I don't want to go!

Last Friday was Victor's last day...the only problem was that he didn't know. I found out on Tuesday from his mom that Friday would be his last day due to a family situation and him needing to go out of town and spend time with his grandparents. Missing the last 7 days of school was not a concern. Victor passed all of his TAKS tests and had done very well this year!

I couldn't allow him to leave for the summer without some sort of mini-celebration for him. After all, we will have one on the last day of school for the entire class. I bought him his own cupcake, made his end of the year present early, and told the kids so that we everyone would be sure to send him off to summer positively.

The afternoon was ticking by. I knew that I would eventually have to tell Victor that today was his last day at school for the year. 2:15 finally arrived. Ms. H, another teacher and myself called Victor over to my desk. If I remember correctly, this is a little how the conversation went:

Me: "Victor...
Teacher 1: "Victor, well...
Me: "Victor...well...today...is...your last day at school for the summer."
Victor: "WHAT?!?!"
Me: "You are going on vacation with your grandparents tomorrow."
Victor: "I DON'T WANT TO GO! I'M NOT GOING! NO!!!!!"
Me: "It's not a choice."
Victor: "WHO TOLD YOU THIS?"
Me: "Your mom."
Victor: "WHY? I don't want to go. I need to stay at school and learn more. I have more to learn. I can't miss school. I can't go. I don't want to go." (begins pacing around the room)
Me: "Victor, can you tell me how you are feeling?"
Victor: "I...I...I am...I am feeling...upset!"
Me: "Why are you feeling upset?"
Victor: "Because I don't want to go. I have more to learn."
Me: "Victor...you have my permission to go. You passed all of your TAKS tests and you have learned everything you need to in 4th grade. You passed 4th grade with flying colors and you deserve to start your vacation early."
Victor: "But other kids don't miss the end of the year. Is _____ going to be here the rest of the year?"
Me: "_____ will be on vacation this summer. Lots of kids go on vacation this summer. (speaking to the class) "Raise your hand if you are going on vacation this summer."
Class: (every child raises their hand)
Me: "See, it will be okay...everyone goes on vacation."
Victor: (goes around asking kids how long they will be on vacation and if they will miss any school and still pacing the classroom and beginning to accept the reality that this is his last day...or last afternoon in the classroom)

IN THE MEANTIME...the entire class is being ridiculous. By ridiculous, I mean that they are in tears. 75% of the class has tears rolling down their faces. I don't understand this because it's not like this was Victor's last day at our school forever and most of them will see him again next year. In fact, there were kids crying that didn't even seem to be very good friends with Victor this year. Now, this class was amazingly supportive of Victor at all times, but there is a difference between being friends with him and helping him in the classroom when he needed. I was glad that they all cared enough for Victor that they would miss him over the summer, but I felt that only a few kids really had the right to be so dramatic. I had kids rolling on the floor crying, others crying audibly anytime we looked over, and others with Kleenexes wet with tears. FOR REAL??

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The classroom has been quite a bit different since Victor's last day on Friday. Mainly that we are in the last 5 days of school and report cards have been verified. I can honestly say that having Victor in my class taught me so much. I loved that little boy and miss him. The growth he showed this year was impressive...so much so that everyone in the school has noticed. Knowing that a child can grow that much in one year gives me hope for every student in my class now and in the future.

Look...A SQUIRREL!

Everyday is interesting in my class and today's field trip was no different. We were off to see the Symphony of Austin. I'll skip through all the boring stuff and get to the "interesting" part of the trip that took place at Zilker Park when we went for lunch.

You should all be aware of Richard by now...
Richard: "Look, a squirrel!" (and he began chasing it)
Ms. H: "Richard, STOP CHASING THE SQUIRREL! Would you like if someone suddenly yelled, 'Look, a Richard!' and started chasing you?!?!"

Ms. H and I took some kids to the "outhouse" at Zilker because they were in desperate need of the bathroom, until they saw it...it was a circular structure that had a hut-type roof that didn't cover the entire opening. I did not go in myself because of the shrilling that the kids did when they went in...
"Ewwwww! My mom wouldn't let me go in there!"
"There are banana peels on the ground!"
"There's a potato on the ground too...it's just laying there!"
"Where's the hand sanitizer????????"
"I'd rather use a bush!"

It's a bright, sunshining day!

If you've been reading my blog since around this time last year, you would know that the title was quite different. In fact, the whole tone of the blog was quite different. Things weren't good. TAKS scores had come in and I was very disappointed with my class last year. I didn't know how to react. It was my first year teaching and I hadn't even taught the entire year. I had mixed emotions, that yes, they were my class and those were the result, but I also didn't feel responsibility for those results seeing as how I only became their teacher halfway through the year.

