It's True

My class often likes to hear tidbits of my life: what I drive, what my family life is like, some childhood moments, etc. Today, after doing a lesson on co-operation and using a three-legged walk as an object lesson, I thought they might want to know what I thought was an interesting, little known fact.
"Did you know, class, that when I was in grade six, I won the three-legged race for the entire school?"
Came an incredulous response, "You were in grade six?!?!"

Today...

...I was given the best compliment I have received in a long time: a student told me that I reminded him of Goldilocks, because of my hair. It didn't take much convincing on his part to get the whole class to agree.

...There was an "incident" in the school where I taught; it escalated to such a degree that the police had to be called and an eight-year old put in handcuffs.

...I was told by my daycare lady that Gideon is officially no longer a baby, but a toddler.
(Does that mean it's time for him to get a haircut?)

Sitting on the Carpet

Grade 2 Student: "I'm sitting criss-cross, but I don't get no applesauce."

Odds and Ends

Yesterday in one of my assignments, I was responsible for teaching a music class. For those who know me well, you know that this is a challenge, especially when the instructions are to sing along with a CD. My problem in music is not necessarily understanding rhythm, nor is it that I cannot read notes, nor is it that I am tone deaf. The problem is that my voice does not do what I know it should. I am fully aware that I cannot carry a tune, even though I know what the tune should be. Somehow, I think this is worse.
Knowing this, I began the lesson explaining to the class that I was not very confident in music. "But," I said, "that is ok. What is one thing that you have learned in school?" I was hoping for the answer "we do our best."
"We all make mistakes!" yelled out one student.
Yeah, that too.

In other teaching notables yesterday:
-I worked 1.2 of a day. All before 4:00.
Pleaes no comments about the lifestyle of a teacher. :)
-One of my students looked exactly like Simon Birch.
-One girl came up to me in the morning and asked if I could always be the supply teacher for the class. That made me feel good.
-I taught five different grades in two different schools.

Play

This morning I taught Junior Kindergarten...I use the word "taught" very loosely. What I actually did was observe a student teacher and then....lucky me!!.....went on a class trip to see "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" at the Grand Theatre. So.much.fun!!

As I was preparing for the day, I read the Occasional Teacher binder, a binder full of useful information for people like me. Under the heading "Students," it read:
"Ron and Kole are identical twins. Ron has a small lump on his right ear. He is the more energetic of the two. Both are allergic" - and here I inhaled deeply, especially fearful as we were about to take a class trip...but I continued reading anyway -..."Both are allergic to the idea of tidying up."

Student? Teacher?

I walked into the book/teacher resource room one day last week to work on the computer during my planning time. I could tell I was being looked at quizzically by the support staff beside me, but I chalked it up to not being in that particular school very often this year. After a minute or two, I turned to her to ask a question.
She looked at me for a few seconds and then blurted out, “I thought you were a student here. I thought you were about 14, 141/2.” I laughed, and told her I was about twice that. “Oh,” she replied. “I was just about to ask you if you were allowed to be in here.”

Later that day there was a school-wide time of DPA (daily physical activity). The instructions were for the older students to team up with the younger. As I was looking around to make sure all the students were partnering up, a girl in grade one or two grabbed my arm and asked “Will you be my partner?”

Talk about insult to injury.

Picture It

Chaos now has a new definition for me: 25 kindergarten students in a gym playing with bouncy balls.

There Goes My Self-Esteem

Kindergarten student to me: "You don't know what you're doing."

I Didn't Sign Up For This

(This one's for you, Heidi :) )

"What is Jonathan like?" I asked the class's placement student over lunch.
Her head dropped and her eyes rolled.
I laughed.
"Ask any teacher to describe Jonathan and you will get the same response," she told (warned?) me. "I am in behaviour psych, and Jonathan is the reason I came to this school."
"He's famous!" I quipped, and our conversation soon drifted elsewhere.
I had not yet had the chance to meet this young person, as he had been at his behaviour class all morning. I had been warned, though. "The class isn't bad in the morning, but in the afternoon....with Jonathan....it gets a little crazy," warned the EA.
My chance to meet him soon came. A boy stood in the doorway shortly before lunch recess had ended.
"Are you Jonathan?" I asked him.
"Yes, I am," he responded politely.
I introduced myself, and told him it was nice to meet him.
I was thankful. Either he was having a "good" day or I had already won him over with my charm.
The students entered, and class began. I explained what we would be working on....building medieval castles that they had started earlier in the week.
Within approximately two minutes, I heard some kerfuffling behind me. I looked. Two boys were arguing...over, of all things, a used pizza box.
"He took my box!" said Cam.
"No, it's mine!" Said Jonathan.
Back and forth, back and forth.
And then....It became increasingly pugnacious. I tried to take the box away, and it was grabbed back....with total belligerence. Schoolwork was knocked off the desk. The scissors in Jonathan's hand were looking more and more alarming. I wished they were safety scissors. Some yelling. Some more yelling from other students. ....and then push came to shove, and Jonathan leaped out of his space and chased Cam around the classroom. He grabbed Cam, clawing at him as tightly and as hard as his strong, chubby fingers would let him. Blood was drawn. Sara felt it her duty to contribute to the pinching, clawing, grabbing. Somehow I was in the middle of it, trying to get them off each other.
It was over in a matter of minutes....I think. My first classroom fight.
It gets a little crazy......indeed. Sometimes warnings aren't enough.

Quotables

Over the announcements this morning....
"Just a reminder to all students that when you have finished going to the washroom, please flush the toilets. Thank you."

A student to me: "Every time I think, my ear hurts."

I Didn't Think I'd Ever Say That ....

"David, take the scissors out of your nose."

A Day's Work

I have been called in to work a few times in the last two weeks, much to my surprise. I was quite sure that September would be a rather empty month. Yesterday I had my first full day of teaching, in a grade one class. It went quite well, although I was exhausted at the end of the day. Sick, overworked and under-slept Rodney ended up making me dinner because I couldn’t quite get off the floor, where I had sat to “quickly fold the laundry” before dinner.

As always, there are stories from the teaching day. I sent kids to the principal’s office for the first time in my career. I also received a hug at the end of the day, these two little arms wrapped around my thighs...which made me melt like butter. I think my favourite, though, was when I wasn’t actually present, but heard in the lunch room afterward. The teacher who was covering during my planning time took my class to the gym. Sweet, adorable, long-lashed O, who has a conscience in continuous over-drive was sitting behind a girl in his squad. He came to the teacher and said in a whisper “I just saw a girl’s privates.” The teacher looked around, wondering who or what could have offended the boy at the ripe age of 6. She finally spotted the culprit: the girl’s pants were riding a teensy bit low. O continued, “I know I’m not supposed to look. But, I think I kind of liked it!”

Beyond the take –home stories, it has been a neat experience to get back in the classroom. In many ways it seems strange: I have been out of it for so long that it is a whole new world again. In many other ways, it is just a complete privilege: the whole process of undergrad, life experience, faculty of ed applications, acceptance, interview applications and acceptance (that in itself was truly a miracle), daycare provision, etc. etc. It has been encouraging to look back and see the way that it has and is working. The idea that on some days I get to be a stay-at-home mom, and other days I get to be a “career woman” is also quite amazing. I should probably note – to myself and to you – that I say this in September, when everything is new, exciting and rosy. Hopefully that perspective will continue. As will the stories.