Thursday, September 26, 2013

September 26, 2013

It's been a few days and I've finally got a spare minute to update the old blog. I've got a hodgepodge of quotes for you!

Kindergarten Girl: I'm going to be Ariel when I grow up.

Two of my students' parents own a pizza restaurant called Brick Oven Pizza. It's really good and it's one of only 2 places that has a gluten and egg free crust which means that I can actually eat it! I ordered one the other night while writing a lengthy paper for class, the next day I had the younger son in my kindergarten class...

Me: I had some pizza from your parents' restaurant last night. And I brought the leftovers for lunch today.
Kids: Yay!
Me: No, I brought them for me. I didn't bring pizza for everyone.
Boy: It's my pizza restaurant, you should give it to me.
Me: What? I actually have to pay for it. You can probably eat it for free.
Boy: No. I have to pay for it. I have a wallet.
...
Boy 2: You can drive, so give me some money.
Me: I can drive so I should give you money? I fail to see your logic. I have less money because I can drive. I have to pay for a car, gas, and insurance.

Apparently one of my fourth grade girls has a crush on a fifth grade boy and he was literally ALL she talked about for the entire hour the other day. It drove me nuts.

Girl: Miss Señorita Black, do you know so-and-so? He's a fifth grader?
Me: I teach the entire school, yes I know him. Why?
Entire Class: She likes him.
...
Me: You need to finish your work so you get all your points for today!
Girl: If I finish my Spanish work will you tell so-and-so?
Me: I'll walk down there and tell him right now. And just the other day he was saying to me, "You know what I love, Miss Señorita Black? Girls who finish their Spanish work."

Apparently I missed a quality M moment while I was in the building the other day!

M: I have a butterfly I trained to come when I whistle.

There must have been some sort of group at lunch the other day talking about how important it is to drink milk or something. They gave stickers to the kids and stuff. There were also stickers that looked like milk mustaches, which it took me ALL day to figure out what they were. By dismissal time, AS showed up with his milk mustache sticker...

AS: I have a mustache!
Me: I see that.
AS: I'm Mexican!
Me: Well I know that. [This is the moment I realized it was a milk mustache]

More fashion advice from M...

M: I like shorty-shorts because they're short...OMG! That classroom is amazing!

Ailments in kindergarten...

Boy: My arm hurts.
Me: I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm not an arm doctor.
Boy: I'm going to pass out now.
Me: Pass out due to your arm pain? Well, we'll miss you.
He then put his head on the table and continue to do the arm motions to the goodbye song with us.

AS was cute as always at dismissal time! Not only did he serenade me with a song about the color green, he invited me to play car with him. We were "driving" all over the place. He drove on an incredibly windy road while I sat in the backseat. Finally he asked me where I wanted to go...

AS: Where you wanna go? You wanna go Gatti Town or...Payless?
Me: Gatti Town or Payless? It's always between those 2 isn't it...well, where do you want to go?
AS: Gatti Town. 
Me: Let's go to Gatti Town.
He begins to "turn the wheel" about a zillion times
AS: It's farfarfarfarfarfarfarfarfarfarfarfar away.


Monday, September 23, 2013

September 23, 2013

Not too many quote to report. Although, I have started a...shall we say, collection that I feel the need to share with you. I'm calling it, "Interesting Things That Fall Out of Parents' Cars". It started on Wednesday during morning car duty. One of the first car doors that I opened (a Porsche, BTdubs) revealed a rather messy car. That is nothing new. When the student got out of the car something fell out, which is also nothing new. It looked like paper so I didn't pick it up immediately.

Well, fast forward a few car doors to when I actually had a second to look down and see what had fallen from said Porsche. That would be a Trojan condom (in its wrapper--I'm not picking up a used condom, people) that expired in January 2012. Stay classy.

