sChOoL dAzE

I am a teacher for 1st and 2nd grades this year and a private tutor for a 1st grade boy in Cleveland. Let me tell you about my favorite quotes or scenarios of the first week.......

1. "Hey you!" (what 1 student has called me for a week because he can't remember my name.)

2. "Where is my pencil?" (seriously, how hard is it to hold onto a pencil? Every time I ask them to get 1 out 1 seems to fly into the air and land in a place where no one can find it or they get snapped in half on "accident". Who has that much strength to make that happen on "accident?" I found some behind the door and in my bag, hmmm)

3. "Isn't he the man that freed the people with a different skin color?" (I was trying to read them a story about the birth of Jesus and they were tracing him back to Abraham. So I decided to ask the kids who Abraham was and I got, "Moses." "Jacob." Everyone but Abraham, sigh. Well, unto 1 kid says the original quote. My aide was watching me and laughing she says. I had THE most puzzled look on my face because I am stuck in Bible times not the 1800's! My aide helps me out by saying, "I think he means Abraham LINCOLN." Then a bee came and we headed back inside because children were no longer interested in the story but the bee.)

4. "Are you wearing a dress because you think you are pretty or something?" (My aide was asked this question by a boy student, who also started the year off by stating, "Are we going to do something less boring?" My aide answered back, "I am wearing a dress because I AM pretty!" ha!! )

5. "Not if they poop out the seeds." (My aide was reading a great book on sunflower seeds and how they grow and spread all over the earth. She read that the birds come and eat the seed and carry it away all over the earth and that is how that student responded.)

6. "My mom said, 'Look at your shirt. It looks like it has poop on it.' I looked and then I barfed!" (I was asking for the kiddos to tell me stories about forgiveness, maybe someone forgave them or they forgave someone else. Well, as you can see, if quickly got off track.)

Kids are NOT boring! Oh my goodness! I am keeping a quote book all year and will share sporadically with you about what is being said. Teaching this grade is so rewarding because they are still at the age that they like school and their teacher. I have already received drawings from students to me, lots of hugs, and tons of smiles every school day. They are super competitive though and so every game we play is a matter of life or death and somebody has always been accused of cheating, especially if it is the winning team. Sticker charts for good behavior are a big deal. If we forgot to put stickers on the chart, it is the end of the world! They are good helpers and love to hear praise from their teachers. I think I'm going to learn a lot this year from them.
They are adorable!