that manner. In the same respect, I do understand the struggles of managing all of them and am grateful that I didn't have to take last year's class to the museum. Regardless...if my kids had behaved like that, we would have sat in the lobby instead.
We are taking one more field trip later this year and I am very excited about it. We head to a Christmas Tree Farm that sets up "A Little Bit of Texas Tour" for 4th graders about Texas settlements. My favorite part is the tetherball at lunch time...this is when I get to show all these 4th graders how to REALLY play tetherball. I should tell them to start practicing now.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Never Leave Victor Unattended
Today was one crazy day! We had school pictures and library time, along with rainy weather for 90% of the day. You have all figured out by now that craziness often means good blogs, as long as I'm not too tired to write it. Well, this was another interesting and humorous day in the world of Victor.
Because it was picture day, Victor didn't want to go to his usual class, but wanted to stay in class so he could go to pictures on time with us. I obliged and let him stay in class. During this time, my portable-buddy and I co-teach social studies (it's something we are "researching"). We were all in her classroom and while we were helping other students, Victor got loose. I turned around to find Victor twirling in Ms. H's chair and trying to use her computer. He thought it was perfectly fine. (If you remember, I wrote a blog warning teachers to never leave rolling chair unattended.) We talked about personal space, AGAIN, and how that space was not for him. With that settled...
Our pictures were scheduled for the science lab. The kids were all wonderful waiting in line and letting me fix their hair and make sure collars were in place. While waiting for everyone to finish, Victor made friends with the skeleton. At first he was holding hands with the skeleton and then using the skeleton's hands to poke people. I then turn around after some primping to see Victor with the skeleton's arm wrapped around his neck. He was trying to dance with the poor skeleton. If I had had a camera, this would have been a really cute picture. I was unable to stop laughing and admired Victor and what he truly brings to our class...a little bit of ridiculous humor.
Near the end of the day, I was again helping other students and turned around to find Victor behind my desk. This time he was playing with the trinkets I have on my filing cabinet. He removed one item and wanted to walk away with it, while he rearranged all the others. I tried to make a deal with Victor in order to play with it in the future, but he didn't really care for that. (He doesn't tend to like things for the future. He needs to talk about the present.) We'll talk about this again when I feel like he earns some time with the toy.
My goodness...trying to assist 20 kids and always keep an eye on Victor is my biggest challenge.
Because it was picture day, Victor didn't want to go to his usual class, but wanted to stay in class so he could go to pictures on time with us. I obliged and let him stay in class. During this time, my portable-buddy and I co-teach social studies (it's something we are "researching"). We were all in her classroom and while we were helping other students, Victor got loose. I turned around to find Victor twirling in Ms. H's chair and trying to use her computer. He thought it was perfectly fine. (If you remember, I wrote a blog warning teachers to never leave rolling chair unattended.) We talked about personal space, AGAIN, and how that space was not for him. With that settled...
Our pictures were scheduled for the science lab. The kids were all wonderful waiting in line and letting me fix their hair and make sure collars were in place. While waiting for everyone to finish, Victor made friends with the skeleton. At first he was holding hands with the skeleton and then using the skeleton's hands to poke people. I then turn around after some primping to see Victor with the skeleton's arm wrapped around his neck. He was trying to dance with the poor skeleton. If I had had a camera, this would have been a really cute picture. I was unable to stop laughing and admired Victor and what he truly brings to our class...a little bit of ridiculous humor.
Near the end of the day, I was again helping other students and turned around to find Victor behind my desk. This time he was playing with the trinkets I have on my filing cabinet. He removed one item and wanted to walk away with it, while he rearranged all the others. I tried to make a deal with Victor in order to play with it in the future, but he didn't really care for that. (He doesn't tend to like things for the future. He needs to talk about the present.) We'll talk about this again when I feel like he earns some time with the toy.
My goodness...trying to assist 20 kids and always keep an eye on Victor is my biggest challenge.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Education, Go Get It!
We recently had a special week at school called, "Education, Go Get It Week!" It was meant to show our kids that they need some type of education to 'survive' in an adult world and that they are each capable of receiving some type of secondary education. I think this is all a wonderful idea and in fantasy land, it's even better, but I don't work at Fantasy Land Academy.
I teach at a school where most of the parents did not attend college and work somewhere that has minimal potential for advancement. These children might know someone who went to college, but it is probably not a close connection that provides positive support for them. Before I say too much, let me remind you that we do have many parents who attended college and have careers (rather than jobs), but the majority of our parents do not.
We have been reinforcing the fact that even if you don't think you can afford college, there are plenty of ways to pay for it. This is where I see a problem. I was raised in a middle class family with parents who had careers and could afford some luxuries. Regardless of this, paying for college was still difficult. My parents will be paying for my college for years to come, as will I. I know that I still have at least a decade of loan payments ahead of me and my parents probably have the same. This is something that many people would struggle with. I struggle with it and I do have a steady income. How am I supposed to honestly tell my class that they can afford college regardless of anything else? Yes, there are scholarships out there, but not as many as people claim. At least that's what I noticed 5 years ago when I was looking for them. I feel this is all false hope for these kids. Hopefully they will all prove me wrong in 9-10 years!
I teach at a school where most of the parents did not attend college and work somewhere that has minimal potential for advancement. These children might know someone who went to college, but it is probably not a close connection that provides positive support for them. Before I say too much, let me remind you that we do have many parents who attended college and have careers (rather than jobs), but the majority of our parents do not.
We have been reinforcing the fact that even if you don't think you can afford college, there are plenty of ways to pay for it. This is where I see a problem. I was raised in a middle class family with parents who had careers and could afford some luxuries. Regardless of this, paying for college was still difficult. My parents will be paying for my college for years to come, as will I. I know that I still have at least a decade of loan payments ahead of me and my parents probably have the same. This is something that many people would struggle with. I struggle with it and I do have a steady income. How am I supposed to honestly tell my class that they can afford college regardless of anything else? Yes, there are scholarships out there, but not as many as people claim. At least that's what I noticed 5 years ago when I was looking for them. I feel this is all false hope for these kids. Hopefully they will all prove me wrong in 9-10 years!
Friday, October 10, 2008
It won't work!
This week, we began working on division with remainders. Most kids picked it up fairly quickly and the others got it a few minutes later. But, there was one kid who did not get it...poor Victor. As I wrote down a problem on the board and waited for the kids to solve, Victor shouted, "It won't work!"
Me: "I know it won't be even. That is what we are practicing."
V: "'No, it doesn't work. You can't do it."
Me: "You can do it, but you will have some leftovers."
V: "No. 31 and 4 don't work." (Keep in mind I used 31 because it's his favorite number and thought he would like the problem.)
Me: "I know. 4 can go into 31 some. How many times can it go in?"
V: "7, but it's not even!"
Me: "There you go. How many are left over?"
V: "It doesn't work."
Me: "It's not even. There are leftovers. That is what we are learning. So how many are left over?"
V: "3, but it's not even."
Me: "There you go. What's the whole answer?"
V: "7 remainder 3, but it doesn't work because it's not even."
Me: "So what is the answer again?"
V: "7 remainder 3"
Me: "Good job, you got it!"
V: "It's not even!"
We continued more practice and I had this discussion for each problem we did! He knew the answers, but didn't like "uneven-ness". We'll see how the follow-up lesson goes on Monday and see if he's learned to cope with the remainders by then.
Me: "I know it won't be even. That is what we are practicing."
V: "'No, it doesn't work. You can't do it."
Me: "You can do it, but you will have some leftovers."
V: "No. 31 and 4 don't work." (Keep in mind I used 31 because it's his favorite number and thought he would like the problem.)
