Friday, August 30, 2013

August 30, 2013

I can't believe August is basically over! Today was actually fairly tame from a quote standpoint.

In my third grade class we were reviewing some information about numbers, colors, etc...

Me: So this one says, "My favorite color is ________." Just write your favorite color in Spanish.
Boy: How do you say chartreuse in Spanish?
Me: Why don't you just stick with the basic colors we've got listed? That's an intense favorite color.

Have I mentioned that renovations will start on our school next summer? Our lower playground has already been removed because they will begin bringing in the portables soon. Apparently these are some awesome portables with a cafeteria, bathrooms, and the whole shebang so they take awhile to assemble.

While waiting for my first grade class, their teacher relayed this conversation to me...

Mrs. Ramey: I hope you know you're at fault.
Me: What?
Mrs. Ramey: For the lower playground being removed, well according to a student. He told me the other day, "Do you know why that playground is gone? It's because Miss Black doesn't have a classroom. You know how we always have Spanish in the room? Well they're bringing in some buildings so that she can have a classroom."
That's right; it's all for me.

Another first grader told me all about his good behavior for the day (and he surprisingly didn't tell me anything about the shirt he was wearing)...
L: Miss Black, guess what? I been on green all day and if I stay on green all day I get to play with my Police Legos. I'm going to Michigan.
Me: That's awesome! (Then later at the end of class...)
L: Miss Black, guess what? I'm still on green. I think I'm going to earn my Police Legos reward.
Me: Honey I know you're still on green. I've literally been here this entire time and I haven't had you pull a card.

While reading the book Big Dog Little Dog, in order to discuss opposites, we got to the part where the dogs are on vacation and one dog skis while the other ice skates...

Boy: Miss Señorita Black, he could break through the ice and fall into the water
Me: Well, we'll just have to wait and see. That would be a pretty dark turn for this book to take.

Is any day complete without some wonderful quotes from AS? He may be the world's most entertaining kindergartener!...

AS: We've learned rojo and azul [in Spanish class].
Me: Can you guess what color we're going to learn next time?
AS: Umm, green? (no) Black? (no) Eight (haha, no) Gray? (no) taps on the door (brown? no) Rojo? (no) White? (no, I'll give you a hint, it's on your shoes) Brown? (no) Yellow? (yes) Yaaaay!

So in a few minutes, a fifth grade boy joins us waiting for the bell to ring. This isn't just any fifth grade boy. He's the BA tough guy who doesn't take shit from anyone. Of course, AS has never met a stranger so he walks right up to him...

AS: Lemme see your teeth!
Me: Did you just ask to see his teeth? I promise you that he has them and they look like teeth.

Even the school BA cannot help but smile at the 2 feet of sheer adorableness that is AS.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

August 28 & 29, 2013

Another 2 day post thanks to principal class! I must admit, I've got some good ones in store for you today. Let's start with a few older items I've forgotten:

During morning car duty, some parents walk with their children to school. One mom was walking with her daughters and had a baby in a stroller. Here's what a passing kindergarten girl said:

Girl: That's a good baby.
Woman: Thank you.
Me: Yea. Way to go, super baby you've got there.

Talking about families in first grade...

Boy: My mom had a baby.
Me: Cool!
Boy: Yea, it happened in the summer so I couldn't tell you.
Girl: Guess what? My mom is going to have a baby in December and she's getting married in 34 days.
Me: Isn't that exciting?!

It's so exciting to see what a student is capable of!
This isn't a funny quote but rather a touching story. I have a fifth grade boy who is part of our special education program. He's unable to talk, and last year he didn't really do anything for me in Spanish class. Last year was the first year I'd really had special education students (at the high school level, very few special education students take a world language) and I'm still trying to figure out how to adapt assignments for their needs. This student blew me away when I saw that he had colored every picture correctly (he didn't have a gray marker or crayon which is why the last picture isn't correct). As I praised his work, he put a highlighter in my hand and my other hand on the lid. Then he guided my hand to each word so that I could trace the letters. After that I asked if he could trace the letters and he did. It was more work than he did for me all of last year combined. It was so amazing to see--it's like all of these things we've been doing in class have been sinking in and he's finally able to express them.