Anyway...this year was different. I needed to prove myself, and prove myself is what I did. This day has been one of the best teaching days ever. Receiving the good scores was a high moment, but telling the kids how well they did made me feel even better. One kid after another,

Me: "How do you think you did?"

Kid: "I think I did okay."

Me: "Do you think you passed all three tests?"

Kid: "I think so." (This is when I usually tell them the results, unless it's one of those kids with a sense of humor that I like to tease.)

Me: "Are you sure? You are 100% sure that you passed the writing, math, AND reading test?"

Kid: "Well, I hope so. I don't know now."

Me: "So which one do you think you failed?"

Kid: (says a test)

Me: "Well, I'm sorry to tell you...that you are wrong. You passed (or were commended)!"

Kid Responses: a smile forms...tears formed in one child's eyes...sometimes squeals accompany the smile...jumping up and down...heads back to the classroom to share their excitement and happiness and success

I felt like the TAKS Santa today. I only had to give bad news to two kids and that was very difficult, because those students have worked incredibly hard and improved tremendously this year. The good news that I gave to 20 students over shadowed those 2. This doesn't mean I don't care about those, because I almost wanted to cry when I had to tell one of them. It was disappointing and we are all trying to figure out how it happened.

I need to go and start planning the pizza party and baking a cake that I promised would happen if 90% of them passed...the price to pay when they do well...I think I will manage!

The tingle in her arms...

During School:
"Ms. L, we need Ms. H to come fix our maps. They are pulled out to far and she's the only one that can fix them."

After School:
Me: "Ms. H, can you please fix our maps. The kids requested that you do it because you are a professional."
Ms. H: "I don't know if I can, the maps are pulled out way too far!"
Me: "My kids are relying on you!"
Ms. H: "I'll try."
Me: "Come on, you can do better than that."
Ms. H: "I feel a tingle in my arms. I'm sure it will work this time....WAAAAAAALLLLLLAAAAA!"

And what do you know? Ms. H saved the day again with her skills specifically designed to release maps and overhead screens after they've been pulled out too far for any normal person to fix.

The "I Don't Understand" Kid

I have a student who I like to call the "I Don't Understand" kid. I know there are many more of these out there. Let me explain. These are examples of typical conversations with the "I Don't Understand" kid.

Me: "Please follow along as I explain the directions."
IDUK: "But I don't understand."
Me: "Please listen to the directions before you start saying that you don't understand."

Me: "When we are working on a multiplication problem, we first need to multiply up."
IDUK: "But I don't understand."
Me: "Please watch as I do it before you start saying that you don't understand."

Me: "I need everyone to have their paper out and follow along with us as _____ works through the problem on the board."
IDUK: "But I don't understand."
Me: "Please follow along with their work and tell me which part you don't understand."

Me: "I need everyone to pull out their writing spiral and continue working on the piece you started yesterday."
IDUK: "I don't know what to write."
Me: "We talked about this yesterday and started our pieces yesterday. What did you work on yesterday?"

I have plenty more examples, but I think you all understand which kid in your class or past classes this may be.

Richard, Richard, Richard!

Richard: "Ms. L, can I go spit phlegm out?"

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Me: "Richard, what planet do you live on?"
Brandy: "Planet Twice."
Me: "What?"
Brandy: "Planet Twice because he always asks everything twice."

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Me: "Connor, have you been visiting Richard?"
Karen: "That's mean!"
Me: "How do you think that's mean?"
Karen: "Cause you say Richard lives on Planet Twice."
Me: "I didn't say that, Brandy did!"
Karen: "But that's still mean to Connor."
Me: "Connor, I asked if you were visiting Richard because you haven't been 'in class' today."
Karen: "I knew it!"
Richard: "I heard my name!"
Me: "Yes, I asked Connor if he was visiting you on another planet earlier. Do you remember that Brandy said you live on Planet Twice?"
Richard: "Huh?"
Me: "Brandy said you live on Planet Twice because you ask everything twice. Isn't that true?"
Richard: "I don't know."
Me: "Don't you ask everything twice? Cause you forget a lot?"
Richard: "Oh yeah I do!"
Me: "See, that's what we were talking about."
Richard: "hahaha, okay!"

What did you say?

True story borrowed from my portable-mate and told from her perspective:

So I was working at my desk and I hear the word testicles. I look over and of course it's coming from the same student who's said "he went to take a dump" and the same one who chuckles anytime he hears the word "balls". Oh and the kid who laughs out loud every time he passes gas?! That's him too. So I hear the word testicles and I listen in for a few seconds just to see how this word was brought up.