Me: "I know. 4 can go into 31 some. How many times can it go in?"
V: "7, but it's not even!"
Me: "There you go. How many are left over?"
V: "It doesn't work."
Me: "It's not even. There are leftovers. That is what we are learning. So how many are left over?"
V: "3, but it's not even."
Me: "There you go. What's the whole answer?"
V: "7 remainder 3, but it doesn't work because it's not even."
Me: "So what is the answer again?"
V: "7 remainder 3"
Me: "Good job, you got it!"
V: "It's not even!"
We continued more practice and I had this discussion for each problem we did! He knew the answers, but didn't like "uneven-ness". We'll see how the follow-up lesson goes on Monday and see if he's learned to cope with the remainders by then.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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.
- 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.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
BrainPop
As a teacher, there are many resources available. As a new teacher, it sometimes takes a bit of time to discovery everything you might need to use as a resource in one year...it is a never-ending process. Well, one resource I did discover quite quickly was Brain Pop! If you don't know anything about Brain Pop, let me clue you in to this amazing site...
As a 4th grade teacher, a site like this can help me teach EVERYTHING! Let me clarify...it can help me teach clouds to division, blogging to writing about senses, and health to art/music (which I don't teach, but could if I wanted to). The kids LOVE these videos. There is a regular site and Jr. site and my kids know the names of the hosts for both shows. After each video (which are usually 3 minutes or less), there is a quiz that you can take there or print out. The Jr. site even has reading connections for each topic along with a choice of easy or hard quiz.
There is no limit to what this site can teach. I can imagine, just like any other teaching resource, that it is work-in-progress and topics are always being added to the site. The kids love the simplicity of Brain Pop Jr. and I love the depth of Brain Pop. I know that Brain Pop saved my inferencing lesson today during reading time.
Unfortunately, this is a subscription only website, but if your school won't purchase it for you, it is well worth the individual purchase price! Maybe I could send Brain Pop this blog and see if they'll send me something for free...hmmmm?
As a 4th grade teacher, a site like this can help me teach EVERYTHING! Let me clarify...it can help me teach clouds to division, blogging to writing about senses, and health to art/music (which I don't teach, but could if I wanted to). The kids LOVE these videos. There is a regular site and Jr. site and my kids know the names of the hosts for both shows. After each video (which are usually 3 minutes or less), there is a quiz that you can take there or print out. The Jr. site even has reading connections for each topic along with a choice of easy or hard quiz.
There is no limit to what this site can teach. I can imagine, just like any other teaching resource, that it is work-in-progress and topics are always being added to the site. The kids love the simplicity of Brain Pop Jr. and I love the depth of Brain Pop. I know that Brain Pop saved my inferencing lesson today during reading time.
Unfortunately, this is a subscription only website, but if your school won't purchase it for you, it is well worth the individual purchase price! Maybe I could send Brain Pop this blog and see if they'll send me something for free...hmmmm?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Christmas in October
Last week, I received an e-mail from one of my professors from college. I had e-mailed her asking for recommendations for beginning of the year chapter books. She finally e-mailed back responding with some recommendations and also asking for my school address so she could send me some books for book clubs. I was already thanking her before I received anything. I figured she might have some older books that she might need to clean out of her closet.
Today when I went to the lounge for lunch, I was looking through the packages that came in the mail. I rarely get anything, but love to look anyway. As I was browsing the packages today, there was one for me. I knew I hadn't ordered anything from Amazon and wasn't sure what the box was. As I was opening, I noticed sets of books. This meant sets of books for book clubs. I immediately knew who these were from. Let me restate that I thought my professor was sending me used books she needed to get rid of. Now let me clarify that I received 9 BRAND NEW book SETS (of 4) from Amazon. The receipt was in the box and I could not and cannot get over the fact that she ordered and had these books sent to me. It was something I would never ask anyone to do and she was generous without thought. I knew she was a special lady before she sent me these books, but this reaffirmed my thoughts. I know she did it because she loves me, but more importantly, she did it so my kiddos will have great books to read...considering she was THE READING GURU.
This was one moment in my life when I was touched by overwhelming kindness. I don't know what I'll do in order to demonstrate my appreciation.
P.S. - If you haven't already figured out, I had the best professors in college that anyone could EVER have!!!
Today when I went to the lounge for lunch, I was looking through the packages that came in the mail. I rarely get anything, but love to look anyway. As I was browsing the packages today, there was one for me. I knew I hadn't ordered anything from Amazon and wasn't sure what the box was. As I was opening, I noticed sets of books. This meant sets of books for book clubs. I immediately knew who these were from. Let me restate that I thought my professor was sending me used books she needed to get rid of. Now let me clarify that I received 9 BRAND NEW book SETS (of 4) from Amazon. The receipt was in the box and I could not and cannot get over the fact that she ordered and had these books sent to me. It was something I would never ask anyone to do and she was generous without thought. I knew she was a special lady before she sent me these books, but this reaffirmed my thoughts. I know she did it because she loves me, but more importantly, she did it so my kiddos will have great books to read...considering she was THE READING GURU.
This was one moment in my life when I was touched by overwhelming kindness. I don't know what I'll do in order to demonstrate my appreciation.
P.S. - If you haven't already figured out, I had the best professors in college that anyone could EVER have!!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Summon the Beast
It was my day back after 2 sick days. I felt like a celebrity! My kids were ecstatic that I was back and other teachers asked me all day how I was feeling. Some acted like I had been diagnosed with SARS and others were were just glad I was back and "healthy". I'm not going to lie, it was a bit hard to be back all day. It took a lot of energy out of me and my kids, although grateful for my return, weren't so cooperative all day. I was very happy that I only had to return for one day and then the weekend would be in full swing.
Of course in the midst of trying to stay alive today, there was some humorous "activity". The books that my class were so patiently waiting on arrived today and were waiting for them on their desks when they walked in this morning. One student ordered a book that sparked interest in many students. He took it to lunch so they could read it. While walking out of lunch, they were holding up a piece of paper to the sky. I tried looking at it to see what they were seeing and it must be a kid thing; I couldn't see anything! "What's it for?" I asked. "Summoning the beast," replied Juan. "WHAT? What beast are you talking about?" "The one from my book." "Okay, whatever."
During recess, I observe a group of student gathered around Juan and his popular book. They seem to be dancing around and and doing some strange behaviors. I know they are goofy 4th graders and do goofy things, so I didn't ask much about it. When I called the class to line up for recess, they were still trying to summon the beasts. My co-worker is very concerned about this and tried to warn them of what might happen when the beast arrives. I just thought it was funny.
I thought it was done with for the day, but I was wrong. During Writers' Workshop time, we had some drama (some vomit was spewed in my classroom). While I was responding to this, a few girls got their hands on this book in which you can supposedly summon the beast. I got onto them for not working on writing and then Juan comes over and asks who was misusing his book. I let him know and then he lets me know that he's actually kind of scared of the beast he's been summoning all afternoon.
J: "Ms. L, I'm a little scared of the beast."
Me: "Why?"
J: "Because when I get home from school off the bus, I have to walk a long way to my house by myself. What happens if the beast comes then?"
Me: "I don't know. I think you'll have to read your book and see if there's something you can do to protect yourself when the beast comes."
This provided quite a bit of entertainment throughout the day...enough to keep me going through not so great health. I love my class!