Let's move on to yesterday's excitement!
The fifth grade went on a field trip to Keeneland today, but first they had specials...

Girl: Miss Black, I have that hair thing!
Boy (we'll call him N): Me too!
Me: Really N? You have the same hair tie as me? We'll have to wear them on the same day so that we match.

One fifth grade boy, A, did not want to go on the field trip so he joined me for a portion of my fourth grade class, too...

Me: Why didn't you want to go to Keeneland, A?
A: I don't like travelling long distances.

Me: Next time we're going to start with our new vocabulary...
A: Here, let me walk you to the door.
Me: Well thank you for the escort, A.

Reviewing the alphabet in fourth grade...

Me: The letter x has a weird name in Spanish. X is called equis.
Boy: X sounds like "Eh, keys!"
Me: I suppose it does.

I can't imagine you've forgotten about the third grade boy who requested we learn about cacti...

Me: I wanted to tell y'all what the third grade classes suggested we learn about in Spanish this year. Animals, sports, food, nature...
Boy: Cactus?!
Me: I did write down the word cactus. I will make sure that we learn that word. I don't know it off the top of my head. I don't know much about cactus but we will learn the word.
Boy: Well, you could like bring in a cactus to show us or maybe like give us each a cactus seed. I just love cactus.

First grade focuses on my future...

Girl: Do you have a wife?
Me: No. [But isn't it nice to know I'd be supported no matter what my lifestyle choices?]
Girl: Do you have a husband?
Me: No, but I have a boyfriend.
Girl: Really? Who is he?
Me: Yes. He's just a guy. It's not like you know him.
Boy: Is he nice?
Me: Yes, he's very nice.
Girl: Are you going to have a baby?
Me: No
Girl: Are you sure?
Me: Not any time soon. I'm not even married. I've just got a boyfriend and dogs for right now.
Boy: She'll have one when she's a grown up.
Me: Exactly.

Morning duty chats...

Kindergarten girl: Next time you should look to see the zombies on the back of my car.
Me: I saw them.

The last item isn't a quote, but I do need to report that during dismissal time kindergartener AS was singing an odd mash-up of Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" and "Row Row Row Your Boat".

And finally, we come to today!
The AC was broken this morning
which resulted in this sexy hairdo.

One fifth grade boy delivered several quality quotes today...

Boy: I'm gonna skeedaddle. (He also added a salute to this)
Me: Of all the words I ever expected to hear you say, skeedaddle, had to be at the bottom of the list.

Boy: Wanna know how to make it like you got big muscles? I just stick a tennis ball under my sleeve and flex. But it can't be a squishy ball because then it just looks like fat.




Boy: "I have a present for you. It's
in my backpack." My first gift
of the year from a kindergarten boy.
Our lesson in kindergarten today was all about the color blue. We learned the word azul and colored things that are blue...

Girl: This is a blueberry bird. It's a bird that eats blueberries and its beak gets all messy.

Me: What color is...the UK basketball team?
Girl: Rojo?
*10 points to this girl for not knowing something about UK sports!

I ran into a kindergarten girl on my way to teach the first grade...

Girl: Hey Spanish teacher! (Because that's one of my many names)
Me: Hey Spanish student!
Girl: Do you know where we can get some Spanish learning?
Me: Well, why don't you wait until you have Spanish class?

While waiting for my first grade class I was listening to a kindergarten girl answer some questions about words that rhyme. She was given a word and was asked to say a word that rhymed with it...

  • Candy: tummy ache          Hop: bunny          Dark: night light
  • Pain: house                      See: k                  Cake: wolf eating a cake
In one of my first grade classes, a boy came back to class a few moments after the rest of his class. We were singing a song and he pulled a Ziploc bag out of his pocket...

