Another Actual Conversation

Monday, September 29, 2008

An Actual Conversation

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent.) 

During writing journals in my class I often give the students a prompt to get thinking started. Today I gave the question "If you were an animal what would you be and why?" After the allotted writing time was up I asked several students to share their answers. I got the typical assortment of "I wanna be a cat so I can sleep all day," and "I wanna be a dog so I can bite people," etc... But the best happened just this way:

Me: So Mark, what animal would you want to be?

Mark: I want to be a gorilla.

Me: A gorilla! That's awesome! Why a gorilla?

Mark: So nobody will judge me when I scratch my butt.

Me: (LOUD LAUGHTER)

An Actual Conversation

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

An Actual Conversation

student: We love you Mrs. M for teaching us so much!

me: Thanks! I love you guys too! What's one thing you liked learning this year so far?

student: I don't know. I forgot.

The Note

(originally written September 22, 2008)

The Note

Part of my classroom management duty as a teacher is to collect miscellaneous distractions from my students during lessons. Often those distractions are created from sheets of notebook paper I thoughtfully provide as an attempt to save time in the classroom. These distractions take many shapes, tiny triangular footballs, Freddy fingers, airplanes, fortune-tellers, and the classic..."The Note." 

How many times were you terrified when the teacher took that note from your hand, or picked it up after a failed toss, petrified she might read it, or worse, read it out loud. I have a strict policy. I never read notes out loud. Most of the time I put it in my pocket and forget about it until I am peeling the soggy remnants from my washing machine. I do however occasionally reach into my pocket and find a treasure. This week I had that experience. Here is what was written on the small pink piece of paper I remembered was in my pocket at 3:00 today. Two girls with a lot of wisdom...

L: When Kobe fell he got up and looked at me! And when he did other things he got up and looked at me!!!!

D: Aaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww Young love, isn't it magical, lovely, and beautiful

L: yes it is all those things

D: OK GROSS but magical