terrible horrible no good very bad day" included:
- a broken copier (therefore almost NO handouts)
- one kid getting suspended for seriously threatening me (special) - he was gone by 9 am.
- a parent phone call which is a long story but ULTIMATELY frustrating and discouraging
- one student accusing another student of touching her and making her feel uncomfortable (therefore visits to the counselor, phone calls home, statements from the students ...)
- only 6 of my 10 kids
Friday, October 07, 2005
Thursday, October 06, 2005
a legitimate question
"ms. matthews is der sumting wong [wrong] wit yor brain?"
huh? (kid repeats question)
why do you ask that? does it seem like something is wrong with my brain?
"well, you aksed me to sweep den you telled me to read a book. what is wong wit yor brain that made you ferget?"
and the funny part is, when he asked me that, i thought it was because he was going to tell me that there is something wrong with his ... umm whoops.
huh? (kid repeats question)
why do you ask that? does it seem like something is wrong with my brain?
"well, you aksed me to sweep den you telled me to read a book. what is wong wit yor brain that made you ferget?"
and the funny part is, when he asked me that, i thought it was because he was going to tell me that there is something wrong with his ... umm whoops.
happy birthday daveman!!
today on TWO different occasions students read "how much is a million?"
SO cute and it was special that they were reading it on dave's bday :)
love you (and wish you were in my class ... for my sake not yours)!
SO cute and it was special that they were reading it on dave's bday :)
love you (and wish you were in my class ... for my sake not yours)!
(kid), please sit down.
(me, to one particular kid) i need you to shut your mouth NOW. i need you to sit down, and i need you to begin work.
(chaos ensues- so i'm still standing there)
(the kid turns toward me, throws his arms around my neck (this is not the hugger kid)) i love you
(me) that's very nice. SIT DOWN NOW.
don't try to sweet talk me, bro.
(chaos ensues- so i'm still standing there)
(the kid turns toward me, throws his arms around my neck (this is not the hugger kid)) i love you
(me) that's very nice. SIT DOWN NOW.
don't try to sweet talk me, bro.
the usual
today was pretty much same old same old. a few kids got thrown out (not literally) at the beginning of the day for being OUT OF CONTROL.
the rest of the class was *thrilled* that they were gone.
and then, we did READING. it's what they struggle with the most, so they usually flip out when i say we're going to read. therefore, we hardly ever have time just to read independently. but i reorganized all the books by level so now it's more manageable for them, and we successfully spent like 45 minutes today just reading. it was beautiful. i love watching kids read.
my same kid as always BEGGED me to decorate for halloween - as if i have all these things waiting to be hung up. uhhh ... honey, i got nothin'.
the rest of the class was *thrilled* that they were gone.
and then, we did READING. it's what they struggle with the most, so they usually flip out when i say we're going to read. therefore, we hardly ever have time just to read independently. but i reorganized all the books by level so now it's more manageable for them, and we successfully spent like 45 minutes today just reading. it was beautiful. i love watching kids read.
my same kid as always BEGGED me to decorate for halloween - as if i have all these things waiting to be hung up. uhhh ... honey, i got nothin'.
Monday, October 03, 2005
halloween so soon?
same kid as always, today ...
"ms. matthews can we pllleeeeeeaasse start decorating the room for halloween?"
(you have to imagine this sounding more like: miss maatews con we puhleeese staht dekoorating tha claaassroom fohr hah-le-weeeeen)
"ms. matthews can we pllleeeeeeaasse start decorating the room for halloween?"
(you have to imagine this sounding more like: miss maatews con we puhleeese staht dekoorating tha claaassroom fohr hah-le-weeeeen)
bruised
today i got my hand slammed in the metal telephone box in my room.
i about KILLED the kid who did it.
i about KILLED the kid who did it.
tricking ms. matthews
today we're lining up for lunch and all of a sudden i turn around and a kid is missing. this isn't particularly unusual, but this girl never really gets out of "line" (it's really more like a ... group).
so, my (this, however, is typical) response is to BELLOW her name down the hall (with my voice that is a lot like a man's these days b/c it is so low). i am looking down two hallways when all of a sudden she pokes her head out from behind the row of lockers and is laughing.
"hahaha i got you. you thought i'd really left. hahaha. you fell for it."
i don't remember whether i laughed or barked next.
so, my (this, however, is typical) response is to BELLOW her name down the hall (with my voice that is a lot like a man's these days b/c it is so low). i am looking down two hallways when all of a sudden she pokes her head out from behind the row of lockers and is laughing.