My two main quotes today come from a first grade girl during her session with one of the reading teachers who I share a portable with. This girl, let's call her M, is a trip and a half! She always has the craziest stories. Perhaps you remember her granddaddy dying in the big earthquake at the beginning of time?

On Friday, she got out of the car in the morning holding a cup...

M: Miss Señorita Black, look! I got coffee!
Me: Well M, I've always said you needed to be more caffeinated.
*Sidenote: Apparently this is related to studies that suggest that giving children with ADD/ADHD a stimulant in the morning actually helps them concentrate. If it works, more power to 'em!

Apparently on the way to her reading session this morning she was explains her philosophy on skinny jeans to a teacher...

M: If it doesn't hurt your belly, it's not tight enough.

If M had her druthers, I'm certain she'd sit and tell stories all day long. During reading she has to wait to tell a story until it's time to write and then whatever tale she has just bursts out of her. It's my favorite part of her session because I just get to listen from a cross the room...

M: My dog got snake bit. It's not my dog, it's my Papaw's dog. And it bit him on the ear first and then he got it in his mouth and slung it and it hit a car. I'm not sure if he's ok because the first dog that got bit, he died.

A first grade boy approaches the delicate topic of weight as he gives me a hug...

Boy: Why is it so hard to get...[my arms around you]?
He didn't say the last part, he just trailed off. It's like he knew that would be calling me fat. First of all: well played, young sir. Second of all: I am 28 and you are 6, I do not expect your arms to fit around me.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Art Gallery

I have a lot of student artwork to post!

First of all, another kindergarten girl has drawn herself with me. She's the big one on the left and I'm the small one on the right. To me, she's saying, "Gee Miss Señorita Black, you look thin!"

 Another kindergarten girl presented me with this drawing and said, "This is you with the world's largest pumpkin."

She quickly returned and said, "Now you're with your husband. And you're roller skating." I'm not certain what has happened to my husband's knees, but I'm concerned. I think [and hope] they might be knee pads.

 The fourth grade students got to illustrate our solar system in class. Once they'd completed all the required aspects of the assignment, they were allowed to add anything they wanted related to our vocabulary (aliens, rockets, etc.). Here are a few of the most creative ones:



September 11-17, 2013 (aka Miss Señorita Slacker)

It's been a busy week and sadly blog posts have taken a backseat to, well, everything else. And when things get hectic that's the way it has to be until someone offers to pay me large sums of money to blog (anyone?). Sadly, I know that there are some quotes I've forgotten because I've even been too busy to jot them down! The good news is that I tend to remember them (usually at really random times). So I'm just going to throw down what I've got from this past week and the rest will come whenever.

A first grade girl entering the portable to work with a reading teacher...

Girl: Wanna feel my pants? They feel really good.
Teacher: That would be a no.

While working on a coloring page for the word naranja (orange) with a kindergarten class...

Girl: Did you know pumpkins come alive? I saw it on a commercial.
Me: I did not know that.
Boy: And right here on pumpkins [the stem] can be green.
Me: Now that I did know.

More kindergarten interactions...

Boy: I hate preschool. You know why?
Me: No. Why?
Boy: Because there's no treasure box.
Me: That seems like a really good reason.

Me: Did you poke her with a pencil?
Boy: It was sharp yesterday.
Me: OK, but did you poke her with it? It doesn't matter when it was sharpened. You don't poke people with pencils because it can always hurt them.

When I arrived to one class, a boy (the one who said "hey buddy" to me) still had his gogurt snack out on the table. I told him to finish eating it, but he didn't. Naturally, class ended with yogurt all over the table. His solution was to put his whole hand into it and then lick his hand. We were helping him clean it up and he kept assuring us...

Boy: It's ok, it's ok. I'm not in trouble.
Me: Well, I'm really glad you're not in trouble. We need to clean this up.
Boy: It's ok.

Animal wheel from Spanish Playground
I discovered a cool website for Spanish resources called Spanish Playground and this week I started an activity with my first and second graders based on the book Oso café, oso café, ¿qué ves ahí? (Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?) We're making an animal wheel for them to practice their animal words and colors. It's been quite a hit with my students.