Here's what was said "Testicles. Is that what you said? Dude, do you know what that means? Testicles are..." I immediately call this student over before he can do anymore damage. He knows right away why he's being called over and starts to apologize before I even have a chance to say anything. I told him that if he didn't understand the other student then he should ask what he said instead of assuming that he said a word that is inappropriate in school. He nods and I tell him to go back and ask what the other student said. He goes back, asks, and the other student has no idea what he's talking about. They continue to work without testicle conversation. Success? I think so.

Thanks for the great story, Ms. H!!!!

Eat!

Victor: "How many calories is someone supposed to eat in a day?"
Me: "You should eat at least 5,000." (Keep in mind that I once called this boy toothpicks because of his skinny little legs.)
Victor: "But will I be overweight if I eat that much?"
Me: "You? No way! Me? I'd be overweight by lunch."
Victor: "Will you be overweight if you eat that much for a long time?"
Me: "You, no. You would take a long time to catch up. You need to keep eating."
Victor: "What if I drink 5 Boosts a day? Will I be overweight then?"
Me: "Don't worry about it. You will not become overweight."

That's not how you do it!

The music teacher was speaking to me last week about an upcoming field trip. He felt the need to snap his fingers all over the place with attitude while explaining something to me. Karen was eaves dropping and said, "Mr. C, that's not how you do it. It's 1! 2! 3!" As she snapped her fingers like you see in the movies when girls are "snapping" at each other.

No he didn't!

Jasmine: Do you still like Chris Brown?
Karen: "Yeah! Have you seen him, he's cute!"
Jasmine: "Didn't you hear? He beat up Rhianna?"
Karen: "Nah-uh! Rhianna just put make-up on!"
Jasmine: "Yeah, he hit her with an umbrella!"
Karen: "Under my umbrella, ella, ella, a..."

She's a teacher!

Lauren: "Ms. L, you got a tan this weekend!"
Me: "Thanks for noticing."
Karen: "Did you wear your bikini to the pool?"
Lauren: "She doesn't wear a bikini...she's a teacher!"

Watch Dog Math

It was Thursday and the routine begins as usual, except for seeing two of my kiddos and their dad/uncle on the morning broadcast. This means that they will be visiting my classroom for the next hour. (I always hope they take the initiative to help the kids with their work and maintain classroom order...some think that hour is about them entertaining the class.) Luckily, this dad and uncle were on top of things. They made their way around the classroom helping students with their morning math problems. I told them I would be reviewing a lesson on transformations. They both looked at me puzzled..."I am good at math, but I don't know what you are talking about." I told them they could look at the chart we had created the day before to brush up.

When the lesson began, I had the kids remind the dad and uncle what each transformation meant (translation, reflection, rotation). The kids were loving this. They were so excited they knew something that these grown men did not. I stretched out the lesson as long as possible, having the kids wait to give answers until the dad/uncle had theirs as well. It was funny. The best part was when they would get an answer wrong. The kids had a great time and learned even more through explaining it to these dads...but in a more fun way than explaining it back to me.

Sometimes I'm annoyed with the dads that come to be Watch Dogs because they don't know how to interact with the kids and think it's just a day of playing with the kids, even when they are in the classroom during learning time. I don't mind having the dads that know how to make their way around the room helping kids and maintaining order.

I need the spray!

Richard is a "character" in my class that keeps me on my toes and thinking, "What will he say next?" Here are a few examples of today's randomness...

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Scenario #1:
We are at recess and I see Richard walking up with his arms out like Jesus and his wrists are clenched tightly.
Richard: "I NEED THE SPRAY!"
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Richard: "I AM BURNING!"
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Richard: (whispering in a pain-filled voice) "My back is sunburned."
Me: (looking at his shoulders)
Richard: (whisper again) "Other side!"
Me: "Okay, go to the nurse and get the spray."
Richard: (walks inside with his arm still stretched out and wrists clenched)

