Tuesday night was our district's Black History Program. (I teach in a district that's like, 98% African American.) The fifth grade girls from another school were dressed up as ballerinas and did the most beautiful dance to this song. It was so powerful; you could just feel God's presence in that gym during this song. It really spoke to me.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Consequences of Crayon Throwing
There is a popular, much-loved boy in my class named AJ. I think the popularity has been going to his head lately; he's developed just a bit of an attitude. Yesterday, his behavior was totally unlike him. He was out of his seat, talking nonstop, throwing crayons, and he called someone a very inappropriate name. I called his dad after school, and his dad was not happy. I suggested AJ come in before or after school and clean the classroom (there were bits of crayon everywhere). His dad had him there 10 minutes later.
I went next door to get a broom from another teacher. When I came back less than a minute later, AJ was sobbing. That boy cried almost the whole time he cleaned my room. I'm not sure what was said, but his dad never raised his voice. And I know he doesn't beat his kids or anything. So I am in awe of his parenting skillz. I hope that someday I'm that effective of a disciplinarian.
Today, AJ was back to his wonderful self. For the most part. There was an incident at lunch where his sandwich fell on the floor, and another student (who is such a little punk) stepped on it just to be a jerk. AJ got mad and stuffed the sandwich down the other student's shirt. I couldn't quite be upset with him for this. It was too hilarious. And besides, I wasn't actually there, so I couldn't punish him.
AJ also brought me a note from his mom today. It said that she has this friend at work who is such a nice guy, and she thinks we'd really like each other, and gave me his email address. I've only met his mom like, twice, so I'm not sure exactly what she knows about me. (God only knows what AJ tells her; I hope she didn't hear about the pimp song.) But I like going on dates, even if they don't work out. So maybe I will email him.
There are two kids in my class I'm really having trouble with. One is the sandwich-stepper-onner. He is so sneaky. He is always trying to start fights with other kids, but I never actually hear it. The class cheers when he is absent. The other one is the boy who brought the knife to school. He has this quiet rage about him that scares me. He just sits there glaring. I don't even think glaring is a strong enough word. His dad's in prison, and I think that's part of his anger. But he lives in a good home, so I don't know what his deal is. He doesn't do any work, he is a liar, a bully, and he tries to start fights between other students. My principal and I discussed these students today. We agreed that the social worker is needed (which won't do any good; she's too busy), but my principal said we need "creative consequences" because behavior contracts and the typical consequences aren't working. So any ideas for "creative consequences" would be much appreciated.
I went next door to get a broom from another teacher. When I came back less than a minute later, AJ was sobbing. That boy cried almost the whole time he cleaned my room. I'm not sure what was said, but his dad never raised his voice. And I know he doesn't beat his kids or anything. So I am in awe of his parenting skillz. I hope that someday I'm that effective of a disciplinarian.
Today, AJ was back to his wonderful self. For the most part. There was an incident at lunch where his sandwich fell on the floor, and another student (who is such a little punk) stepped on it just to be a jerk. AJ got mad and stuffed the sandwich down the other student's shirt. I couldn't quite be upset with him for this. It was too hilarious. And besides, I wasn't actually there, so I couldn't punish him.
AJ also brought me a note from his mom today. It said that she has this friend at work who is such a nice guy, and she thinks we'd really like each other, and gave me his email address. I've only met his mom like, twice, so I'm not sure exactly what she knows about me. (God only knows what AJ tells her; I hope she didn't hear about the pimp song.) But I like going on dates, even if they don't work out. So maybe I will email him.
There are two kids in my class I'm really having trouble with. One is the sandwich-stepper-onner. He is so sneaky. He is always trying to start fights with other kids, but I never actually hear it. The class cheers when he is absent. The other one is the boy who brought the knife to school. He has this quiet rage about him that scares me. He just sits there glaring. I don't even think glaring is a strong enough word. His dad's in prison, and I think that's part of his anger. But he lives in a good home, so I don't know what his deal is. He doesn't do any work, he is a liar, a bully, and he tries to start fights between other students. My principal and I discussed these students today. We agreed that the social worker is needed (which won't do any good; she's too busy), but my principal said we need "creative consequences" because behavior contracts and the typical consequences aren't working. So any ideas for "creative consequences" would be much appreciated.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Today in teaching...