Here's how a second grade girl encouraged a classmate who was struggling to finish his animal wheel...

Girl: I know it's hard to speak Spanish, but maybe when you travel you could take this [the animal wheel] with you and it will help.

In addition to learning about space, I've been teaching the fourth grade about ordenal numbers. I was very nervous about getting to sixth because the word is "sexto." Awwwww, it has sex in it! But one fourth grade boy set everyone straight...

Boy: It's not bad, it's Spanish!

I don't write the names of students on this blog, but one of our fourth graders has a name that is very similar to one of the Native Indian tribes of Mexico (although it's spelled differently)...

Boy: The Mayan Calendar; it's not a calendar I made up. It's a real thing.

Today, a fourth grade girl kept asking me the same question over and over...

Girl: Isn't the real Rose from Titanic still alive?
Me: No, it was a movie. There's no real Rose.
Girl: No, but it was real. She's still alive!
The portables are coming!

I was listening to a first grade girl working with one of our reading teachers today. This girl is prone to tangents, and reading her ABC book was no exception...

Girl: Ss, snake. I petted a snake on the head once. I was at a family reunion and my old granddaddy had it. He died in the big earthquake at the beginning of time.

Another first grade boy brought up a very important question while working on his animal wheel...

Boy: What if there was a guy, and he was walking down the street...and then he shot a missile? And then...there was wood in it and it exploded?
Me: Well, then I guess that would be a bad day.

Before my third grade class started I watched a student cutting out some drawing he had made. I thought it looked sort of computery and assumed it had to do with that Minecraft thing all the kids are so obsessed with so I tried to talk to him about it (mistake)...

Me: Is that a Minecraft thing?
Boy: How can it be a Minecraft thing if it's a circle? Circles are invalid in Minecraft.
Me: Why would I know that? All I know is that all of y'all are obsessed with Minecraft.



Fifth grade has been working on vocabulary about sports and free time activities as well as talking about people's likes and dislikes. After asking classmates about things they like to do, students had to write sentences about what other people like to do. One student decided to draw pictures to go with his sentences.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

September 10, 2013

This morning on car duty, an excited kindergarten boy was walking up to school with his mom and he looked at me with a smile. I waved at him because I could tell he wanted to say hi. I guess he forgot how to say hola...

Boy: Hey buddy!
Me: Hi there!

The first class of the day was fifth grade. One thing I've learned from A is that he can always surprise me with his questions...

A: When will we be doing a PowerPoint in here?
Me: I don't do many PowerPoints in my classes. I can try to put some together. I wasn't aware you were so fond of them. Do you like PowerPoints?
A: Yes. We're connected.

I ran into a second grade girl in the hall. We waved at each other and after we walked past each other she turned back because she forgot to ask me something...

Girl: Oh, how's Spanish going?
Me: Spanish is going well...thanks for asking. [As though she isn't in my Spanish class?]

While walking with some first graders on their way towards the gym...

Girl: There's a staple in my shoe.
Me: A staple? Well, let's look and get it out of there.
Girl: It feels like a stapler.
Me: A stapler?
[In order to provide you with closure, it was a piece of mulch--not a staple or stapler.]

On Friday I was working with a third grade class on some sentences about school. Students had to fill in the blank with the appropriate vocabulary word. One sentence said "The principal of my school is _______." and students were supposed to fill in the name of our principal. One boy decided to go with a different option:
The principal of Squires is awesome. Hmm. That's not Spanish.

Monday, September 9, 2013

September 9, 2013

This broccoli is obviously silly.
There weren't too many intriguing quotes today, which works out well because I had class tonight so there isn't much time to be blogging anyway! Several of my quotes came from the same kindergarten class and have accompanying pictures.

In kindergarten we were working on the color verde.