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Scenario #2
We are talking about transformations (math-->translation, rotation, reflection) and Richard was having a problem seeing the figures in the book as congruent. The key to the lesson was that the shapes had to be congruent to even be considered as a transformation.
Richard: "Ms. L, number 10 is not congruent."
Me: "I disagree. It is on a chart to show you it is congruent."
Class: "Yeah Richard...those are congruent."
Richard: "No! Look closely! This one is on the line and this one is barely right under the line. That means they aren't the same size. They aren't congruent, so they aren't any type of transformation."
Me: "No. It is on the graph paper. I see them both exactly on the line. Remember that I said if they were NOT congruent, you would be able to tell with a glance. The pictures will show a large enough difference in the size that it won't even be a doubt in your mind."
Richard: "But these aren't the same size. This one is right under the line and that one is on the line."
Me: "Richard! I promise you those are congruent shapes. They will not make the shapes a half of a millimeter smaller. It will be something you will notice immediately. You are staring at the picture too much. Look away and then look back and tell me if they are the same size."
Richard: "They aren't!!!!! This one is just a tiny tiny bit bigger than that one."
Me: "Okay! Take my word for it that they are congruent. What type of transformation is that??? Even if you don't agree that they are congruent, what transformation is it?"
Richard: "But it's not..."
Me: "Yes it is! Let's move on!"

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Scenario #3
I was doing a guided reading lesson during Explorer Time (aka intervention time), when Richard approached with something he HAD to tell me.
Richard: "Ms. L, this dice is a cheating dice." (No, he doesn't know it's called a die.)
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Richard: "This dice is a cheating dice. It only goes up to three."
Me: "I guess that's all the game needs...is three."
Richard: "But it's a cheating dice."
Me: "I still don't understand."
Richard: "If they get six, then I can only get three. It's a cheating dice."
Me: "I don't know how they will get six when the die only goes to three."
Richard: (begins walking away) "All I wanted to tell you is that this is a cheating dice. IT'S A CHEATING DICE!"
Me: "Okay."

Why would you do that?

A conversation I overhead during book clubs while I was working with another group:

Richard: "Why would you turn in your paper when you know that your answers are wrong?"
Elliot: "I don't know the answer."
Richard: "That doesn't mean you should turn in your paper with the wrong answers. Why don't you look through the book and find the right answers. I just don't see why you would turn it in knowing you have the wrong answers. That's not very smart."
Elliot: (looks at Richard annoyingly)
Richard: "Why don't you try to get the right answers. Turning it in doesn't make sense. You're not trying."
Elliot: (still sitting in silence and staring at Richard very annoyed at this point) "I'm just going to turn it in."
Richard: "WHY????"
Elliot: "Cause I can't do it. I don't know the answer."
Richard: "Well, get your paper and look in your book. You shouldn't just turn in your paper because you don't know. You're not trying."
Elliot: (goes to turn in his paper)
Richard: "That's not very smart. You shouldn't do that."

At this point, I step in and tell Elliot that Richard has a point and that I don't want any papers in the basket to be graded that you know are incorrect. The response of course is a grunt and a devilish stare...not at Richard, but at me. Come on...Richard was the one grilling you and giving you the third degree. It's because of him that I knew what was going on.

It's that time again...

...for the end of the 9 weeks awards ceremony. You all know that I have a class that is a bit sensitive. I don't even think "a bit sensitive" begins to describe how sensitive they really are. It's quite ridiculous. Ever since our first awards ceremony, I dread these days. It never fails that I have a student crying because they didn't get the awards they wanted or they didn't get any award at all.

Here goes the speech I give before or after each awards ceremony:
"I can tell that there are some people who are upset about the award they received or that they didn't receive any award at all. Remember that the last 9 weeks began on Monday. If you are unhappy, you have 9 weeks to prove that you deserve one of those awards. It's never too late. To show me that you deserve an award, you should be completing quality work, turning in ALL of your work and giving 100% effort. If you are doing all of those things, I can promise your efforts will be recognized in one way or another (honor roll or hustle award). Remember that the harder you work, the better your report card will be and the better chance you'll have at earning an award...and blah blah blah and so on, so on, so on!"

FYI: I had 3 criers.

Just change it!!!

It was Friday, which meant we were doing a reading passage to practice for TAKS. This can sometimes cause some drama when students don't get the 100 they are working for. This is especially true for Victor.

He brought his passage up for me to grade. (I grade these right away so the students can see where they made mistakes. Most of the time it was careless and they know the right answer.) I began grading and by the time I got to the second page, had already circled 3 for being wrong. I glanced at the rest of the paper and there were no more incorrect answers. He grabbed the paper from my hands and insanity ensued:

Victor: "No, these are right! Change them! They are right!"
Me: "I'm sorry, but they are not."
V: "Yes they are! Change them!!!"
Me: "Change them to what?"
V: "They are right, change them!"
Me: "What do you want me to do?" (He has now changed the answers to the correct choice.)
V: "Change these!!"
Me: "Okay, I will change them. You got them correct now."
V: "I want to start over!!!"
Me: "Do you want me to get you a new packet and you can do it again?"
V: "I just want to do it again."
Me: "Okay, I'll get another one. You can start over."
V: (gets my pen from my desk and scribbles out the marks I wrote on his paper)
Me: "Is that better?" ((Please keep in mind that the rest of the class is in the room and we are stacking and packing getting ready to head home for the weekend!))
V: "What's my grade? Give me a 100!"
Me: "I can't give you a 100." (Even though this would have probably made the whole situation go away, it would have set a president for the upcoming weeks of practice reading passages.)
V: "Give me a 100!"
Me: (I wrote 75 on the paper, crossed it out, and wrote 'corrected'.)
V: "NO!!!!!!!!! Give me a 100! I'm never going to pass TAKS!"
Me: "You will pass TAKS. You made a 75 on this. That is a passing grade. You would have passed TAKS with that grade."
V: "NOOOOO!!!! I'm never going to pass TAKS. This is not a good grade."
Me: "It's time to go. You have to go home now."
V: "I need a 100 first. I don't want to go. I want to get a 100."
Me: "I'm sorry. I have to go with the other kids. Ms. O will take you to your bus."

April Fool's!

As an April Fool's surprise for the kiddos at our school, our principal approved anyone who wanted to switch places. My portable mate and I jumped at the chance to change places with the PE coaches for a day. So we arrived at school in our athletic wear (one of the biggest perks of the day) and went to the gym, but instead of picking up our classes and heading to our rooms, we lingered. The kids weren't sure what was going on. We told them to just be patient (while the PE coaches finished up their morning duties). And so the spiel began...

"Ms. D, the principal, has decided that she is going to try a new program. She thinks it's important for teachers to be able to teach anything. Because of that, she made some changes. This is something that will stay this way for the rest of the year. Ms. H and Ms. L are now Coach H and Coach L and the coaches now teach 4th grade. You may also notice some other teachers that have been switched as well."

All was well for a while this morning. My portable mate and I were in the gym doing our thing, having so much fun, while I was hearing murmurs of what was happening in my classroom. I was hearing that my class already knew what the joke was. The PE coach in my room was set on them not knowing because it ruined the fun. So when he took them to specials, he told the art teacher that they had caught on. She made it perfectly clear that this was not a joke. What happened next? They all cried of course! "We love Ms. L! Bring her back!" "NO!!!!!! This isn't true!"

The news spread..."Who's class was crying because of the switch?" THAT WOULD BE MINE. In a way, I feel so loved that they cried at the thought of me not being their teacher anymore, but my immediate response was, "What a bunch of sissies!" Seriously...as 'Sparkles' put it, "Can't they take a joke?" Was I embarrassed that my class was the only class that couldn't take the joke that many other people in the school were doing as well...a little bit. But what really touched my heart was when I saw Victor in the hall and he said with a pitiful voice, "Ms. L, I miss you!"

The day ended and I was worn out, but felt good because I had been so active all day. I'm seriously considering taking the PE certification test just to have on paper so that when I get tired of worrying about test scores, I can not worry about anything and teach PE. That job was a piece of cake...and if I taught PE and ran around all day, I could eat all the cake I ever wanted. Hmmmmm....(that's the sound of serious consideration)...

You're already thinking this way?

During math this morning, there was a bit of "downtime". This means the students were folding and gluing geometric figures and were allowed to be having their own conversations. While I was standing at one table helping a group, I overhead a conversation between my aide and a student. I invited myself into the conversation and it went something like this:

Ms. A: "My son is home sick today. He was throwing up all night."
Karen: "Why aren't you home?"
Ms. A: "My husband is home with him."
Karen: "You trust your husband to be home with him?"
Ms. A: "Of course!"
Karen: "I wouldn't leave him home with my husband. I would send him to daycare or stay home by myself. Or I would leave him with my Momma."
Ms. A: "Why would you marry him if you didn't trust him?"
Lauren: "That's right...you shouldn't marry a man you don't trust! You should marry someone you love AND trust!"
Me: "Right! I hope you marry someone that you trust and you love. If that's not true, then you shouldn't get married."
Karen: "Well, my aunt got married to a guy I didn't trust. I told her I didn't trust him, but she married him anyway. And you know what? He left her with the kids."
Me: "That is just one instance. That does not mean that you shouldn't say all men are untrustworthy."
Karen: "I don't trust men!"

You're kidding me right?!?!!? She is nine years old and already swearing all men are untrustworthy. And second...was I really having this conversation with a few nine year olds??? Maybe it wasn't the most conventional teacher-student conversation, but if she feels this way about men, is she going to get these feelings out at home where there are men?