Some of the fifth graders like to come hug me and tell me they want to be in my class next year. Today, one of Charity's students did this. She asked if I could request that she be in my class. I tried to look regretful as I said no, but I was grinning on the inside. This girl is a pathological liar; at her old school she claimed her teacher hit her, which was a total lie. She is a bully as well as a liar; just the kind of girl you don't want in your class. Then, one of my students spoke up and said, "Miss B can't request you, but you can request her! That's how I got in her class!" The girl's face lit up and she said, "That's what I'm going to do!"
I had been thinking about maybe staying at my school for one more year because I'm so happy there. But I don't know if I could handle a year with this girl. I think I should stick with my plan of transferring to the middle school.
Also, today I was listening to music while the kids were at art. One of them walked in while I was listening to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." He just about died laughing. After art, they were all singing it. The worst part was, when I told them it wasn't appropriate for them to be singing about that subject matter, they said, "But you were listening to it!" Tomorrow I will go back to country music.
I had been thinking about maybe staying at my school for one more year because I'm so happy there. But I don't know if I could handle a year with this girl. I think I should stick with my plan of transferring to the middle school.
Also, today I was listening to music while the kids were at art. One of them walked in while I was listening to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." He just about died laughing. After art, they were all singing it. The worst part was, when I told them it wasn't appropriate for them to be singing about that subject matter, they said, "But you were listening to it!" Tomorrow I will go back to country music.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Dreams
When I get really stressed, I have dreams that reflect it. Usually I dream that a tornado is coming, but I never actually get to the part where the tornado hits. Another common one is the fish dream, where my fish has somehow fallen out of his tank and I'm trying to save him before he dies.
Last night I went to bed stressing about this Powerpoint I'm doing with my learning team. I was supposed to have my part done yesterday, but there just wasn't time because I had a dinner party to go to last night. The topic of the Powerpoint is a 30 minute professional development about standards-based instruction, so the idea is that we can actually use this at our jobs. I dreamed that I was about to present this at a staff meeting, and I realized I hadn't even started researching it. So I got up to present and had no idea what I was talking about, and my principal was grading me and writing all kinds of bad comments. In the middle of this horrifying experience, the secretary came in to tell me I had a phone call. I rushed out of the meeting, so glad to get out of there. The phone call was from the president of the Twinkies corporation, offering me a job. I took it and left immediately.
When I woke up this morning, I did the Powerpoint right away. I don't need to be having any more of these awful dreams.
Last night I went to bed stressing about this Powerpoint I'm doing with my learning team. I was supposed to have my part done yesterday, but there just wasn't time because I had a dinner party to go to last night. The topic of the Powerpoint is a 30 minute professional development about standards-based instruction, so the idea is that we can actually use this at our jobs. I dreamed that I was about to present this at a staff meeting, and I realized I hadn't even started researching it. So I got up to present and had no idea what I was talking about, and my principal was grading me and writing all kinds of bad comments. In the middle of this horrifying experience, the secretary came in to tell me I had a phone call. I rushed out of the meeting, so glad to get out of there. The phone call was from the president of the Twinkies corporation, offering me a job. I took it and left immediately.
When I woke up this morning, I did the Powerpoint right away. I don't need to be having any more of these awful dreams.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Stress
Things that are stressing me out right now (and keeping me from blogging):
-Black history program on Tuesday
-Powerpoint presentation that I am totally uninspired to do (due tomorrow)
-Paper that I am equally uninspired to write (due Monday)
-Money- there are many things, such as stupid Comcast is claiming that I owe them all this money, which I don't
-This weekend- too many plans
-Major headache
Things should be back to normal after Tuesday.
-Black history program on Tuesday
-Powerpoint presentation that I am totally uninspired to do (due tomorrow)
-Paper that I am equally uninspired to write (due Monday)
-Money- there are many things, such as stupid Comcast is claiming that I owe them all this money, which I don't
-This weekend- too many plans
-Major headache
Things should be back to normal after Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Idaho?
Idaho? No, Udaho. We've all heard this joke, right? But you wouldn't expect 6th graders to know it, would you? Well, today we started Walk Two Moons , (one of my favorite books EVER), and I mentioned that Sal, the main character, was on her way to Idaho. I pulled down the map to show it to the class (because I was pretty sure they had never heard of it), and they just busted out laughing. They kept yelling, "I-Da-Ho!" They just couldn't get over it. I told them they were way too young to be making jokes like that, and A.J. replied that they are an "advanced generation." I don't think they'd ever even seen the tee shirt; they just automatically thought of something dirty.