Of course in the midst of trying to stay alive today, there was some humorous "activity". The books that my class were so patiently waiting on arrived today and were waiting for them on their desks when they walked in this morning. One student ordered a book that sparked interest in many students. He took it to lunch so they could read it. While walking out of lunch, they were holding up a piece of paper to the sky. I tried looking at it to see what they were seeing and it must be a kid thing; I couldn't see anything! "What's it for?" I asked. "Summoning the beast," replied Juan. "WHAT? What beast are you talking about?" "The one from my book." "Okay, whatever."
During recess, I observe a group of student gathered around Juan and his popular book. They seem to be dancing around and and doing some strange behaviors. I know they are goofy 4th graders and do goofy things, so I didn't ask much about it. When I called the class to line up for recess, they were still trying to summon the beasts. My co-worker is very concerned about this and tried to warn them of what might happen when the beast arrives. I just thought it was funny.
I thought it was done with for the day, but I was wrong. During Writers' Workshop time, we had some drama (some vomit was spewed in my classroom). While I was responding to this, a few girls got their hands on this book in which you can supposedly summon the beast. I got onto them for not working on writing and then Juan comes over and asks who was misusing his book. I let him know and then he lets me know that he's actually kind of scared of the beast he's been summoning all afternoon.
J: "Ms. L, I'm a little scared of the beast."
Me: "Why?"
J: "Because when I get home from school off the bus, I have to walk a long way to my house by myself. What happens if the beast comes then?"
Me: "I don't know. I think you'll have to read your book and see if there's something you can do to protect yourself when the beast comes."
This provided quite a bit of entertainment throughout the day...enough to keep me going through not so great health. I love my class!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
They Miss Me!
I received a phone call today from my portable-mate at school. She had a few things to tell me, one of them being that my class keeps asking when I'm coming back. It makes me feel better just knowing they miss me.
I will hopefully be returning to school tomorrow, as long as I am fever-free when I wake up in the morning.
I will hopefully be returning to school tomorrow, as long as I am fever-free when I wake up in the morning.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
My First Sick Day
The worst thing in the world, to me as of right now, is waking up and realizing you are too sick to go to work. That's what happened to me this morning. Once I was out of the shower, I realized that I just can't make it. With most jobs, it's no biggie...you just call in sick. With teachers, it's much different. There are 22 little people relying on you. Luckily, I have a great portable-mate who took care of everything for me so I wouldn't have to drive to school to make lesson plans for the day. And I also have an aid who is able to teach if needed. I'm not really sure what was done, but I'm sure it all went fine.
Unfortunately, I am unable to go to school again tomorrow because I have strep throat. This also means that there is no reason for a blog update tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back at school on Friday.
Unfortunately, I am unable to go to school again tomorrow because I have strep throat. This also means that there is no reason for a blog update tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back at school on Friday.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, September 29, 2008
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!"
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!"
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
"Ms. L, you were right...
Peanut really was sad because somebody did take his nuts."
This didn't surprise me, because I'm always right.
That's all I've got for today. I'm going to take my pulled leg muscle and lay on the couch!
This didn't surprise me, because I'm always right.
That's all I've got for today. I'm going to take my pulled leg muscle and lay on the couch!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Can I use this book?
Today we were working on a lesson about leads. I gave my class directions to choose a fiction chapter book and find the different types of leads on our graphic organizer. Write down the lead and the name of the book. I gave more directions during the lesson, but that's all you need to know right now. Even after directions are given, there are ALWAYS more questions...from the SAME kids every time!
I had one student approach me, Richard, and ask, "Ms. L, Can I use this book?"
Me: "You need to use a fiction book. That book is nonfiction."
R: "What is fiction and nonfiction again?"
Me: "Class, fiction means...? Nonfiction means...?" (They answer in chorus.)
R: "So, this book is fiction?"
Me: "No. Fiction means not true. Nonfiction means fact."
R: "So, I can use this book?"
Me: "No. Your book is nonfiction. You need to use a fiction book. Try a Goosebumps book."
R: "I need a fiction book?"
Me: "Yes!"
R: "That means I can use this one?"
Me: "No. You need to take this book and use it. It is a fiction book."
R: "So, what kind of book do I need?"
Me: "I think you need to ask a friend. I have other people that need help."
This might not even be all of the conversation, but I feel like I'm talking to a wall when I'm having a conversation with this student. When I talk to Richard, other kids in my class even start shouting the answer and directions at him. I redirect those who are shouting at him, but in my mind saying, "SERIOUSLY?!?!?! If they are telling him, I can save my sanity."
I had one student approach me, Richard, and ask, "Ms. L, Can I use this book?"
Me: "You need to use a fiction book. That book is nonfiction."
R: "What is fiction and nonfiction again?"
Me: "Class, fiction means...? Nonfiction means...?" (They answer in chorus.)
R: "So, this book is fiction?"
Me: "No. Fiction means not true. Nonfiction means fact."
R: "So, I can use this book?"
Me: "No. Your book is nonfiction. You need to use a fiction book. Try a Goosebumps book."
R: "I need a fiction book?"
Me: "Yes!"
R: "That means I can use this one?"
Me: "No. You need to take this book and use it. It is a fiction book."
R: "So, what kind of book do I need?"
Me: "I think you need to ask a friend. I have other people that need help."
This might not even be all of the conversation, but I feel like I'm talking to a wall when I'm having a conversation with this student. When I talk to Richard, other kids in my class even start shouting the answer and directions at him. I redirect those who are shouting at him, but in my mind saying, "SERIOUSLY?!?!?! If they are telling him, I can save my sanity."
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.
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.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Planet Orobu?
I have a student who has been very hard to connect with. When I try and talk, he seems to be off in another world. Well, it was confirmed today that he spent most of last year on a planet far, far away...at least that's what it seemed like. When I speak to him, he acts as if I have startled him...or is it, brought him back down to Earth? This student is unable to follow directions because he's not listening to them. Unfortunately, he is capable of the work and is able to prove it when needed (standardized tests). I say unfortunately because this means that any sort of intervention would be a waist of my time because he does have the ability to succeed.
What does this mean for me? I'm going to have to stay about 3 inches from his desk in order to "force" him to work. This is unrealistic for any teacher...especially one who has 5 other kids just like this. These children don't seem to be on their own planet like this particular child does, but they may be in flight. My class is VERY capable of being high achievers, unfortunately, their attention problems are interfering with the production of their high quality work. I guess I will spend this year on perfecting my skills as a teacher that can get kids to work, even on Planet Orobu.
P.S. - The planet name is made up...or is it?
What does this mean for me? I'm going to have to stay about 3 inches from his desk in order to "force" him to work. This is unrealistic for any teacher...especially one who has 5 other kids just like this. These children don't seem to be on their own planet like this particular child does, but they may be in flight. My class is VERY capable of being high achievers, unfortunately, their attention problems are interfering with the production of their high quality work. I guess I will spend this year on perfecting my skills as a teacher that can get kids to work, even on Planet Orobu.
P.S. - The planet name is made up...or is it?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Caution: Brain at Work!
Today I witnessed the most amazing thing of my teaching career...
The class was working, but Victor finished early. My teacher's aid began writing down some multiplication problems for him to work to occupy his time wisely. He laughed at the problems she wrote down and said, "Too easy!" He then wrote down problems and began working those instead. But...the normal child (and myself) would need to write down the problem, show work for each column, add up my products, and add them for the answer. Well, you should know by now that Victor is not like my other students.
This is what I observed: Victor was standing, throwing a pencil around in the air. I occasionally heard him say a number, but could hear mumbling the entire time. All of a sudden, he would loudly say the answer and then write it down. He is able to work multiplication problems in his head and produce the correct answer. This amazed me. It was almost like Rain Man. Seemingly distracted, not focusing on the problem, he visualized the numbers in his head and was able to work it out. His only problem is writing the answer by the correct problem.