The Cotton Boll

It was the day that my intern had to do a social studies lesson. We are currently talking about plantations and the invention of the cotton gin, so this was also the topic of her lesson. My portable mate and I team teach social studies, which meant that our interns taught their lessons to both classes...even a bigger challenge than teaching this type of lesson to just 22 kids...she had 40.

Here's the outline for the lesson:
- The class discussed how much cotton slaves were required to pick/seed every day -- 1 pound. 50 bolls = 1 pound
- The kids got to gin their own boll of cotton. (I had no idea there were so many seeds in one boll.)
- They had to write a journal entry as a slave who had been picking cotton all day.

The kids LOVED this lesson. I will definitely be repeating this lesson next year. The hands-on experience was great...they truly began to understand how hard it was to pick/seed the cotton every day. And while they were seeding the cotton, they were complaining that it was too hard. So, all of the teachers were walking around telling them that they if they didn't pick better and faster, they would be whipped (not literally of course) or they would have to pick even more cotton. They threatened to quit or run away...which meant they were asking for another whipping (not literally of course). The kids had a great time pretending during this lesson and really understood the objective.

Sparkles

There is one student I don't think I've ever written before...she doesn't necessarily fly under the radar, but she's close. Her academics are not the highest, but her attitude and personality more than make up for it. She also has a lot going against her at home. I'm not sure who she lives with and not sure who I would even contact if there were a problem, but she seems to forget all that when she's at school.

This students, who I'll name Brandi, is a very selfless person...the most selfless I've ever seen.
- She is the only kid who brought me a present on my birthday. I know that her home situation is not conducive to buying the teacher a present, but she still felt the need.
- She is also the child who helps ANYONE! She sees a friend in need of any kind of help and, without being asked, heads over to help.
- She is very observant and does things and notices things that others don't. "Ms. L, you had 3 of those candies already. Are you sure you want another?" "I already had 3, are you sure?"
- She picks up trash or volunteers to help with ANYTHING!
- She hears me talk to myself and does whatever I was telling myself to do.
- She knows how to take a joke and has a great sense of humor with her friends and teachers. She has a better sense of humor than most of the kids in my class.
- She brings me 5 goldfish each day for snack.
- She is always smiling! You could have told her that she just failed a test, but she will smile because she knows she did her best and that she'll work harder for next time.
- She smiles because she knows you're crazy.
- She smiles when I forget something and she is able to remind me.
- She is always willing to learn from a friend or me. And she loves teaching her friends when she knows something they don't.
- She never complains or cries!

Did I mention how much I love this kid?!?! She has the positive attitude that I wish every kid had.

Is that a caterpillar?

Yesterday we began a unit on life cycles. This unit kicked off with a classroom "pet" so we could see everything first hand. I am not really the kind of teacher who likes class pets of any sort, so this was a step for me. I actually didn't have that big of a problem with it because I knew the kids were going to LOVE it!!! And I was right...

Our class pet actually turned out to be class pets...meal worms. I know they aren't really a pet, but they're worse! I don't like creepy, crawly things. These things were just gross. Luckily, I had an intern for my portable-mate sort them for the other fourth grade teachers so that I didn't touch them. THANK GOODNESS!

The kids got sooooooo excited about the meal worms. They were unable to contain their excitement or disgust for the meal worms. And the thought of them growing into beetles only increased their excitement. I had a few kids who wanted to stare into the plastic box the entire class period. I had others who cringed when I brought the meal worms near. As the ones cringed in their seats, I reminded myself that I was being brave holding the meal worm box because of the kids who were so engaged. They could probably get me to do just about anything because I love them so much! I guess meal worms are just the beginning...luckily there are only 9 weeks of school left...

The Big Return

Today was the first day back from Spring Break...

I had a wonderful Spring Break, but in a weird way, I was definitely looking forward to today. I love my class and was really starting to miss them. And for good reason...

- First thing this morning, Victor sees me in the hallway and starts questioning me immediately about knowing about his mouth surgery. I realized how much I missed him!
- Lauren gives me a present she bought me on Spring Break in San Antonio...a key chain with my name on it.
- They said I looked pretty in my clothes and looked like I had a great Spring Break!
- They loved the Jack Hanna book I bought on break with them in mind.
- They were ready to learn again immediately...and showed me through poems they wrote about enjoying school during writing time.
- They were just very happy to be at school all day...no complaints of being tired or not wanting to do anything.

Hopefully these wonderful kiddos will generate some great blogs in the coming days/weeks/remaining months of the school year...only 49 more days!

You can do it!