Boy: Underwear! Can I go to the bathroom?
Me: No, your entire class just went.
Boy: I didn't go.
Me: Why not? You had a chance with everyone else.
Boy: I had to check to see if there was poop in my butt and I didn't have my underwear with me.
Me: Did you have an accident?
Boy: No.
Me: So, why didn't you go to the bathroom while you were in there "checking"?
Boy: Because I didn't have my underwear.
I tell him to put the bag of [clean] underwear in his backpack and we continue with class. At the end of class, we're lining up to leave and he's getting the underwear out again.
Me: Why are you getting your underwear out?
Boy: Because I need to go to the bathroom.
Me: OK, you can go on the way to the next specials class but you don't need your underwear.
Boy: Yes I do because I have to check and see if there's poop in my butt...
Me: BUT DID YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT?
Boy: Yes, a long time ago in Ms. O'Connor's [his kindergarten teacher] class so I always have these with me.
Me: Do you understand that if you didn't have an accident right now then you don't need to change your underwear?
Boy: But...
Me: Oh my God, just bring your underwear.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August 26 & 27, 2013

I didn't have a chance to write a post yesterday because I was at class until 8:30 having my brain exploded by a nonsensical, last minute assignment that I completely don't understand...hopefully I can get all that cleared up ASAP!

Yesterday in a fifth grade class...

Girl: Miss Black, did you dye the sides of your hair [purple] with Kool-Aid?
Me: No, I did it professionally.
Boy 1: You're a professional hair dresser?
Me: No, I paid someone to do it. That's one of the perks of being a grown-up. You can pay someone to do your hair and you don't have to use Kool-Aid. Plus you can drive.
Boy 2: I can drive.
Me: Legally.

Chatting after school with my smooth talking kindergartener, who I'll call AS...

AS: Miss Black, why you no come to my class today?
Me: Your class didn't have Spanish today.
AS: I saw you in the hall.
Me: Why didn't you come give me a hug and say hi?
AS: You was all the way over there.
Me: You couldn't walk?
AS: My teacher would be mad. We was doing hall stuff.
Me: Oh, so that's not what you do in the hall?
AS: No.

As a first grade class entered their classroom, one boy came up and gave me a hug...

B: Miss Señorita Black!
Me: Hi B! Oh, thank you for the hug! (A few seconds later) You need to sit down now.
Boy: I thought him was a puppet.
Me: You thought he was a puppet?
Boy: Yea, 'cause of how him hugging you. I thought him was a puppet.
Me: Oh...well, nope. He's not.

Listening to kindergarteners explain addition...

Boy: Miss Black, if you have 1 and 2, isn't that 3?
Me: Yes.
Boy: See?
Girl 1: But my granny said that if you have one and then two and...that's four.
Me: Well, look at my fingers. If I have one and then I add two more, I have one, two, three.
Boy: If you have one and one it's two.
Me: Good job.
Girl 1: If you have one and two and then you take away one but then you put it back it's four.
Me: This is intense.
Girl 2: Miss Black, how many is this? (Holds up fingers)
Me: Eight.
Girl 2: Good job!
Me: Well, thanks.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Being a Teacher

There are no quotes in this post, just a few things about teaching in general. I found this on Facebook the other day and I had to share it on here.

I'm sure you're familiar with the Box Tops for Education program. Many of our students collect box tops and bring them in to raise money for our school. There are usually contests where the class that brings in the most box tops gets a pizza party or something like that. It's a really good program, but when you think about the fact that we have to have that program because our schools do not receive enough federal funding it's enough to make your brain explode. 

We could still get the kids to bring in box tops and give them to the prisons. Kids will do anything for a pizza party. Or stickers.

Speaking of raising money for our schools, why not go and vote for my school full of these hilarious kids at Give with Target. Guess what? You can vote every single day!

The last thing I wanted to share was this funny video that another teacher at my school had posted on her Facebook.

Tales from the Fourth Grade

Fourth grade has been dishing up some winning quotes this year. I can't be with them all the time, but luckily I get the instant replays from my friends teaching them all they need to know. Many of these quotes are science related because 4th grade is the year that the kids really get to do lots of sciencey things.

I should also add that the 4th grade has quite a few pets; Mrs. Burlew's class has Harriet Potter the guinea pig and Mrs. Abell's class has Puff the bearded dragon and Hazel the rabbit.

Mrs. Abell: Can't I just call you Antonio's little brother?
Kid: You have a lot of names to learn. If that works for you, it works for me.