I have no idea what I'm going to do when I have to teach the rest of the class multiplication. Can he teach it for me?
The class was working, but Victor finished early. My teacher's aid began writing down some multiplication problems for him to work to occupy his time wisely. He laughed at the problems she wrote down and said, "Too easy!" He then wrote down problems and began working those instead. But...the normal child (and myself) would need to write down the problem, show work for each column, add up my products, and add them for the answer. Well, you should know by now that Victor is not like my other students.
This is what I observed: Victor was standing, throwing a pencil around in the air. I occasionally heard him say a number, but could hear mumbling the entire time. All of a sudden, he would loudly say the answer and then write it down. He is able to work multiplication problems in his head and produce the correct answer. This amazed me. It was almost like Rain Man. Seemingly distracted, not focusing on the problem, he visualized the numbers in his head and was able to work it out. His only problem is writing the answer by the correct problem.
I have no idea what I'm going to do when I have to teach the rest of the class multiplication. Can he teach it for me?
Monday, September 15, 2008
This is a terrible prize!
I need to catch up on 2 days worth of blogs...and with my class, it's non-stop blog material.
As an incentive for kids to give their parents our 4th grade monthly newsletters, we've added a puzzle to it that they can complete, get signed and return for a prize. I've had quite a few kids bring in their answers and when I handed one child his prize (a pencil), he responded with, "This is a terrible prize. Just terrible. This is a terrible prize!" If you're wondering, it was Victor. See previous blogs in order to understand this child's personality. I understand that a pencil is not the greatest prize, but I am a teacher and funds are limited. The problem was that he had just received a pencil for a prize from a school drawing. He is also working on accepting things and saying "Thank you" rather than a response like the one I got.
As an incentive for kids to give their parents our 4th grade monthly newsletters, we've added a puzzle to it that they can complete, get signed and return for a prize. I've had quite a few kids bring in their answers and when I handed one child his prize (a pencil), he responded with, "This is a terrible prize. Just terrible. This is a terrible prize!" If you're wondering, it was Victor. See previous blogs in order to understand this child's personality. I understand that a pencil is not the greatest prize, but I am a teacher and funds are limited. The problem was that he had just received a pencil for a prize from a school drawing. He is also working on accepting things and saying "Thank you" rather than a response like the one I got.
Friday, September 12, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Just get on the frog bus!!!
The two students I'm writing about today have both been the focus of previous blogs.
I was so worn out yesterday, I didn't get a chance to write about my conversation with Victor. This week he's been obsessing over glasses and why people wear them. A few days ago, we walked by a teacher who he knew from last year. She no longer wears glasses and he noticed. He questioned her about her glasses and why she no longer wears them. He found out that she had lasik on July 25th (a date she made up because he needed to know a date). Well...I wear glasses also. I don't need to wear them all day, but it makes my life easier and I don't have to strain to see children across the classroom. He informed me yesterday that I need eye surgery so that I won't have to wear glasses anymore. I said that I don't need surgery...
V: "Yes you do!"
Me: "No, I don't have to wear my glasses. I could go all day without them."
V: "You need to get eye surgery. It's just your eyes. You go to the doctor and get surgery."
Me: "I don't like surgery."
V: "It's okay. It's just your eyes, no where else."
Me: "I don't want to."
V: "You should!!!"
Me: "Okay, Victor...I'll ask my doctor about getting lasik."
V: "Good!" And he immediately returned to work. By the way, I'm not looking into getting lasik.
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My next encounter was with the student I was referring to in yesterday's blog. He is a child that seems to have difficulty with processing information. I know he is capable of completely his work successfully, but I don't know if he's capable of doing it without asking me, "Is this good?"
I digress and move onto today's bus situation. Today was the first day that Richard rode the bus to school and was riding it home. I asked him what bus he needed to get on and he told me the frog bus (each of our buses is labeled with an animal). This is the conversation that ensued (and yes he does start every sentences with 'so'):
R: "How do I know which bus is the frog bus?"
Me: "The one with the frog picture in the window."
R: "Is the picture in the front window?"
Me: "No, it's in the window next to the doors."
R: "So, like the front window?"
Me: "No, the window to the left of the doors that open up."
R: "So, when the doors open up in the front?"
Me: "No. When the doors open up, the picture will be to the left of the doors in the first window."
R: "How do I know it's the frog bus?"
Me: "It has the picture in the window! Who else rides the frog bus that can be sure Richard makes it on the bus today?" (I find him a partner at this point knowing that there is a chance he could get lost.)
R: "Do I get on the bus?"
Me: "Yes, if you stand outside the bus, you will be standing there when it leaves."
R: "But where do I wait for my little brother?"
Me: "On the bus!"
R: "But how will he find the frog bus?"
Me: "The same way you are going to find it...with a friend and looking at the picture."
R: "So, where do I go for the bus?"
Me: "You follow the bus line and your buddy."
R: "Okay, so I find the bus with the frog?"
Me: "Yes. Caitlyn, can you please make sure Richard makes it on the bus? Ms. L (another teacher), can you please make sure this student who might look lost and ask a zillion questions finds the FROG BUS! Just make sure he gets on the FROG BUS! Don't let him wait around. Just make sure whatever you do, he's on the FROG bus when they leave."
I, in no way, exaggerated this conversation. Unfortunately, almost every conversation with Richard is similar to this. I might run out of blog space if I continue to write our entire conversations. Hopefully this is just part of his being new to our school, but I have an uneasy feeling that it's not going to wear off any time soon!
I was so worn out yesterday, I didn't get a chance to write about my conversation with Victor. This week he's been obsessing over glasses and why people wear them. A few days ago, we walked by a teacher who he knew from last year. She no longer wears glasses and he noticed. He questioned her about her glasses and why she no longer wears them. He found out that she had lasik on July 25th (a date she made up because he needed to know a date). Well...I wear glasses also. I don't need to wear them all day, but it makes my life easier and I don't have to strain to see children across the classroom. He informed me yesterday that I need eye surgery so that I won't have to wear glasses anymore. I said that I don't need surgery...
V: "Yes you do!"
Me: "No, I don't have to wear my glasses. I could go all day without them."
V: "You need to get eye surgery. It's just your eyes. You go to the doctor and get surgery."
Me: "I don't like surgery."
V: "It's okay. It's just your eyes, no where else."
Me: "I don't want to."
V: "You should!!!"
Me: "Okay, Victor...I'll ask my doctor about getting lasik."
V: "Good!" And he immediately returned to work. By the way, I'm not looking into getting lasik.
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My next encounter was with the student I was referring to in yesterday's blog. He is a child that seems to have difficulty with processing information. I know he is capable of completely his work successfully, but I don't know if he's capable of doing it without asking me, "Is this good?"
I digress and move onto today's bus situation. Today was the first day that Richard rode the bus to school and was riding it home. I asked him what bus he needed to get on and he told me the frog bus (each of our buses is labeled with an animal). This is the conversation that ensued (and yes he does start every sentences with 'so'):
R: "How do I know which bus is the frog bus?"
Me: "The one with the frog picture in the window."
R: "Is the picture in the front window?"
Me: "No, it's in the window next to the doors."
R: "So, like the front window?"
Me: "No, the window to the left of the doors that open up."
R: "So, when the doors open up in the front?"
Me: "No. When the doors open up, the picture will be to the left of the doors in the first window."
R: "How do I know it's the frog bus?"
Me: "It has the picture in the window! Who else rides the frog bus that can be sure Richard makes it on the bus today?" (I find him a partner at this point knowing that there is a chance he could get lost.)
R: "Do I get on the bus?"