A few minutes later, a boy loudly tattled, "He called me a 304!" What?? Is that some new slang? Oh wait, we're dealing with 6th graders here. Type in the numbers 304 in your calculator and turn it upside down. What does it spell? Hoe.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Chocolate Fest
Just as good as it sounded. I took my little sister yesterday, and we had a blast. It was only $1 to get in. Lots of free samples, and a scavenger hunt type thing where you had to visit different education stations and collect stamps on your map. If you got them all stamped, you got a prize at the end. We also made chocolate sachets, and Khalia made a cinnamon necklace. All while enjoying the beauty of the Garfield Park Conservatory. It was so nice to see blooming flowers in February. This will definitely be an annual event.
Line Dancing
What is wrong with me? I used to make fun of people who liked country. If you told me that I would be line dancing when I was 25, I'd laugh in your face. But all of a sudden, this is what I like to do.
My country phase started when Cortnee took me to Billy Bob's Honky Tonk in Fort Worth. I actually kinda wished I could be out there on the dance floor doing all the complicated dances and two-stepping. And I thought the cowboys were SO hot.
When I got home from Dallas, I started listening to country all the time. It just makes me so happy; it's good for your soul, just like opera and Bach. Recently I heard of this place called DC's Country Junction in Indiana, so Nina and I went to check it out. We didn't dance (I was ready to try by the end of the night, but she wouldn't go out there with me), but I was determined to learn how and come back.
Last night I went with 9 other girls. I had such a great time! We went to the lesson, which really helped. By the end of the night I actually knew a few dances. I feel like this is something I could actually be good at, unlike snowboarding, where I knew right away I would seriously suck.
I'm going to try to learn some more dances on YouTube so I'll be even better the next time I go, which I hope will be really soon. What's happened to me???
Do I look like I've completely lost my mind??
My country phase started when Cortnee took me to Billy Bob's Honky Tonk in Fort Worth. I actually kinda wished I could be out there on the dance floor doing all the complicated dances and two-stepping. And I thought the cowboys were SO hot.
When I got home from Dallas, I started listening to country all the time. It just makes me so happy; it's good for your soul, just like opera and Bach. Recently I heard of this place called DC's Country Junction in Indiana, so Nina and I went to check it out. We didn't dance (I was ready to try by the end of the night, but she wouldn't go out there with me), but I was determined to learn how and come back.
Last night I went with 9 other girls. I had such a great time! We went to the lesson, which really helped. By the end of the night I actually knew a few dances. I feel like this is something I could actually be good at, unlike snowboarding, where I knew right away I would seriously suck.
I'm going to try to learn some more dances on YouTube so I'll be even better the next time I go, which I hope will be really soon. What's happened to me???
Do I look like I've completely lost my mind??
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
My 403(b) guy (Part 2)
Last week I saw a sign in the office saying that the 403(b) guys would be in the teacher's lounge all day Tuesday to answer any financial questions we had. I was not excited to see this, since I sent Anthony a Christmas card pretty much asking him out, and I hadn't heard back from him.
So Tuesday morning I got up a little earlier, curled my hair, put on a bit more makeup than usual, and wore a sexy teacher outfit. My students were immediately suspicious. And when I put on lip gloss, they knew there must be a cute guy in the building. (Note to self- wear lip gloss at work more often!) My plan was to avoid the teacher's lounge during lunch, but I still wanted to look good in case I ran into him.
Good thing I made the effort, because Anthony showed up in my room while the kids were at gym. He asked me financial questions, then mentioned the Christmas card. My face turned bright red. (Why do I have to blush so easily????) I don't know if I told the story on my blog, but he recommended a restaurant to me last time we saw each other, and I tried it and loved it, so in my Christmas card I recommended one in return and suggested we go there sometime. So he started talking about the restaurant I'd recommended and how he thought he'd been there, but he didn't actually say yes or no. So frustrating. He was definitely playing games, but I guess I started it. Then he asked me if I like Diet Coke. I turned around and realized he was staring at the row of empty Coke cans on my window sill. I got all flustered and tried to explain that since our school doesn't recycle, I do my own recycling, but I was out of blue bags (because you have to put your recyclables in blue bags in the city), and I just hadn't been able to get to the store but felt too guilty just throwing them away. Yeah, I think I sounded like an idiot.
So he left, and I was relieved to have that over with. But then, later in the day, I thought of a serious financial question that I knew would bug me if I didn't ask. I was thinking about the book we're reading for small group, The Irresistible Revolution, and the fact that I am an "aggressive, high-risk investor" (according to the quiz I took), and it occurred to me that the overseas companies I'm investing in may not be entirely ethical. I want to make sure I'm not supporting sweatshops or anything like that. So I sent a student down to the lounge to see if he was still there, and if so, to see if he could come answer a question for me. My student came back and announced to the whole class that he was handsome (I hadn't told them anything; how did they know?!), and another student said I better put some more lip gloss on.