Boy: Mrs. Abell, would it be ok if I just follow you around all day?

Mrs. Abell: What do you want to learn this year in science class?
Student: How tadpoles evolved into elephants.

Student: Mrs. Abell, I have chickens at home and I want to bring one in to show you. Do you want me to bring a child, teenager or adult chicken?

Student: Mrs. Abell, I really like bearded dragons and rabbits...but can your next pet be an anteater?

Student (returning from science with Mrs. Abell): Mrs. Burlew, my science partner and I are going to borrow Harriet for a series of weeks for our science fair project. I'll give you more details later...

I've shared many quotes about a student called A before. A is now in 5th grade, but he definitely left his mark on the 4th grade teachers. He walked by them the other day...

A: I have something to tell you.
Mrs. Burlew: What is it, A?
A: You're going to be mad.
Mrs. Burlew: I'm not going to be mad, just tell me.
A: OK. I just farted on you.
Mrs. Burlew: Why would you do that?
A: Well, I was going to do it down there (by the 5th grade teachers), but I know you better.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

August 22, 2013

A kindergartener walking into the building this morning...

Girl: My mom says you teach me Spanish today!

As I was walking back to my "office" I saw one of my first graders on her way to the bathroom. I expected her to say hello, but for whatever reason she put her hands up over her head and waved them around like crazy...

Girl: I'M IN FIRST GRADE!
Me: Yea, I know.

One of my fourth grade students was adding some exciting color to his paper...

Boy: These [the blue and red] are police and these [the green and yellow] are bad guys.
Me: The pretzel is a bad guy?
Boy: Yea.
Me: Well, that makes sense. Carbs.


During my kindergarten class, the classroom teacher needed to speak to a student so she called him over to her desk. He walked in front of me, paused, and held out his hand...

Boy: High five?
Me: Well...sure.

Another kindergarten boy had something different to say...

Boy: I'm almost as tall as you.
Me: I know. I'm very short.
Boy: Why?
Me: I don't know. I ask myself that a lot.

I bought myself a very...stylish cart to wheel my things around the school in this year. It's actually intended for scrapbook supplies but it works really well for what I need. It's delightfully tacky and I just started using it yesterday so it's really catching the kids' eyes! A first grade boy was no exception...

Boy: You didn't tell me you got that!
Me: Well you didn't ask.

In my second grade class it sparked a conversation about my lack of a classroom...

Girl: Why don't you have a room?
Me: Well, there aren't enough classrooms in the school. Hopefully when they build onto the school, there will be a room for me.
Girl: You can come in this room. You could go back there in that corner.
Me: Don't you think that would be distracting when I had my other classes in here?
Girl: Well you'd have a door.
Me: Oh, that makes sense. Would all of the big fifth graders fit in there?
Girl: No. You could only have a few of them at a time.
Me: You've got it all figured out.
Girl: You could just build a classroom.
Me: I don't have any money.
Boy: Go get some from the bank.
Me: Yea, they don't just give money away. They expect you to pay them back. What's up with that?
Girl: You can have my money. I have $4.

During my afternoon dismissal duty, a third grade boy grabbed my arm and delivered the following cryptic message...

Boy: Squid's gonna eat your face!
Me: Well thanks, that was super creepy.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

August 21, 2013

Another day down and another principal class after school today. Luckily, I didn't forget my list of quotes! Some of these are from previous days, but they're just as amusing now as they were then.

Discussing what third grade students would like to learn about in Spanish class this year...

Me: What did you say? I didn't hear you.
Boy: Cacti.
Me: Cacti? As in the plural of cactus? I suppose that would go along with nature.
Girl: Indian culture.
Me: That would be India.

And what would the fourth graders like to learn?...

Me: Did you say you wanted to learn about Benjamin Franklin? He's the same in Spanish as he is in English. He did all the same things, you just say them in Spanish.

Another benefit of studying Spanish, according to a fifth grader...

Me: Why is it a good idea to study Spanish?
Boy: Maybe if your Spanish is really good then someone will give you $100.
Me: I suppose that could happen. It's never happened to me yet but, you know, fingers crossed!