Me: "Yes, if you stand outside the bus, you will be standing there when it leaves."
R: "But where do I wait for my little brother?"
Me: "On the bus!"
R: "But how will he find the frog bus?"
Me: "The same way you are going to find it...with a friend and looking at the picture."
R: "So, where do I go for the bus?"
Me: "You follow the bus line and your buddy."
R: "Okay, so I find the bus with the frog?"
Me: "Yes. Caitlyn, can you please make sure Richard makes it on the bus? Ms. L (another teacher), can you please make sure this student who might look lost and ask a zillion questions finds the FROG BUS! Just make sure he gets on the FROG BUS! Don't let him wait around. Just make sure whatever you do, he's on the FROG bus when they leave."
I, in no way, exaggerated this conversation. Unfortunately, almost every conversation with Richard is similar to this. I might run out of blog space if I continue to write our entire conversations. Hopefully this is just part of his being new to our school, but I have an uneasy feeling that it's not going to wear off any time soon!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I think a rock would understand better...
I have some kids in my class who pick up on things very quickly. This is typical. I also have students who need things explained 3 times. This is also typical. And then I have a student who needs things explained 5 times in a very detailed manner. I mean...this child needs me to explain things like, "You will not have to do all of these for homework because they are all the same. This is the stack of tonight's homework for the entire class."
And things like, "You may not make changes on someone else's paper, but you can tell them why they should. YOU should be making changes on your paper, especially words that your partner knows are spelling incorrectly." He adamantly said that he was not allowed to write on his own paper after this. Even when told he could 5 more times by 2 adults.
And more..."Count down 10 lines and draw a line across your paper....you do NOT need to draw 10 lines across the paper, just one."
"Please leave the post it notes in your books. You can just move it to read tonight." I then had to answer, "But how am I going to read with it here?" "You can just turn it to read the page and it shouldn't bother you." "No, how do I read with it here?"
I've still got more..."Where do I tear this post it note?" Me, "Down the middle just like this..."(I showed everyone). "I can't do that, is this how? Do I do it this way or this way? I don't know how!"
SERIOUSLY! Some of these may have been difficult for you to visualize or understand, but the point I want to get across is that even when I show this student step-by-step, it doesn't usually work. He doesn't understand simple directions and just doesn't know how to do things that 4th graders should. It's just weird what he doesn't know by now that the letter /i/ when written alone should always be capitalized. And that 4 sentences is not the same as 4 lines on notebook paper. Or that you always begin a sentence with a capital letter. Hmmm....makes me wonder about the standards at his old school. I guess I'll find out as the year goes on.
And things like, "You may not make changes on someone else's paper, but you can tell them why they should. YOU should be making changes on your paper, especially words that your partner knows are spelling incorrectly." He adamantly said that he was not allowed to write on his own paper after this. Even when told he could 5 more times by 2 adults.
And more..."Count down 10 lines and draw a line across your paper....you do NOT need to draw 10 lines across the paper, just one."
"Please leave the post it notes in your books. You can just move it to read tonight." I then had to answer, "But how am I going to read with it here?" "You can just turn it to read the page and it shouldn't bother you." "No, how do I read with it here?"
I've still got more..."Where do I tear this post it note?" Me, "Down the middle just like this..."(I showed everyone). "I can't do that, is this how? Do I do it this way or this way? I don't know how!"
SERIOUSLY! Some of these may have been difficult for you to visualize or understand, but the point I want to get across is that even when I show this student step-by-step, it doesn't usually work. He doesn't understand simple directions and just doesn't know how to do things that 4th graders should. It's just weird what he doesn't know by now that the letter /i/ when written alone should always be capitalized. And that 4 sentences is not the same as 4 lines on notebook paper. Or that you always begin a sentence with a capital letter. Hmmm....makes me wonder about the standards at his old school. I guess I'll find out as the year goes on.
Monday, September 8, 2008
In the clouds...
Due to the allergies, I haven't felt so good for the past few days. It hit me especially hard today when I had to be on top of everything because 20 little people were relying on me. If there is one thing they didn't teach in teacher school, it is how to teach when you feel like s**t. I refuse to take a day off work for silly allergies and I don't think I feel that bad. I will dope myself up on allergy medicine and suck it up for the rest of the week, but please don't remind me that tomorrow is only Tuesday!
Good news: I am taking a half day afternoon Friday so that I can go scrapbook at a bed and breakfast all weekend....yay!
Good news: I am taking a half day afternoon Friday so that I can go scrapbook at a bed and breakfast all weekend....yay!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Weekends = Stay Away From School
I've only had 2 weeks of school, but when I left school on Friday I was so far behind with paperwork and such. This was because I had to go out of town after the first week of school in order to see my sister get married. And this weekend, I had my cousin and aunt here looking at college. This meant that I had to leave school early both Thursday and Friday and not finish the work I needed to. Well, I'm not the type of person who can just let things pile up and never get to them. Things have to be done correctly and organized so I know where everything is. This may not sound like a form of OCD, but with all of my other symptoms, I've diagnosed myself based on the information I found on webMD.
Anyway, I feel this is all necessary background information for the story. I had tons of work and the only way to get it done was to go to school on the weekend. One (and maybe the only) perk of being in a portable is that you don't have to go into the scary dark school on the weekend when nobody else is at school. Well, this was a perk until I needed to laminated and make copies in the school. I had never been in the school after hours before and wasn't sure of the procedure. I was under the impression that if the door let me in, then the alarm was off and it was okay. I was WRONG! The door will still let you in and the moment you walk by the alarm system, it activates. I had no idea what to do...it was counting down and I didn't know the code. Well, needless to say, the alarm went off! I stood there for a second in shock, then ran to get my portable mate...hopefully she knew what to do. I was wrong! We had to call for backup and also the alarm company to let them know I was a fool and set off the alarm. It was quite nerve racking! About 5 minutes later, we deactivated the alarm and could still hear our ears ringing. I was then able to go about my business and make copies and laminate.
Lesson Learned: Do not go work at school on the weekends!!!!
Anyway, I feel this is all necessary background information for the story. I had tons of work and the only way to get it done was to go to school on the weekend. One (and maybe the only) perk of being in a portable is that you don't have to go into the scary dark school on the weekend when nobody else is at school. Well, this was a perk until I needed to laminated and make copies in the school. I had never been in the school after hours before and wasn't sure of the procedure. I was under the impression that if the door let me in, then the alarm was off and it was okay. I was WRONG! The door will still let you in and the moment you walk by the alarm system, it activates. I had no idea what to do...it was counting down and I didn't know the code. Well, needless to say, the alarm went off! I stood there for a second in shock, then ran to get my portable mate...hopefully she knew what to do. I was wrong! We had to call for backup and also the alarm company to let them know I was a fool and set off the alarm. It was quite nerve racking! About 5 minutes later, we deactivated the alarm and could still hear our ears ringing. I was then able to go about my business and make copies and laminate.
Lesson Learned: Do not go work at school on the weekends!!!!
Friday, September 5, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Teacher Must Have: Flexibility
I walked into my room today and got a glimpse of what hell might feel like. My portable mate had arrived a few minutes earlier and informed me that my although the AC had been on, it was making a very loud and dreadful noise and it was also blowing hot air. She turned off the AC and it continued to blow hot air for quite some time. This was a fantastic start to the beginning of the week.
