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...

mmm, sandwich...

i think i have a happy sandwich dance. it's not every time and my definition of sandwich is fairly broad, but it's not uncommon for me to hold my sandwich and do a happy dance in my chair while i am eating it. it is entirely subconscious.


11/1/09 amendment: i think i may have been mistaken in my initial assessments. i now believe that i have a happy food dance, which is not limited to, but commonly accompanied by, sandwiches. i am still investigating these claims and will update with any further developments as they are uncovered.

the icing on the cake

he ran around the room for a good 5-10 minutes today...on top of the tables. seriously?

2 week update:

we're up to 6 in-school suspensions in 9 days. plus a visit to the assistant principal for running screaming down the hallway instead of going to the office like a big boy. how old are we?

on the upside, i get to call home for awesome behavior today, so i'll call it a win.

ah, the first days...

let's recap my first week of teaching this year:

by the second day of school, 3 of my boys and one of my girls had seen the principal at least once, some twice.

i have exercised my shouting voice at least 3 times each day. this doesn't include shouting for effect during a read aloud. i should note that i do my best not to shout at school and do not enjoy it when it happens.

my kids have spent at least 50% of their recess time walking laps in reparation for offenses in the classroom.

they have spent probably 30% of their total time at school practicing walking up and down the hallway because we just can't seem to get it right.

i have already earned an almost brand new pack of my favorite american gum. ah, fringe benefits.

we have spent half an hour with our heads down trying to figure out who thought they should leave said gum on the enrichment teacher's rug.

and, finally, the same 3 boys mentioned previously have already managed their first in-school suspension for getting in a fist fight in the hallway/bathroom. yay! the upside of this is that the rest of the class had a surprisingly productive day after they left.

i should also mention that i'm referring to only one class, which has managed all of this in the half of the day that they spend with me. i can only imagine what else they've accomplished in mr. rollins class.

i predict that i will learn a lot this year, even if my kids do not.