"hahaha i got you. you thought i'd really left. hahaha. you fell for it."
i don't remember whether i laughed or barked next.
falsetto
character: the same little kid i always talk about
setting: friday afternoon
reason i'm posting now: i forgot about it until just now, and i'm cracking up laughing remembering it
situation: kid starts speaking in a *really* high voice. like, realllly high. for about, um, a hour, he wouldn't stop. all the other kids are like, what is he doing?! and he just kept on going. i think we were taking a spelling test at the time, and so when he would ask me to repeat one or whatever, it was in this bizarre, high, girly voice. he didn't even crack a smile, either.
setting: friday afternoon
reason i'm posting now: i forgot about it until just now, and i'm cracking up laughing remembering it
situation: kid starts speaking in a *really* high voice. like, realllly high. for about, um, a hour, he wouldn't stop. all the other kids are like, what is he doing?! and he just kept on going. i think we were taking a spelling test at the time, and so when he would ask me to repeat one or whatever, it was in this bizarre, high, girly voice. he didn't even crack a smile, either.
visits II
a kid asked if i would please come to his house tonight or tomorrow when we're off.
"pllleaaase ms. matthews? just stop by to say hi?"
i had been using coming to their houses as a threat ... they kept walking out of class before it was dismissal time and i told them that if i couldn't give them their homework i'd have to bring it to their house tonight ("and do you want me to show up at your house to tell your mother (or whoever you live with) that you ran out of class and didn't get your homework? i do not think so.").
but then this kid is begging me to stop by. weird.
"pllleaaase ms. matthews? just stop by to say hi?"
i had been using coming to their houses as a threat ... they kept walking out of class before it was dismissal time and i told them that if i couldn't give them their homework i'd have to bring it to their house tonight ("and do you want me to show up at your house to tell your mother (or whoever you live with) that you ran out of class and didn't get your homework? i do not think so.").
but then this kid is begging me to stop by. weird.
meteorologists
it took us almost 15 minutes to correctly pronounce meteorologists.
we are doing a unit on weather :)
we are doing a unit on weather :)
HANGMANNNNNN
one kid reaaaalllly wanted to play hangman today. and he must have been convinced that if he asked me enough times while drawing each sound in "hangman" out foooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr that i'd say yes. he had already asked me a zillion times then he took my shoulders and started shaking them with a really really serious look on his face (like that growly grrr i WANT TO) just to get me to do the same thing back (grrrrrrr nooooooooo hangman todaaaaaay). then he laughed. it was really cute.
absent teachers and games
who don't call in for a sub are ... really annoying? something like that. but it turned out to be a really fun time with my kids today ...
some of them were stuck w/ me during their health class b/c she wasn't here (only 6 out of 10 kids go to that class, the others aren't in 6th grade and have other "expressive arts" classes at the same time).
soooo ... we sat down on the floor in a circle (they thought i was going to play duck duck goose with them. yeah right - *license* to run around the room?? no thanks) - and for a moment i considered playing the animal game with them, then i realized that encouraging them to make animal sounds could really backfire on me.
so we played the rhythm/number game (everyone has a number, say your number and another one to the rhythm) and they were sooooo cute. a couple kids were surprisingly good at it ... and a couple were surprisingly bad.
then we played bingo w/ telling the time. we started to do it with a face clock, then i realized that every single turn would take like 5 minutes *because they can't tell time*! so - bingo w/ the digital clock numbers.
grand times.
some of them were stuck w/ me during their health class b/c she wasn't here (only 6 out of 10 kids go to that class, the others aren't in 6th grade and have other "expressive arts" classes at the same time).
soooo ... we sat down on the floor in a circle (they thought i was going to play duck duck goose with them. yeah right - *license* to run around the room?? no thanks) - and for a moment i considered playing the animal game with them, then i realized that encouraging them to make animal sounds could really backfire on me.
so we played the rhythm/number game (everyone has a number, say your number and another one to the rhythm) and they were sooooo cute. a couple kids were surprisingly good at it ... and a couple were surprisingly bad.
then we played bingo w/ telling the time. we started to do it with a face clock, then i realized that every single turn would take like 5 minutes *because they can't tell time*! so - bingo w/ the digital clock numbers.
grand times.
more hugs
first of all, the "hugger" kid hasn't let up. he still hugs allll the time. still very cute.