I don't do heat well (surprising since I live in Texas), and it was showing this morning. I was unable to collect my thoughts and my materials for that day because he heat was affecting the blood flow to my brain. This continued all morning. I knew what I had to do that day because I had planned it yesterday, but it was hard to concentrate on particular tasks and what was next. As the kids were working, many of them were fanning themselves with their folders while I was walking around wiping sweat off of my face, neck, and anywhere else that is appropriate to mention. The concentration of my kiddos was now beginning to fade. I decided we needed a morning break from the heat wave. While on our break, I noticed an empty computer lab with a very large carpet, one that would be perfect for our next lesson. We went back to class to collect our materials only to turn back around and head for the air conditioned room.
I have yet to mention how wonderful and patient my class was during this time. Even though they were miserable and sweating, they stayed cooperative with our situation. (If this had happened with last year's group of kids, we would not have been able to work through their complaining.) After we did a lesson in the computer lab, we had to return to our room with the hopes that the AC was fixed...which it was not. So again, we headed outside with our next materials in hand. We enjoyed a nice read aloud in the shade outside on a beautiful day before specials. Fortunately, the AC was repaired before they returned from specials, but it was disappointing that the room was still warm because it didn't have time to cool off. So...
My portable mate and I planned a last minute lesson that we could do a group activity and avoid my still sauna-like portable. I can say that this was the last time we had to avoid my classroom today, but am thankful for my students' flexibility (even children who rely on routines). It was a rough start to the day and am hopeful that I arrive to a frozen room tomorrow.
I don't do heat well (surprising since I live in Texas), and it was showing this morning. I was unable to collect my thoughts and my materials for that day because he heat was affecting the blood flow to my brain. This continued all morning. I knew what I had to do that day because I had planned it yesterday, but it was hard to concentrate on particular tasks and what was next. As the kids were working, many of them were fanning themselves with their folders while I was walking around wiping sweat off of my face, neck, and anywhere else that is appropriate to mention. The concentration of my kiddos was now beginning to fade. I decided we needed a morning break from the heat wave. While on our break, I noticed an empty computer lab with a very large carpet, one that would be perfect for our next lesson. We went back to class to collect our materials only to turn back around and head for the air conditioned room.
I have yet to mention how wonderful and patient my class was during this time. Even though they were miserable and sweating, they stayed cooperative with our situation. (If this had happened with last year's group of kids, we would not have been able to work through their complaining.) After we did a lesson in the computer lab, we had to return to our room with the hopes that the AC was fixed...which it was not. So again, we headed outside with our next materials in hand. We enjoyed a nice read aloud in the shade outside on a beautiful day before specials. Fortunately, the AC was repaired before they returned from specials, but it was disappointing that the room was still warm because it didn't have time to cool off. So...
My portable mate and I planned a last minute lesson that we could do a group activity and avoid my still sauna-like portable. I can say that this was the last time we had to avoid my classroom today, but am thankful for my students' flexibility (even children who rely on routines). It was a rough start to the day and am hopeful that I arrive to a frozen room tomorrow.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Happily Fascinated
This week probably couldn't have gone much better if I had thought about it. In fact, all my thoughts prior to this week were reminiscent of last year. They were all, "What if I must be the super strict, mean teacher I had to pretend to be at times last year." Well, that is not the case at all. I have had to use my discipline chart and also have small talks with students, but I feel those small moments kept me from having to play Miss Viola Swamp for a day/week, etc.
I have a great group of kids...ones I will speak about individually at some point in the year and ones you've already read about. I have some struggling learners and some who I will struggle to keep engaged and academically occupied. I don't think the range of my kids is as vast as it was last year, but it doesn't really matter, because every year is new kids with new challenges.
Some first week stories:
--During ME Box sharing time, the child who I was warned about (by his father) about his "weird eyes" demonstrated his "weird eyes". He actually called it an usual talent...I called it weird and kind of gross. To truly understand what he can do, think about looking at a person when one eye is off to the side and one is straight towards you. He told me that when he does this, he sees 2 of everything. Even better...when he finished, another kid asked him to try and teach the trick to him. Yeah, we'll see if I can find something better for the two of them to do.
--"My mama said...she would bring my Me box to school." Well, first of all, who's responsibility is that? In 4th grade, we take responsibility for our actions and forgetting our homework at home is something only we can be responsible for. Oh and, we still don't have your Me box (after 3 days).
--I have a student who I'll refer to as Carson. After the first 2 days of school, I was a bit concerned. I hadn't had any kids jump out as behavior problems, except for Carson. He was that kid that needed another warning, already. He needed to be told 3 times to not do something that he shouldn't be doing already. He was setting bad examples for other students and was proud of it. That was until I figured him out. Yes, it's been 4 days of school and I think I have him pegged. Carson is very smart. He is also a bit OCD (non-diagnosed, but the same OCD I am). Things have to be put in place at his desk before he can do something else. He needs lots of things to occupy himself. He also needs something to keep his body moving while he's working...which I figured out was a soccer ball under his feet. Today he brought one from home and it was under his desk. Usually, they are to be stored in our recess basket, but I noticed how it helped him concentrate, because his feet were moving so his upper body could work. I told him the ball would be okay under his desk as long as it stayed under HIS desk. I completely forgot about it because he was so good.
While we were at recess, I had my good friend, portable mate, and co-worker come talk to me about Carson. She has girls that visit her classroom during lunch and recess for social skills. The only problem with this situation is that they usually talk and play with themselves. Well, she told me that she has seen Carson (a few times), talking to these girls and playing with them. In fact, when they needed a ball and he had one, he gave it to them. One even wanted to hold his hand and he let them. Most kids would walk away, and especially not let them hold their hands, but this is when I realized what a caring heart Carson has. He is the only kid I've seen initiate contact with these girls and not because a teacher asked. It's nice to see that some kids ignore all the stereotypes and labels given to people and are just nice!
--Today we made Life Maps (focusing on important moments in our lives). I mentioned in my first blog of the year that I have a child with special needs. Well, today he fascinated me in a way I have never seen in person. I began by asking him to write his birthday on his life map. That was the last time I had to ask him to write. 10 minutes later, he came to my desk and said that he ran out of space. I handed him more paper and took the one he had so that I could examine it. This child remembers specific dates for events in his life. For example, "October 13, 1997-I had a tube put in. August 23, 1999-My dad had surgery." This went on for 3 pages. I have no doubt in my mind that he remembers each of these dates. It reminded me of savants that I had seen on Oprah years ago. Savants can remember different things, and dates are what this particular kid specializes in. Amazed and fascinated are the only 2 words I can think of to describe what this child did today.
I have a great group of kids...ones I will speak about individually at some point in the year and ones you've already read about. I have some struggling learners and some who I will struggle to keep engaged and academically occupied. I don't think the range of my kids is as vast as it was last year, but it doesn't really matter, because every year is new kids with new challenges.
Some first week stories:
--During ME Box sharing time, the child who I was warned about (by his father) about his "weird eyes" demonstrated his "weird eyes". He actually called it an usual talent...I called it weird and kind of gross. To truly understand what he can do, think about looking at a person when one eye is off to the side and one is straight towards you. He told me that when he does this, he sees 2 of everything. Even better...when he finished, another kid asked him to try and teach the trick to him. Yeah, we'll see if I can find something better for the two of them to do.
--"My mama said...she would bring my Me box to school." Well, first of all, who's responsibility is that? In 4th grade, we take responsibility for our actions and forgetting our homework at home is something only we can be responsible for. Oh and, we still don't have your Me box (after 3 days).