A fifth grade non sequitur...

Boy: My pencil is stuck in my hair.
Me: Huh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

Later, I was joking with this same fifth grade boy. I can't remember exactly what it was about though; something about me wanting to give them lots of boring work because I'm mean...

Boy: You're meaner than Kyle!
Me: What? Meaner than Kyle? How dare you!

It was nice to see that one of my [now] first
grade boys had not lost his love for turning
pictures into spiders (and other things)
over the summer.
My current school is due for a renovation and I do not have a classroom. I have a desk in a portable behind the school (luxurious, I know). Today, before my afternoon classes, the skies opened with a torrential downpour and naturally I didn't have my rain jacket so I simply made a mad dash for the building. I didn't get too wet, but it was obvious I'd been in the rain by the time I arrived to my class of first graders...

Several students: You look like you've been in the rain.
Me: I have been in the rain. You see, I don't have a classroom. I have a desk out in the portable next to the playground. So whenever I come into the building for class, I have to come from outside. Aren't you jealous of my life?
Girl: (After a few seconds of pondering) Not really, because I don't want to get wet.
Me: That's the best thing I've heard all day.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

August 19-20, 2013

I'm a little behind in my posting...I have done something I thought I'd never do again: I am a student again! I have begun a program to get my principal certification through a cohort with Eastern Kentucky University. When I received my Bachelor's Degree, I thought that a Master's Degree was not for me. And when I got my Master's Degree I said, "That's it! No more!" And look at me now, back for round three. So when I finish this program in May 2015, remind me not to make any declarations about being done with school. Never say never--I might end up with a flippin' doctorate or something.

My classes this semester are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-8:30, so I'm going to apologize in advance if that delays any of my posts on here. But enough about that. On to the quotes! Well, on to the quotes that I can remember because my frazzled brain left my list of quotes on my desk at school.

A fifth grade class discusses why learning Spanish is a good idea...

Boy: If you were in a restaurant in like Paris or something and you wanted to be able to read the menu.
Me: Well, if you were in Paris, I would recommend learning French...but yes, you could travel to a country where they speak Spanish.

A fourth grade class discusses why learning Spanish is a good idea...

Girl: If you were going to Mexico for a fiesta and then you went shopping and you wanted to say, "I want that sweater! I want that burrito!"
Me: OK...so, travel.

When I have students practice commands I usually say the commands and have them do some sort of hand signal to indicate that they know what it means. For example, when I say silencio, they put their finger to their lips. It got a little weird with a second grade boy...

Me: Show me...silencio!...Umm, ok. Can you put your tongue back in your mouth? Because you're really creeping me out.
And two days later, a comment to the same boy...
Me: Sweetie, put your tongue back in your mouth. I'm pretty sure we had that conversation the last time I was here.

In a first grade class...

Girl: I love you!
Me: Aww! Thank you, sweetie! I love you, too!
Girl: I like you!...then she grabbed my hand. I wanted to see if your nails were pink.
Me: Nope, not at the moment.

This one isn't a quote, but it's precious. There is an adorable little kindergarten boy this year who cracks me up. He's tiny...approximately 8 inches tall. Well, not really, but he's tiny. He's clearly a little charmer. I was waiting outside their classroom today and as they approached he paused before entering the room, looked at me and bowed a very dramatic bow and then just walked into the room like nothing had happened. I laughed and the teacher's assistant told me that every time he looks at her, he winks. I said, "I bet he does."

Friday, August 16, 2013

August 16, 2013

The first "week" of school is over! I put week in quotation marks because we start school on a Wednesday, but believe me it feels like we've been in school a full week! I'm quite find of how they ease us back into things; the first week is 3 days, the second week is 4 days, and then the third week is the full five days.

This morning's fifth grade class was full of quite a few quotable students. The first came from a boy I'll call A. He came into the room just a few moments late because he'd been down in the special education room...