another kid (the one who likes his back scratched) today was rushing another kid. i stood between them and he slammed right into me, and despite the fact that he is a little chubster, he's still only 11 and couldn't get past his big ol' teacher. he kept going for a couple seconds (like, treading water while walking ... moving but not really exerting much pressure) then stopped and just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. then he sat down and started working.
it was so bizarre.
another kid (the one who likes his back scratched) today was rushing another kid. i stood between them and he slammed right into me, and despite the fact that he is a little chubster, he's still only 11 and couldn't get past his big ol' teacher. he kept going for a couple seconds (like, treading water while walking ... moving but not really exerting much pressure) then stopped and just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. then he sat down and started working.
it was so bizarre.
sometimes
i wonder what it is like to be one of my students.
do they know i really don't know what i'm doing? do they think i'm boring/fun/not strict/mean?
is their experience this year comparable at ALL to other school years?
probably not.
do they know i really don't know what i'm doing? do they think i'm boring/fun/not strict/mean?
is their experience this year comparable at ALL to other school years?
probably not.
Friday, September 30, 2005
8 year old thoughts
victor berzinsky asked me today why i don't have an assistant to bring the bad kids to the office when they act up.
he also asked if kids *really* fight in my school. he asked why they fight.
he asked a lot of questions ... i had answers to about 3 of them.
he also asked if kids *really* fight in my school. he asked why they fight.
he asked a lot of questions ... i had answers to about 3 of them.
sarah
a friend addressed me as sarah the other night ... you know how it's different when someone says your name in the midst of a conversation as opposed to just, like, addressing an email or leaving a message ...
anyway, it is different. and felt really NICE. but that is weird since it *is* my name.
so then i had this moment of, oh my gosh, it has been forever since someone has really "addressed" me as sarah. everyone who tries to get my attention, everyone who is calling my name across the room .... it is ms. matthews.
(i wish i had a count of how many times my kids call out for me each day. today i started to keep track - in like 30 seconds, my name was called out something like 45 times. it's echoes of "ms. matthews"..."ms maaaaatthews" ... "ms matthewwwwwwwwwwws" ALL the time.)
anyway, it is different. and felt really NICE. but that is weird since it *is* my name.
so then i had this moment of, oh my gosh, it has been forever since someone has really "addressed" me as sarah. everyone who tries to get my attention, everyone who is calling my name across the room .... it is ms. matthews.
(i wish i had a count of how many times my kids call out for me each day. today i started to keep track - in like 30 seconds, my name was called out something like 45 times. it's echoes of "ms. matthews"..."ms maaaaatthews" ... "ms matthewwwwwwwwwwws" ALL the time.)
they tried
but to no avail ... to get my class switched around. the special ed coordinator went the principal and basically said, listen, i put this class together *for* mr. so-and-so and never ever ever would have put these kids in a class together w/ another teacher. they really shouldn't be in the same class. can we move some of them out and give her some other kids who are not such problems? this really shouldn't be happening ... and so on.
the principal's response (i'm guessing here from what i know of her) was something like, if one teacher can handle it, then any other teacher should be able to learn to handle it. we're not moving any kids anywhere.
(even though one of my students today officially transferred out of our SCHOOL)
the principal's response (i'm guessing here from what i know of her) was something like, if one teacher can handle it, then any other teacher should be able to learn to handle it. we're not moving any kids anywhere.
(even though one of my students today officially transferred out of our SCHOOL)
oh the wonder
from this moment until october 16, i will teach a total of 5 days.
next week we have tuesday and wednesday off (thanks to rosh hashannah).
the next we have monday (columbus day) and thursday (yom kippur) off.
i'm going home for my aunt jenn's wedding and missing friday too.
this means there might be hope for me yet.
next week we have tuesday and wednesday off (thanks to rosh hashannah).
the next we have monday (columbus day) and thursday (yom kippur) off.
i'm going home for my aunt jenn's wedding and missing friday too.
this means there might be hope for me yet.
OH!
i found out yesterday that i was never meant to have my class. in fact, my class (as in the students) was put together specifically for another teacher.
he was promoted to be the dean of discipline right before school started (hence my switch the day before the first day of school).
Dean of Discipline = able to - and supposed to - handle my crazies
me = teaching the class intended for him
special.
he was promoted to be the dean of discipline right before school started (hence my switch the day before the first day of school).
Dean of Discipline = able to - and supposed to - handle my crazies
me = teaching the class intended for him
special.