--I have a student who I'll refer to as Carson. After the first 2 days of school, I was a bit concerned. I hadn't had any kids jump out as behavior problems, except for Carson. He was that kid that needed another warning, already. He needed to be told 3 times to not do something that he shouldn't be doing already. He was setting bad examples for other students and was proud of it. That was until I figured him out. Yes, it's been 4 days of school and I think I have him pegged. Carson is very smart. He is also a bit OCD (non-diagnosed, but the same OCD I am). Things have to be put in place at his desk before he can do something else. He needs lots of things to occupy himself. He also needs something to keep his body moving while he's working...which I figured out was a soccer ball under his feet. Today he brought one from home and it was under his desk. Usually, they are to be stored in our recess basket, but I noticed how it helped him concentrate, because his feet were moving so his upper body could work. I told him the ball would be okay under his desk as long as it stayed under HIS desk. I completely forgot about it because he was so good.
While we were at recess, I had my good friend, portable mate, and co-worker come talk to me about Carson. She has girls that visit her classroom during lunch and recess for social skills. The only problem with this situation is that they usually talk and play with themselves. Well, she told me that she has seen Carson (a few times), talking to these girls and playing with them. In fact, when they needed a ball and he had one, he gave it to them. One even wanted to hold his hand and he let them. Most kids would walk away, and especially not let them hold their hands, but this is when I realized what a caring heart Carson has. He is the only kid I've seen initiate contact with these girls and not because a teacher asked. It's nice to see that some kids ignore all the stereotypes and labels given to people and are just nice!
--Today we made Life Maps (focusing on important moments in our lives). I mentioned in my first blog of the year that I have a child with special needs. Well, today he fascinated me in a way I have never seen in person. I began by asking him to write his birthday on his life map. That was the last time I had to ask him to write. 10 minutes later, he came to my desk and said that he ran out of space. I handed him more paper and took the one he had so that I could examine it. This child remembers specific dates for events in his life. For example, "October 13, 1997-I had a tube put in. August 23, 1999-My dad had surgery." This went on for 3 pages. I have no doubt in my mind that he remembers each of these dates. It reminded me of savants that I had seen on Oprah years ago. Savants can remember different things, and dates are what this particular kid specializes in. Amazed and fascinated are the only 2 words I can think of to describe what this child did today.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
No, your name is...
Today was quite entertaining in the world of teaching...well, in my classroom at least. I have quite the entertaining class and today they really came out of their shells. They were very interested in asking me questions to learn about my life and also more questions about everything else they might need to know.
As a student was returning to his area from presenting his Me Box (a box with at least 5 items that describe his life), he needed another child to move out of his way. He said, "Move James!" The child said, "My name is not James, it's Jamie." "No, Jamie is a girl's name. Your name is James....James!" I am for sure that this child will continue to call his classmate by the wrong name, because he was adamant that the name given to this child wasn't the right one.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly with a few more entertaining moments, but I'm too tired to write about more.
As a student was returning to his area from presenting his Me Box (a box with at least 5 items that describe his life), he needed another child to move out of his way. He said, "Move James!" The child said, "My name is not James, it's Jamie." "No, Jamie is a girl's name. Your name is James....James!" I am for sure that this child will continue to call his classmate by the wrong name, because he was adamant that the name given to this child wasn't the right one.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly with a few more entertaining moments, but I'm too tired to write about more.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A bit tired, but content...
Today was the second day of school and I got to know my kiddos even more. I talked about procedures I missed yesterday and those I need to reinforce daily. I managed a difficult day with my child with autism. He told me that he went to sleep late and woke up late this morning. If I've learned anything about children and especially children with disabilities, it is that they need structure and routine! When he went to sleep late and woke up late, his routine and structure were shot for the day. This meant that everything was difficult for him, including the daily things that shouldn't affect him very much (making a lunch choice or putting his backpack away). This is definitely a learning experience for me and we just work day to day.
If you've read my blog at the end of last year, you will know what I mean when I say, "My mama said..." Well, she's back! Yesterday I mentioned that I have her sister in my class this year. I was hoping that the sister I currently have would be different and not deliver messages from her mom by way of "My mama said...", but my hoping didn't come true. So here's the first of the year. "My mama said...she is going to send medicine for my hand. She said she would send it with my sister so that it would be in the nurse when I need it. Well, I don't know if she's going to send it today, tomorrow, or the next day. But she said she's going to send it."
What I look forward to most is the year continuing on in the manner in which it started, which is very polite, hard-working kiddos with great attitudes about school!
GREAT BOOK FIND:
This book is for a bit older kids (3rd-5th) because of the humor and play on words, but they love it! It's a fun way to talk about manners and at my school, Life Skills. We joined neighboring classes for this activity because in the book, the neighbors are otters. We read the book aloud and then divided the kids up to brainstorm ideas of how the manners that the neighbors would like to see in "otters" could be displayed in our classroom and school.
The kids worked COOPERATIVELY in order to draw or write how you should treat "otters". They did a great job letting everyone contribute with their ideas and drawing/writing abilities. They presented them at the end of the day and did a fantastic job. The kids also liked getting to work with our neighbor class so early in the year. Developing the community in our portable is almost as important as just in our classroom. It was definitely at least a 4 out of 5 star lesson!
If you've read my blog at the end of last year, you will know what I mean when I say, "My mama said..." Well, she's back! Yesterday I mentioned that I have her sister in my class this year. I was hoping that the sister I currently have would be different and not deliver messages from her mom by way of "My mama said...", but my hoping didn't come true. So here's the first of the year. "My mama said...she is going to send medicine for my hand. She said she would send it with my sister so that it would be in the nurse when I need it. Well, I don't know if she's going to send it today, tomorrow, or the next day. But she said she's going to send it."
What I look forward to most is the year continuing on in the manner in which it started, which is very polite, hard-working kiddos with great attitudes about school!
GREAT BOOK FIND:
This book is for a bit older kids (3rd-5th) because of the humor and play on words, but they love it! It's a fun way to talk about manners and at my school, Life Skills. We joined neighboring classes for this activity because in the book, the neighbors are otters. We read the book aloud and then divided the kids up to brainstorm ideas of how the manners that the neighbors would like to see in "otters" could be displayed in our classroom and school.The kids worked COOPERATIVELY in order to draw or write how you should treat "otters". They did a great job letting everyone contribute with their ideas and drawing/writing abilities. They presented them at the end of the day and did a fantastic job. The kids also liked getting to work with our neighbor class so early in the year. Developing the community in our portable is almost as important as just in our classroom. It was definitely at least a 4 out of 5 star lesson!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Teacher! Teacher!
So today was the first day of school. I seem to have a really good set of kids (knock on wood) and everything went fairly smoothly. I made it through the day and never felt really overwhelmed, except when I was waiting for the kids to get through the lunch line and I just wanted lunch. It's starting out to be a great blogging year because I already have a few personalities that are going to give me some great stories...and so it begins...
"The Sleeper" - For some background, she is the sister of last year's "My Mama" blog. (I have 2 siblings from last year and she is one.) Today while I was reading aloud, apparently The Sleeper found the story boring enough to take a nap through. I can tell you that I do not read stories in monotone. I am a very expressive reader and most kids sit very attentively throughout the story. Anyway, I asked her to wake up so she could return to her desk to finish work from earlier in the day. I think she was pretending to be asleep, but in any case, she was sitting with her head down, eyes closed, and not working. I had to then play Mean Teacher (for the first time this year) and explain that sleeping in class in NOT AN OPTION. If she didn't want to wake up and work, I could easily find another room for her to go to because I do not allow sleepers. I will admit that I did this a bit louder than I usually would, just because I was setting a standard. Don't think you're going to get away with sleeping in my classroom. It can't possibly be that boring.