This past week has been trying on everyone in portable 4B. I've had so many kids need me to be there for them emotionally. Forget the academics, they needed a self-esteem boost. I've never been around so many kids who were so unsure of themselves in all aspects of their lives.

I had one kid write a whole page worth of, "I'm a failure and worthless to everyone." Another continue to say, "I suck! I hate myself." And then there was one who continued to bang and throw things because he would get upset with himself.

So, what to do with these kids...??? I found myself keep repeating the phrase, "I see how hard you are working. Keep it up and know that I believe in you. I need you to believe in you too." I've never given so much verbal praise in such a short amount of time. I know that verbal praise is a necessity in life, however, I was drained of it this week. I couldn't bring myself to give one more, "you can do it!" I need these kids to come back from Spring Break with a renewed confidence and energy to tackle the remainder of the year. I need them to do that so that I can fulfill my end of the deal and teach them something, rather than be sole emotional supporter...although that is what I will do if needed.

Slew of pictures that I've been meaning to share...

These pictures go along with blogs I've already written...I'm just now getting around to posting.

Writing Camp shirts -- sweat shop!

Daily camp fire -- sing along and schedule overview.

The great spider hunt...notice that it took 8 kids to look for a brown house spider that I'm not sure even existed. I will post this picture once I can blot out faces when my iPhoto is working.

Received this note from a parent. I was confused as to how to interpret the signature..."Pops"

Ran out of space and the kids wanted it hung up...the ceiling works as well as anywhere else.

Pictionary

Today for science, we played Pictionary using our science vocabulary words about ecosystems. The kids were having a blast!!!! They were doing a great job guessing the words based on the pictures and most of the pictures were good enough to guess. Things were going smoothly, the teams were within a point of each other the entire game. Well, things WERE going smoothly.

JT was up to draw. He was supposed to draw "behavior". I told him he could draw a monkey in a tree because one of a monkeys behaviors is hanging in a tree. His picture was very good. The guessers however were not. They were unable to guess his word. He immediately began to cry because he was unable to draw well enough for his team to guess correctly.

Elliot was net. His word was "valley". This was probably one of the easiest words in the bunch to draw. BUT...Elliot drew some trees with giraffes, not a valley in sight. I even asked him to explain his drawing and he couldn't. He went to the back of his group to shed some tears.

Tara was close to next. (This all happened within a few turns.) I can't remember what word she had, but it was one that her team should have guessed. After her picture was left with incorrect guesses, she returned to her team in tears just like the others.

The count is now up to 3. And I didn't mention that during math (before Pictionary), William was crying. We were practicing finding the volume of rectangular prisms and he guessed incorrectly. My response to him was no different than the one to the correct answers, "How did you figure that out?" However, the kids did make a sound of disappointment, indicating that he had given the wrong answers. That was just enough to set him off.

I was for sure that my classroom would be tear-free today with the lessons I had planned. What I did learn is that I can't assume anything.

Does he know something I don't?

Victor: "When are you going to get a ring on your finger????"

I made it through!

OMG! (These are letters straight from the mouth of my students.) Today was the longest day of my life, also known as the Writing TAKS! It all began around 8:15 this morning and didn't end (in my classroom) until 2:15. I spent the day "actively monitoring" 18 students sit in their desks reading and writing. While following all 1,000 of the very strict guidelines of a test administrator, I became bored out of my mind. They don't teach you how to stare at a classroom full of kids for an entire day without talking or saying encouraging things while you're in teacher school.

I know how bored I was and I also understand how bored kids were that finished before the others. I had one student using goldfish (the snack crackers) to write out names of every student in the class. He asked if he could take a picture of them even, too bad we were testing, cause I totally would have. The best part of it was that the letters in each person's name he made with the crackers looked like his handwriting.

One high point of today was that I sat with them at lunch. This is something that doesn't happen very often and I enjoy it when I get the chance. Although I'm not eager enough to sit with them every day...once a while in nice. Instead of being the teacher, we get to talk about non-school stuff. I find out what things they like (the vegetable sticks from the cafeteria) and what they don't like (the boys when they act weird). I found out that: one kid only likes fish sticks, but not any other kind of fish (very similar to when I was a kid); they all love strawberries and cantaloupe; one kid is tired of selling Girl Scout cookies; they love being in my class; one kid has an adorable little brother that is going to have a birthday soon; and the boys have a group called "The Boys' Club".

All in all, I'm so glad tomorrow is back to regular teaching. I get to teach volume, ecosystems, the Underground Railroad, book clubs, and no more of this writing to the prompt. I don't know if I've ever been so excited about poetry. :)

I taught them to think!

