3 things to talk about this week:
So the last two weeks have been really....um....interesting? We started our school year with the death of a colleague who had been very sick. We all hoped she was going to make it, we all hoped she was going to join us for the year, we all hoped she would be part of our lives again. Alas, it was not meant to be and she passed away the Friday before school began. So the year started out rough. Viewing the first day, funeral the second. (death in Florida is weird. Seriously. The night before the funeral, you literally line up on one side of the funeral home, walk past the coffin to "view it" and then walk out the other side in a giant circle. That's it. It's like a drive-by! One of my colleagues and I sat down thinking that, you know, there would be words or something. Nope. Another colleague informed us that that was it and what were we waiting around for? Okaaayyyy...)Although she and I were not good friends, she was one of those people who was just really nice, you know? One of those people who had a kind word for everyone and always had something nice to say to you. It was doubly sad for the kids who had her as a teacher in the past. One of the positive things that came out of all this if indeed such a thing can happen, was that the person who has taken over her class so far is a woman who has been at my school since God was a child. Like 42 years or something. She was forced to retire 2 years ago and subbed all last year. To see her back at our school, despite the circumstances, is a great thing. She is an amazing teacher. She is a super rock-star of teaching, and all though we don't know how long the district will let her stay with us, I know that if the kids in this room could not have their assigned teacher this year, Ms. B. is a hell of a sub. She is the kind of teacher I wish I had had. So that was how our year began. Sad.
My friends are beginning to settle down into a routine and I am discovering all their little quirks. True conversation while they were working on their Social Studies foldable. (FYI for those of you not in the know, a foldable is a study and /or review aid that is disguised as an arts and crafts project.)
DRAMA GIRL: (to 5 other girls sitting at her table) You know Ted Kennedy is dead? It's sad. My life is sad (She is 9)
From across the room, no idea where it came from, comes another voice: Didn't someone shoot him?
DG: Yeah, I think so.
ME: (from my desk) No one shot Ted Kennedy.
DISEMBODIED VOICE: Well I know someone someone shot Obama.
ME: No one shot Obama
DV: So Ted Kennedy got shot?
ME: No.
Another DV: Then who shot Obama?
DG: No one! Don't you listen?
ADV: Someone got shot, all I am trying to find out is who! Geez! So who shot Ted Kennedy?
ME: (standing in the middle of the room) No one got shot! No ONE! Kennedy had brain cancer, he died after being sick and this has NOTHING to do with your Social Studies! Now get back to work!
silence descends......until after a slight pause you hear:
ADV: Does brain cancer hurt as much as getting shot?
FIN.
The thing is, this whole conversation took about 3 seconds, pinged across the room and did not faze me at all. It made me laugh later in the day, because honestly, in fourth grade, this is exactly how the whole day operates.
And now: GOLDEN MOMENT OF THE WEEK!
I have a little friend in my class we will call Bad Boy. Bad Boy is not bad, but he thinks he is. I had his brother last year, and if I had to live up to that....well, I would want to consider myself a Bad Boy too. So Bad Boy and I have a relationship from last year, and I think we understand each other. He and I get along and right now, that's a great thing. On Thursday he came up to me and motioned for me to lean over. (he is pretty short). He whispered in my ear "Mrs. Lewis, I did all my homework!" Now this may not seem like a lot, but for Bad Boy, it is huge! I looked at him and said "All RIIIIIIGHHTTTT!!!! HIGH FIVE! Now I have to do my Bad Boy dance in celebration!"
(My kids all get their own dances in my room. If they do something awsome, I will treat them to the dance named after them. It's pretty dorky, but they love it and think it's just about the funniest thing they have ever seen.)
I did my Bad Boy dance. He stood totally still for about 5 seconds after, looked at me and said "I will always do my homework for the rest of the year if you promise not to ever to that again"
Deal, Bad Boy, Deal.
Your classroom stories are hilarious. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteUMMM, very amusing. "Bad boy" is doing great with you. You know how to tame the wild ones.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I know math is your weakness. 180 days in the school year, we've had 10. 180 -10 is 170, I believe.
You are very funny and I love this! I am sad about Michelle, but you did point out the absurdity of the wake. They don't do that up north? Or do the just do it with lots of toasts and booze. By the way, I was standing next to one of our former teachers who told me about how the traffic should have been flowing and how the wake should have been conducted, the whole time I was trying to pay my respects. Can you guess who it was?
This is only a Southern thing. At a point each night of the wake, people say stuff. This was really odd to me. In fact, the person I was with (also from up North) thought the same thing which is why we sat and were told otherwise. By the same person who complained about the traffic patterns. You people are weird about death.
ReplyDelete