Anthony came to my room, and we talked out in the hall where he told me how to find answers to my question. My class was pretty quiet (probably eavesdropping), but as soon as I opened the door to come back in the classroom, the whole class said, "Ooooooh," as loudly as possible. I just about died of embarrassment. He's going to think I told my whole class I have some big crush on him. Hoping he was still outside my door, I attempted to do some damage control. "Listen!" I yelled. "I am tired of you thinking that I'm dating every single male I talk to. Let's get this straight. I am not dating Mr. Watson. I am not dating the man in the hall. And I am not dating the Domino's Delivery Guy!" At this, the class cracked up; they're still mad at me because the pizza guy asked for my number and I refused. They insist that we could have gotten free pizza if I dated him. So hopefully Anthony heard this and thinks that's what they do whenever I talk to a guy. Because seriously, if Mr. Watson and I even smile and say hi to each other, they go nuts, thinking we're dating, despite the fact that Mr. Watson is happily married.
Anyway, I doubt anything's going to happen with Anthony, but I think I like it more this way. I like a little drama and excitement.
Speaking of drama and excitement, my birthday is coming soon, and I have no idea what to do. Suggestions are welcome, by phone or email, since apparently my friends read my blog but don't comment on it.
So Tuesday morning I got up a little earlier, curled my hair, put on a bit more makeup than usual, and wore a sexy teacher outfit. My students were immediately suspicious. And when I put on lip gloss, they knew there must be a cute guy in the building. (Note to self- wear lip gloss at work more often!) My plan was to avoid the teacher's lounge during lunch, but I still wanted to look good in case I ran into him.
Good thing I made the effort, because Anthony showed up in my room while the kids were at gym. He asked me financial questions, then mentioned the Christmas card. My face turned bright red. (Why do I have to blush so easily????) I don't know if I told the story on my blog, but he recommended a restaurant to me last time we saw each other, and I tried it and loved it, so in my Christmas card I recommended one in return and suggested we go there sometime. So he started talking about the restaurant I'd recommended and how he thought he'd been there, but he didn't actually say yes or no. So frustrating. He was definitely playing games, but I guess I started it. Then he asked me if I like Diet Coke. I turned around and realized he was staring at the row of empty Coke cans on my window sill. I got all flustered and tried to explain that since our school doesn't recycle, I do my own recycling, but I was out of blue bags (because you have to put your recyclables in blue bags in the city), and I just hadn't been able to get to the store but felt too guilty just throwing them away. Yeah, I think I sounded like an idiot.
So he left, and I was relieved to have that over with. But then, later in the day, I thought of a serious financial question that I knew would bug me if I didn't ask. I was thinking about the book we're reading for small group, The Irresistible Revolution, and the fact that I am an "aggressive, high-risk investor" (according to the quiz I took), and it occurred to me that the overseas companies I'm investing in may not be entirely ethical. I want to make sure I'm not supporting sweatshops or anything like that. So I sent a student down to the lounge to see if he was still there, and if so, to see if he could come answer a question for me. My student came back and announced to the whole class that he was handsome (I hadn't told them anything; how did they know?!), and another student said I better put some more lip gloss on.
Anthony came to my room, and we talked out in the hall where he told me how to find answers to my question. My class was pretty quiet (probably eavesdropping), but as soon as I opened the door to come back in the classroom, the whole class said, "Ooooooh," as loudly as possible. I just about died of embarrassment. He's going to think I told my whole class I have some big crush on him. Hoping he was still outside my door, I attempted to do some damage control. "Listen!" I yelled. "I am tired of you thinking that I'm dating every single male I talk to. Let's get this straight. I am not dating Mr. Watson. I am not dating the man in the hall. And I am not dating the Domino's Delivery Guy!" At this, the class cracked up; they're still mad at me because the pizza guy asked for my number and I refused. They insist that we could have gotten free pizza if I dated him. So hopefully Anthony heard this and thinks that's what they do whenever I talk to a guy. Because seriously, if Mr. Watson and I even smile and say hi to each other, they go nuts, thinking we're dating, despite the fact that Mr. Watson is happily married.
Anyway, I doubt anything's going to happen with Anthony, but I think I like it more this way. I like a little drama and excitement.
Speaking of drama and excitement, my birthday is coming soon, and I have no idea what to do. Suggestions are welcome, by phone or email, since apparently my friends read my blog but don't comment on it.
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