story time!

if there were ever a day for stories from 3rd grade, today would be it. so let's begin.

she spoke!
i have a student that is a selective mute. she can speak, she simply chooses not to. ever. until today. she actually raised her hand and volunteered answers. of her own volition. repeatedly. and then, when i called on her, she answered. loud enough for me to hear from 10 feet away. it was amazing.

and then, in small group, she did it again. she read words to me. the selective mute that can't read, read words to me. i can't even believe it.

too much english
yesterday i got an email from my principal. all it said was that there was a parent concern with one of my students and asked if i could come talk to him about it after school today. so of course i tell him, sure, no problem, but in my head i'm thinking, oh god, this can not end well.

so i go in today and my principal says, "don't worry, it's nothing bad. it's kind of an odd request really. his daughter says there's too much english in your class and she thinks it's a little much for her. she wants to move to the newcomer class." seriously? too much english? honey, people in your country pay good money to send their kids to english-immersion schools. the newcomer class is for kids that have recently arrived in america as immigrants or refugees and legitimately don't speak english. i can't understand why you would want to dumb things down for your daughter who seems to speak english just fine.

the thing that amazes me is that apparently we are actually considering it. my principal is going to look into the numbers. seriously?

what happened?
i generally eat lunch with a few of my kids as a reward for good behavior. as it worked out today, i just had one. now, angie is one of my most respectable, well-mannered, trustworthy students. but the stories she told me today...i don't even know.

to be continued...