"The Predictor" - This is the kid who thinks he knows everything. In fact, he and his mom told me that when they stopped by to drop off his supplies yesterday during my work day. "He didn't learn anything in 3rd grade. Hopefully he'll learn something in 4th." He was the student all day who was 5 steps ahead of everyone else. He was already ready for the next thing and trying to predict what my next set of directions would be. In fact, he was so ahead of me, when I gave him directions to do specific things, he had already done them, but incorrectly. When I started counting, he started counting with me. When I was passing out folders, he was standing 2 feet away waiting for his because he thought it would be next. The only thing this type of child does it make me want to do things in opposite of what he thinks. This may be mean, but if he's so far ahead of me, why do I even need to be there for him. He will learn eventually that he doesn't know everything and that he will need to listen first, then act. Oh and on top of that, he broke one of my rulers. It's the first day of school and we didn't even use rulers, so how did one end of broken????
"Miss Goodie Two Shoes aka Teacher's Pet" - You gotta love them, because they are there to please you and themselves, but they are TOO perfect. That's all I've got for now. Maybe when I have to talk to her about bad choices, she'll be blogged about again.
"Why?" - This child has special needs and is a very large part of learning as I go. I won't give specifics, but what I will say is that part of his 'charm' is asking a gazillion questions. The main question I received OVER AND OVER again today was, "When is the last day of school?" When I passed out their student handbooks and school calendars, he immediately turned to the calendar and wrote all over May 29th that it was his last day of school. I'm not sure what he's going to be doing until June 3rd (which is our actual last day). I think we have somewhere around 170 days to figure that out.
"Teacher" - I have a student who calls me teacher. If there is one thing that bothers me more than pencil tapping and pencil sharpening, and it would be when a child calls me Teacher. I think of it this way...I learned all 20 of your names and usually call you the right one. You have one very important name to learn and you can't do it. This is the only significant development with this child, but I will update if anything comes up.
Of course, each child has their own personality, but these were the most dominate today. I will be sure to share stories as they develop and fill you in on all of my adventures. Although I did teach last year, this is my first first of the year. It's still a learning experience for me. It doesn't matter how many years you've been teaching, each year is a learning experience.
I would also like to wish any new teachers the best of luck. The best thing I recommend it talking about your stresses and 'funnies' to someone who understands.
"The Sleeper" - For some background, she is the sister of last year's "My Mama" blog. (I have 2 siblings from last year and she is one.) Today while I was reading aloud, apparently The Sleeper found the story boring enough to take a nap through. I can tell you that I do not read stories in monotone. I am a very expressive reader and most kids sit very attentively throughout the story. Anyway, I asked her to wake up so she could return to her desk to finish work from earlier in the day. I think she was pretending to be asleep, but in any case, she was sitting with her head down, eyes closed, and not working. I had to then play Mean Teacher (for the first time this year) and explain that sleeping in class in NOT AN OPTION. If she didn't want to wake up and work, I could easily find another room for her to go to because I do not allow sleepers. I will admit that I did this a bit louder than I usually would, just because I was setting a standard. Don't think you're going to get away with sleeping in my classroom. It can't possibly be that boring.
"The Predictor" - This is the kid who thinks he knows everything. In fact, he and his mom told me that when they stopped by to drop off his supplies yesterday during my work day. "He didn't learn anything in 3rd grade. Hopefully he'll learn something in 4th." He was the student all day who was 5 steps ahead of everyone else. He was already ready for the next thing and trying to predict what my next set of directions would be. In fact, he was so ahead of me, when I gave him directions to do specific things, he had already done them, but incorrectly. When I started counting, he started counting with me. When I was passing out folders, he was standing 2 feet away waiting for his because he thought it would be next. The only thing this type of child does it make me want to do things in opposite of what he thinks. This may be mean, but if he's so far ahead of me, why do I even need to be there for him. He will learn eventually that he doesn't know everything and that he will need to listen first, then act. Oh and on top of that, he broke one of my rulers. It's the first day of school and we didn't even use rulers, so how did one end of broken????
"Miss Goodie Two Shoes aka Teacher's Pet" - You gotta love them, because they are there to please you and themselves, but they are TOO perfect. That's all I've got for now. Maybe when I have to talk to her about bad choices, she'll be blogged about again.
"Why?" - This child has special needs and is a very large part of learning as I go. I won't give specifics, but what I will say is that part of his 'charm' is asking a gazillion questions. The main question I received OVER AND OVER again today was, "When is the last day of school?" When I passed out their student handbooks and school calendars, he immediately turned to the calendar and wrote all over May 29th that it was his last day of school. I'm not sure what he's going to be doing until June 3rd (which is our actual last day). I think we have somewhere around 170 days to figure that out.
"Teacher" - I have a student who calls me teacher. If there is one thing that bothers me more than pencil tapping and pencil sharpening, and it would be when a child calls me Teacher. I think of it this way...I learned all 20 of your names and usually call you the right one. You have one very important name to learn and you can't do it. This is the only significant development with this child, but I will update if anything comes up.
Of course, each child has their own personality, but these were the most dominate today. I will be sure to share stories as they develop and fill you in on all of my adventures. Although I did teach last year, this is my first first of the year. It's still a learning experience for me. It doesn't matter how many years you've been teaching, each year is a learning experience.
I would also like to wish any new teachers the best of luck. The best thing I recommend it talking about your stresses and 'funnies' to someone who understands.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Meet Me!
The day started off in a tizzy. I was running late to school because Tiva was lazy this morning (yes, I just blamed my rushed morning on a dog) and I had to stop and get cash to buy my new school shirt. I had tons to do this morning during our work time in order to prepare for Meet the Teacher night and our textbook adoption training that afternoon. I rushed around and managed to get everything done and have time to make sure everything was done. We left for our textbook training, only to come back and think of more things that needed to be done.
I began to get very nervous. I'm not talking John Mayer nervous, but I was pretty nervous with anticipation and excitement. The moment the first family walked in my door, it all disappeared. I was very comfortable greeting the parents and explaining what I needed them to do this evening. It was nice that I had something the kids could do (put supplies away and scavenger hunt) and something for the parents (information forms and newsletter). Even when I had a room full of students, siblings, parents, and even grandparents, I was very comfortable and everyone seemed to be doing well. It did bother me a bit that parents were allowing there kids to play with our recess equipment IN the classroom, but when I was worrying about so many other things, it wasn't my biggest concern. Do I remember all of there names? No...I do remember the names for the child I have with special needs, the girl who shares my birthday, the one I thought was in 2nd grade, the one who's brother kept asking me for more cookies, and also the one who does weird things with his eyes (quoting his father).
I now have a classroom full of supplies that need to be arranged and stored...somewhere. It's the first thing on my To Do list for tomorrow (even though it's not a work day). Still lots to do...when supplies are put away, planning begins for week two of school!
I began to get very nervous. I'm not talking John Mayer nervous, but I was pretty nervous with anticipation and excitement. The moment the first family walked in my door, it all disappeared. I was very comfortable greeting the parents and explaining what I needed them to do this evening. It was nice that I had something the kids could do (put supplies away and scavenger hunt) and something for the parents (information forms and newsletter). Even when I had a room full of students, siblings, parents, and even grandparents, I was very comfortable and everyone seemed to be doing well. It did bother me a bit that parents were allowing there kids to play with our recess equipment IN the classroom, but when I was worrying about so many other things, it wasn't my biggest concern. Do I remember all of there names? No...I do remember the names for the child I have with special needs, the girl who shares my birthday, the one I thought was in 2nd grade, the one who's brother kept asking me for more cookies, and also the one who does weird things with his eyes (quoting his father).
I now have a classroom full of supplies that need to be arranged and stored...somewhere. It's the first thing on my To Do list for tomorrow (even though it's not a work day). Still lots to do...when supplies are put away, planning begins for week two of school!
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