It's almost here...TAKS that is. I've never been so nervous. Today we had a relaxing kind of day so the kids wouldn't get too stressed out about tomorrow. I know for a fact that I am definitely more stressed out than most of them. Not to forget about the test completely, we read a book this afternoon and talked about strategies for tomorrow.

We started off reading Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr. Seuss (it also happens to be his birthday). It's a story about a school that does everything fun and interesting. In fact, all they know is interesting, colorful, different, and fun. The principal comes in saying that they will have a test, and so will every school in the town. If they don't pass, the school will be closed and everyone will have to go another school in town that is black and white. And by black and white, I mean boring, no talking, nothing interesting or different. The kids begin to worry. The teachers don't. The teachers explain that they may have not taught them all the information on the test, but they have taught them how to think. It turns out that the kids do more amazing than the principal expected.

My kids loved this story. The immediately related it to me teaching them to think, even if I haven't taught them the exact prompt they will receive tomorrow. I have taught them how to brainstorm ideas, how to plan their writing, and how to revise to make improvements. I am fully confident in how they have been prepared and what they have shown me. However, this doesn't calm my nerve at all. I am still a nervous wreck. I am frightened that they will forget what I taught them. They will forget how to think. This scares the living daylights out of me. I know they are capable, but will they show they are capable?!?!

S'mores are Dangerous!

Our writing camp campfire was in full swing. S'mores were being made and compositions were being shared. Things were going well and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, parents included. And then...

I hear screaming and see crying. It's Victor. "It popped out. Just put it back in the hole. Fix it!" I then realize he's talking about the wire that goes in the back bracket of his braces. Apparently, the wire is now poking in his gum. I take him outside to see if there is anything I can do for him. NOTHING! He begins to scream, "Call 911! Call the police! Call somebody and tell them I need help! You need to fix this! Just put it back in the hole. HELP ME! Do something! Call 911, they will help me. Call my dentist." (Please remember that I have an aide and parents in my room at this time...the kids were not left unattended.)

The PE coach hears the yelling and comes over to help. We take him to the nurse's office against his will and find out that she can't do anything either (which I knew), but he was not happy with that response. He continued to scream, "Call 911! Call the doctor! Call my mom and tell her that I need help! I need the nurse to just fix it!" He continues to scream, cry, act like a baby laying on my lap, and making impossible demands for another 20 minutes or so. I finally decide that I need to go back to my room and trade duties with the aide. This is because I can't take any more of the screaming.

I return to my room to calm the kids back down, fill them in on Victor's status and have them group share a piece of their compositions. Even with the drama, the campfire was nice and I think the parents enjoyed hearing their children read the compositions that they have been working on. (I will share a few compositions and pictures from writing camp tomorrow.)

Teamwork!

Last week was emotionally eventful for one of my students. Sarah was the student who "broken" by receiving the 1 on her first writing camp composition. Helping her work through this was probably one of the hardest things I've done as a teacher, but the good news is that she did finish a 2+ or 3 composition by Friday.

The second hardest part of her week was the spider she did not invite to hang out in her desk. Here's how it went down...

I looked across the room when everyone was supposed to be writing and I see Sarah crying. I also see Juan huddled around her desk with a few other students. A kid comes up to tell me, "Sarah's crying." Within seconds, at least 6 kids join the crowd around the desk. I go over to get the status on the situation. I lean over the desk to look inside to see what the crowd is staring at. To my surprise, they were staring at nothing. The desk was empty. All of Sarah's belongings were on the floor below her desk. As some kids are still staring in the desk, a few others have an animal encyclopedia and they are trying to figure out what type of spider it is. They talk about how big it was, the color, its leg length, and what its body looked like. As they flip through the pages, I suggest, "Maybe it was a tarantula?!" The other kids thought it was funny, but Sarah did not. I think they determined it was a brown house spider or a daddy long leg. I tell them they need to pick up the mess on the floor and return it to Sarah's desk. Before doing that, the 8 students that are now gathered around the desk, give the desk another few stares before moving. (I will post a picture of the gathered students staring in an empty desk tomorrow...it was funny to watch.)

I could have handled this situation a bit differently, but allowed this disruption on the basis that these kids were showing caring towards Sarah, working together to get the spider taken care of, showed cooperation in each of their "jobs" in spider hunting, and it was fun to watch them take care of this. I also took this lesson from Philip Done who wrote 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny. He would have done the same thing. In fact, in a story very similar to one he wrote about, I also stopped teaching when a bee flew into the room. There are certain things that teaching must be put on hold for.