Me: I like how you made your broccoli striped with different shades of green.
Girl: I like to make broccoli silly.
AS: My broccoli is late for school.
Me: He's late for school?
This broccoli is late for school.
AS: Yea! So his mom made him stay home alone because that's what happens.
Boy: My broccoli is a super-hero.

I am wonderful or "wordl" as it is
sometimes spelled.
Another student decided to show me a note she had written on the back of her paper...
Me: What does this say? I see my name there...
Girl: It says Miss Black is wonderful.
Me: Oh, thank you! That's so nice!

I was less than excited about teaching third grade today. The third grade class can be rather...trying. And for whatever reason, Friday's third grade class almost had me in tears. It's not that they did anything particularly terrible, it's just as though everything lined up perfectly and my brain decided that I should almost lose it. But I held it together. Today's class wasn't too bad--even a student who can be particularly, umm, exercising on one's patience...

Boy 1: What's this part mean right here?
Me: Well, it says, "La directora de Squires es _________." What's directora mean?"
Boy 1: Principal.
Me: So, who's the principal of Squires?
Boy 1: Mrs. Adkins!
Boy 2: Do you realize he just shouted out the answer?
Me: All he was doing was answering my question. I was helping him figure it out.
Boy 2: At least when I shout things out I don't shout out answers. I just shout out random words.
Me: I actually don't like when you just shout out random words. That's not particularly helpful.
Boy 2: But I don't shout out answers.
Me: Well, I'm typically against all types of shouting.

The shirt I was wearing today has lace on the top part of it, and I guess it's hard to know how to compliment that when you're a first grade boy...

Boy: I like how your...back.
Me: Thank you.
Boy: And you're pretty!

The final thing I'm going to include is a link to this video I found on Facebook. Apparently Matt Damon's mom is a teacher and he recently spoke at a rally against teachers' job security being based solely on standardized test scores. Afterwards, these people came to interview him and he basically ripped them a new one. And it was awesome, because he is Matt Damon.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

September 6, 2013

I ran into Jay-Z this morning while waiting to walk into a fifth grade classroom. There was another teacher standing in the hallway with us and we had quite an interesting conversation...

Me: Hey, Jay-Z. What's up?
Jay-Z: Well, I'm thinking of making a movie. It's sort of an animated thing that's like half Minecraft and I'm thinking of using his [the other teacher's] voice for one of the guys. He's like a zombie and his brain is half dead.
Teacher: Well, I'm pretty sure my brain is half dead sometimes anyway.
Me: That sounds like a pretty sweet plan, Jay-Z.
Jay-Z: I'm thinking of using you as the voice of the Blaze Queen.
Me: Is she also half dead?
Jay-Z: No. She's really big. Like, tall. And she has a crown.
Me: I like the sounds of that. Lucky for you, I'm free.

My first graders were working on some number/counting activities and I overheard one of them counting at her table...

Girl: Uno, dos, tres, cwaco...
Everyone at table: Cwaco? It's cuatro.

On my way to third grade, I passed some second graders in the hallway and one of the girls started singing when she saw me...

Girl: Spaaaaanish teacher...puuuuuuurple hair.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

September 5, 2013

A kindergarten girl drew a picture of us
yesterday. She didn't say which one is me
and which is her.
Here's one I forgot from yesterday during car duty. A kindergarten girl started talking to the PE student teacher...

Girl: I saw you at the gym yesterday.
Teacher: You saw me at the gym?
Girl: Yea. Yesterday.
Teacher: What gym?
Me: Honey, do you mean you saw him in gym class?
Girl: Yea!

I couldn't help but overhear a first grade girl rambling while she was working with another teacher in the portable today...

Girl: ...They don't have good jars at Kroger. I hate plastic jars. We gotta get to reading!

Some interesting news from a kindergarten boy...

Boy: I have the strongest eyes in the world.
Me: Really? Well, I did not know that.