Me: Who can raise their hand and...
A: EXCUSE ME! I still remember your name. It's Miss Black.
Eventually we got around to discussing things they'd like to learn about in Spanish class this year...
Boy 1: Food
Me: Like our kind of food our foods that they eat in Spanish-speaking countries?
Boy 1: Spanish food. And can we learn it by October?
Me: There's a deadline?
Boy 1: Well, I'm going to Mexico in October so I need to know it by then.
Me: Oh, OK. Well I'll do my best to meet that deadline for you. What else would you guys like to learn? And do you have any other deadlines? Yes, A?
A: Trains.
Me: Maybe different types of transportation?
A: Nope. Just trains.
Me: Oh, well that's easy. A, say tren.
A: Tren
Me: There you go. Trains, done! One down. What else?
Boy 2: Birds.
Me: Birds? OK, do you have a time-frame you'd like to learn that by?
Boy 2: Hmm...by 8:30 today.
Me: I'll see what I can do. I don't know much bird vocabulary off the top of my head.
More students share their ideas, time passes, and it is now 8:26 a.m.
Boy 2: You have 4 minutes to teach me everything you know about birds.
Me: OK. Pájaro means bird. Let's see...aguila is eagle...pingüino is penguin. Loro is parrot.
Boy 2: What about falcon?
Me: I don't know that one.
Girl 1: How about owl?
Me: Búho
Girl 2: We learned that last year!
Me: I'm kind of terrified of you guys being bird weirdos.

Before my kindergarten class arrived, I discovered that "Totsey" is not called Totsey at home. She just decided that she wanted to be called Totsey at school. Luckily her teacher pointed out that it's not any version of her name so that's not really the best idea.

Discussing why it's a good idea to learn Spanish with a third grade class...

Boy 1: You might go to a country like Costa Rica or Puerto Rico and need to talk to people.
Me: Good job, there are 21 countries where people speak Spanish and you might want to travel there some day. What else?
Girl: If you go to Mexico.
Me: OK, more travel...what else?
Boy 2: Umm, maybe you'll go to Mexico or...New Mexico and someone falls down and you need to help them.
Me: Alright...so, travel and potential emergency situations. I think we've covered the travel aspect; what else?
Boy 3: China.
Me: They don't speak Spanish there. Trust me, that's where I was this summer. They speak Chinese.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

August 15, 2013

I have to start with a quote that I forgot from yesterday. The first day of school and I'm already forgetting quotes? What the heck? First I have to tell you that my amazing boyfriend (scientific fact: most amazing boyfriend in the world) sent me beautiful flowers for the first day of school.

It was so hectic in the front office that they hadn't had a chance to call me and tell me to come pick them up. Someone told me to go by the office and look on the counter but I had no idea why. So I went on my way to teach first and second grade. I didn't have much time so I just took my pretty flowers with me! Of course the kids thought they were pretty, too.

I was on the way to the second grade classrooms and I passed some other students along the way. One second grade girl had a hilarious reaction when she saw me in the hallway...

Girl: Way to go on the flowers, girl!

Another forgotten quote from yesterday! I was in a third grade class and we were reviewing some words that we'd learned last year and some of the kids were getting excited that they could remember various words...

Boy: I'm novembering everything you taught us last year!

This morning I was in a fourth grade class working on introductions. I got to see one of my favorite students who happens to be a part of the special education program. He has a vivid imagination (perhaps you remember his space station built on a piece of pizza?) and I love talking to him! Many students were having a hard time remembering the words to say so I was prompting them and having them repeat me saying "me, llamo, etc."...

Me: Say me
Boy: Me
Me: Now say llamo
Boy: Llamo
Me: And now say your name!
Boy: And now say your name.
Me: You are so silly!

One first grade girl was very excited when she saw me waiting n her classroom...
Girl: Hey, I know you! What's your name? Everybody, this is the Spanish Lady!

Working on names in the second grade...
Me: If someone asked me "¿Cómo te llamas?" I'd say, "me llamo Señorita Black." If I asked you that question, would you say "me llamo Señorita Black"?
Kids: No!
Me: Why not?
Kids: That's not our name.
Me: Right! So you'd say "me llamo..."
Boy: Señorita D______ (his name)
Me: Actually you wouldn't be a Señorita.
But he insisted introducing himself as a señorita.

