20 3 / 2012
The word was "knock"
- Me: What word is that, everybody?
- One student, louder than the rest: COCK!
- Me: No, that is not correct. Look again. What word is that?
- Student: COCK!
- Me: That is not the word. Look closely. You know this word.
- Student: Cock?
03 1 / 2012
At the beginning of the year I taught my students to “kiss their brains” when they do or say something really smart.
So, when they give a smart answer I say “Great work! Kiss your brain!” This just means they kiss their hand, then tap their foreheads, and it’s usually when I tell them to do it. It’s kind of adorable.
Every once in a while, though, I look over and one of my kids will quietly and randomly kiss their brains while working on their own. I have no idea why they’ve done it or what they were thinking, but I really hope it goes something like this:
“Wow! That was a really smart thing I just said/wrote/did/thought, I should kiss my brain! Yes! Perfect! I am awesome!”
09 11 / 2011
My kids like to talk about my country accent.
“Are you country?” they ask.
“Compared to you guys, yeah.”
05 11 / 2011
I probably shouldn’t post this. (Posting out of pride.) You can see/hear me teaching near the end. “That word is what?”
02 11 / 2011
"
And when another crisis strikes and another of your beautiful plans shatters, crawl into bed, blot out the memory, rise the next morning, pick up the pieces, and start all over again.
For those who have chosen this way of life, there is simply no escape from frustration, pain, and suffering, and no lifestyle we select will exempt us from this. Work in poverty situations sweeps you along in its own current and even as you struggle to keep afloat, you acquire an understanding of life and a sensitivity to people that has nothing to do with your personal efforts.
Take a chance with life – accept a great challenge – even if you fail in a particular project, know that your life has been a total success in that you lived it daringly out of love.
You will continually be tried, depressed, constantly discouraged; you will write 100 resignations in your desire to get away from it all and you will tear them all up. Because in your heart of hearts, you are at the very center of the life of the people you have chosen to serve. You have listened to their heartbeat. Having been privileged to reach so close to them, nothing else will ever satisfy you again. So just go on loving and being yourself.
"
Gerard Pantin, Silent Prophet
Currently, this quote describes my life.
02 11 / 2011
"You’re from France. You’re from way down South."
Student
Yep, I’m from the great Southern state of France. Nailed it.
31 10 / 2011
Asked a kid in my class what he was going to be for Halloween.
He said, in his baby voice with the slight speech impediment, “I’m going to be wee-oh stee-oh.”
“You’re going to be rio stee-oh? What is rio stee-oh?”
“No, wee-oh stee-oh.”
“What is that?”
“A fighting wobot [robot] sing [thing].”
“Oh, like a Transformer.”
“No. A wee-oh stee-oh.”
“Ok. I’m confused, let’s talk about this later.”
3 hours later
“Miss, I wrote it down for you.”
“Oh! Real Steel! What is that?”
“A fighting wobot sing.”
14 10 / 2011
The Art of Stopping Yourself Before You Say Something That Makes A Lot of Sense And Is True, But Will Probably Upset Someone Who is Irrational
That is the title of today.
13 10 / 2011
I taught alone today. This is not normal for me, I usually have a more experienced co-teacher helping me out. But I did it. I survived.
Just a list of things that could happen on any given day, but instead happened today:
I made three kids cry and one kid cry harder.
I discovered that a child had a drippy, bloody head wound from bumping his head that morning.
I kicked two kids out of class.
I said “heck” in front of the class.
A little girl pooped her pants so so badly. Like, she pooped her pants so bad it was in her hair (somehow).
Anyway, I survived. Week 6 of teaching, and I think maybe I’m just now starting to start knowing what I’m actually doing.
Oh boy.
04 10 / 2011
I watched a teacher that I really like and respect shove one of my students to the floor.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The kid is a hard case, always defiant and fighting back, but… but…
I feel like crying.
Have to teach in 5 minutes.
Life goes on.
04 10 / 2011
I have a college degree!
- CoTeacher: What do you think, Ms. C? Do quiver and shiver mean the same thing?
- Me: No, quiver implies fear.
- 5-year-old Student: No. You're wrong. They're the same.
13 9 / 2011
The most important piece of guidance I’ve ever gotten before embarking on an endeavor:
Sometimes you want to just smack them because it will go quicker. But don’t do that. Don’t hurt them. Use your words. It’s slower, but it’ll also keep you out of jail.
-My Principal.
30 8 / 2011
- Me: I don't know, Miss A. This class isn't really showing me that they get to earn this week's prize. I don't think they are showing me that they even want it!
- Student in front of class, in genuine distress: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU GUYS! NOOOOO!
30 8 / 2011
Boxes
There’s a room on our floor filled with boxes, filled with text books. It’s a temporary storage room that will eventually be used as an auxillary classroom for activities that require more space than what we have right now. Of course, the kids don’t know what it’s for because we’ve never used it.
Student: Miss C, that’s no class for kids. That’s a box class. That class is for boxes.
30 8 / 2011
No response.
- Me (leaning in to a child's face): Find my eyes. Listen to my words. You need to put your feet on the ground, stand up, and come with me. This is the third time we've had to ask you to turn your sounds off, now it's time to go talk in the hall about the rules of our classroom.
- Student: *silence*
- Me: You need to listen to my words and come with me, right now.
- Student: You have four eyes.