I actually spoke with the teacher of this kindergarten class for a bit. We discussed the cuteness of AS and how teachers should be able to take him home every night like most classes usually have a class "pet" (stuffed animal) that kids can take home every night. She told me about a girl in her class forgetting the word "agenda"...
I received another picture from another kindergarten girl
today. This is a drawing of the two of us. Apparently, I am
the one on the left. It's a striking resemblance.

Girl: Do I have to get my "Virginia" out every day?

Another teacher told me about this interaction she had with a fourth grade boy...

Teacher: How do you like fourth grade?
Boy: It's a lot like third grade, it's just a step up.

Discussing space vocabulary in the fourth grade...

Me: The next question says, "Neil Armstrong fue un ______." Who was Neil Armstrong?
Kids: The first man on the moon.
Boy: It was a fake! I saw it! See, what they did was...
Me: OK, we don't have time for that.
Boy: But can I tell you a story?
Me: Not right now.
Boy: Later?
Me: Sure.

Boy: Miss Señorita Black, what time was the moon landing?
Me: It was in 1969.
Boy: No, but what time?
Me: I don't know! All I know is that it was July 20, 1969. Is that not enough?

Dealing with a first grade girl who cries at the drop of a hat...

Me: Sweetie, you've got to stop crying over everything. It's OK.
Friend of Crying Girl: Yea. My mama says if you cry every morning you're gonna get a shot at the doctor.

Answering questions about colors in third grade...

Me: This sentence says, "Some jewelry is made out of ______." Which of our color words could you make jewelry out of? Something expensive that jewelry could be made out of...
Boy: Purple!
Me: Purple? You make jewelry out of purple?
Boy: Yea!
Me: Nooo...let's keep looking at the words.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September 4, 2013

It's been a slow week. There was no school Monday, and I had the privilege of sitting at home all day doing homework! And yesterday I'm fairly certain that kids just didn't say anything funny...and if they did, I was too freaking exhausted to notice. I did have one sweet thing happen yesterday.

I felt my phone go off in my pocket and it was a notification from Twitter. One of my students from my high school days is now a sophomore at Lindsay Wilson College and he tweeted:
This is one of the coolest teachers I've had, behind @erinwhitney of course. 

I was so flattered that he remembered me and still thought so highly of me! We tweeted back and forth a bit; it turns out he's studying to be a high school teacher and football coach!

Anyway, on to today's quotes. It was a rather slow day.

I ran into some first grade classes finishing up their recess on my way into the building...

Me: Bonjour.
Boy: You're sad?
Me: What?
Boy: Well you said bonjour and I'm pretty sure that means I'm sad in Spanish.
Me: Actually it means hello in French. So I'm not sad, I'm confused.

Our fourth grade vocabulary is focusing on space (their choice) and today I ran into a rather troubling question...

Boy: Is Mars a real planet?
Me: What do you mean?
Boy: Isn't it an imaginary planet?
Me: Umm, no. It's a real planet. Why wouldn't it be a real planet?

This one I got from another teacher. There's a second grade boy who told us that he was moving, but he was at school today...

Teacher: I thought you were moving? Where are you living now?
Boy: It's near ghetto-town but it's not in the ghetto.

For some reason, kids can't make the connection between teaching Spanish and speaking the language fluently; they're always shocked when they hear me talking with a native speaker. Today in third grade was no exception...

Boy: What were you just saying?
Me: That was Spanish. I am the Spanish teacher.
Boy: You speak Spanish?...but you're white!? How do you know Spanish?
Me: I studied it in school. I feel like we've had this conversation before.

My wrist tattoo was a topic of conversation today...

Kindergarten Girl: Is that a tattoo?
Me: Yes
Girl: My mom knows how to do tattoos. She can do a flower and a heart and a big butterfly. She did them on my aunt. That's her sister.

First Grade Boy: I see you have a tattoo.
Me: Yes.
(Apparently that was all he needed to say)