I had been warned yesterday about another kindergarten boy who was unsure of his name--he thought it was Junior. I'm happy to report that he does know his own name. He did not introduce himself to me as Junior.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August 14, 2013

Aaaand we're back! Today was the first day of school, which means my quote blog is back in full force. I had a brilliant idea this year: rather than struggle through the class roster, I decided to teach my students the phrase "my name is..." and have them introduce themselves to the class so I'd know exactly how to pronounce their names.
In one kindergarten class, I ran across the issue of several students who were unable to distinguish between their actual name and the nickname or pet name that their parents have for them at home. And none of them were remotely close to their actual names, which I've put in parentheses.
  • Forrest (Dallas)
  • Totsey (Addison)
  • Juddin (Joel)
Most of the day was devoted to reviewing expectations and things of that nature. We'd go over an expectation and then I'd ask for examples of how to exhibit that expectation in Spanish class. Somehow, in one first grade class "respect yourself and others" turned into helping people.

Boy: This one time, there was a baby and it fell into a pool and it went to the bottom and I dove into the very bottom like 6 feet and I saved it.
Me: Wow. That's intense. Let's hope we never encounter that situation in Spanish class.

Another thing we discussed was why it was learning Spanish is a good idea...

Second Grade Boy: You could grow up to be Spanish.
Me: Well, that would be impressive.

After dismissal I was catching up with a first grader...

Girl: I wanna see how tall I am compared to you. I'm going to be as tall as you by the time I'm 10. Or 11.
Me: Hey, how's your pet pig?
Girl: He got sick and died.
Me: Oh no! Are you going to get a replacement pig?
Girl: What's that?
Me: A new pig.
Girl: Oh, no. I just have a dog and a cat. But my dad says he's going to kill the cat because it wakes him up.
Me: Well, if I ever heard a reason to kill a cat, that seems like a good one.

At the end of the day I ran into my little buddy from last year who always showed me his new shirts. He's in first grade now. He was wearing a white polo today.
Me: Are you wearing a new shirt today?
Boy: Yea.
Me: I like it!
Boy: It's just white.
Me: Yea, but you're stylin'!

I also had to walk a third grade boy to the front office because no one showed up to pick him up. We went to call home but things were a bit hectic so we had to wait a few minutes.

Boy: What's the phone number for my house?
Me: I don't know.
Boy: Why not?
Me: Because I don't live there. Why don't you know it?
Boy: I don't have a phone, why would I need to know it?
Me: How about for situations like this one?

Monday, August 12, 2013

Back to School

It's almost time for my second year of teaching at an elementary school and I'm really looking forward to it! Well, I'm not looking forward to waking up at 5:30 a.m. as opposed to whenever-I-felt-like-it-o-clock. I am excited to see a lot of my students again and hearing all the hilarious things they have to say (and then writing about them on here). I anticipate this school year is going to be more hectic because I'm starting a program to earn my principal certification; it's basically like it's another Master's Degree. I'll be taking two classes this fall. They said that the first semester is the hardest, so I'm a bit nervous about that.

We had our back to school night the other night and lots of the kids came in with their parents to meet their new teachers. I didn't get to see many of my little ones because I was in the intermediate hall most of the night. I did have one interesting quote from a 5th grade boy.

He walked past me, held up some sort of action figure thing and said...

Boy: I brought a dragon head.
Me: Umm, of course you did.

The first two days before school are full of meetings and such for us teachers. I was at school all day today doing a variety of things. At one point, I noticed that my principal was staring at me during the morning meeting and I thought, "Oh no...my purple streaks in my hair are more noticeable and I'm going to have to get rid of them!" I saw her later in the office and it turns out that she likes them and that's why she was staring. So that was a nice, fun surprise!

I also have to add that I get the biggest kick out of my principal. She's really nice and has a very positive attitude. Today she said the funniest thing, at least I thought it was. We were in the middle of a meeting and we heard this big roll of thunder...

Principal: Was that thunder?
Several teachers: Yea.
Principal: We are living in...Brazil. Or wherever it rains a lot.
Me: Hahaha! That's the best thing I've heard all day.