Another teaching story

The other day I had a couple of students who were late leaving my room at the end of the day. So when they did finally leave, due to the quietness of the hallway, I could hear everything they were saying. One girl says, "I am actually learning biology?!?" The other girl, "I know it is such a weird feeling for me!"

WOW!

Another story:

I was giving a quiz on board and the question was "What stage of the cell cycle includes G1, S, and G2 phases?" (the answer is interphase) A girl answers, "Inyourface" (it was even written on her quiz that way!)

Teaching...

I just have to share this story with all of you because it still makes me laugh when I think about it.

A couple of Fridays ago we had a pep assembly the last hour of the day. The students have to meet with their 11th hour class for attendance then we are dismissed over the PA to the main gym. My students were dismissed and I waited for a couple of other teachers in the annex to walk down to the gym. We also stopped to use the restroom so we were a little behind schedule, therefore we should not have run into any students in the hallway for they should all be at the assembly already.
Unfortunately, we did come upon a group of four students, three girls and one boy. One of the other teachers asked what was taking them so long? The boy (who happens to be one of my students)replied with, "What?? What are you talking about...." Yeah that was about the time he finished scanning the group of three teachers and his eyes met mine and suddenly his words began to trail off and his eyes got as big as saucers! With fire in my eyes I just stared back at him and said, "Excuse me?" He made an about face and quickly began his retreat back to the gym. I semi-shouted, "Is this some one's bag on the ground?" Yes, in all of his excitement to get to the gym on time he forgot to pick up his bag off the ground, so he once again had to enter my presence to pick up his bag at my feet. My fellow science teacher said to the other teacher (who happens to be a first year teacher) "If we only had a little bit of that power..."
Problem for this kid was that our journey together did not end there. Thinking they had out run us or something when we rounded the corner, these same students were being notified by another teacher that freshman sit upstairs. Upstairs is where freshman ALWAYS sit, therefore it unnerved me again to see this boy defying yet another teacher! Again, our eyes met, there was another about face, and a "BOY, YOU BETTER MARCH IT UPSTAIRS!! THIS IS NOT YOUR FIRST PEP ASSEMBLY!!" At this point I am breathing down this boy's neck as we both march up the stairs. "You have just earned yourself a personal escort to all future pep assemblies!" He quickly found a seat. The other science teacher once again turned to the new teacher and said, "We have so much to learn from her!"
There are times when the look in a student's eyes makes my job so worth it!

Week 11

The Babe:
Our lil' babe is gaining a substantial amount of weight this week and has already achieved fruit-size-status comparable to a plum (a very small plum about 1.5 inches). What's more, our little scientist is already starting to explore, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. This happens not only because the babe is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because the palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches. The babe is also developing the reflex to swallow this week. And lastly, the babe's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide the babe with their first experiences of taste and smell.

Me:
This week has been the worst thus far, in the realm of being sick anyway. I spent Sunday on the couch all day and Ben had Mary Alice. Thanks to Gayle for saving me pretty much everyday from having to take care of Mary Alice all by myself during the worst parts of the day. This week I have resorted to carrying a cup or bowl around with me in the hallways just in case! Just two more weeks is what I keep telling myself.

Ben:
He is still really busy with everything and during what little free time he has takes Mary Alice for me. He has been working late hours, only to come home and work even later hours, just to get up at early hours and start it all over again. Maybe once we have a second child things will slow down for him...those are jokes!!

Mary Alice:
This week Mary Alice has decided that sleeping through the night is for the birds! Since I have a hard time going from horizontal to vertical, Ben also has night duty. I am really hoping this is all about the teething and that she will soon have a match set on top, snaggle tooth needs to go!

Week 10

The Babe:
By the end of this week, the babe will graduate from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one." It also translates to "I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and so are you!" Our sprout’s spurt continues this week -- finally, the babe's weight is measurable at a mere 4 grams (equivalent to just 4 paperclips!) and is the size of a pretty little strawberry. Our babe has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column. The babe now has discernible fingers and toes. The skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Also tooth buds are forming. The babe's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week. Even though I feel like I'm losing as many as the babe is gaining.

Me:
Either the Zofran is no longer working or I am sicker with pregnancy #2...if that is even possible!! I continue to vomit on top of the Zofran, this never happened with Mary Alice. There is no reason to be keeping anything a secrete when at only 10 weeks I look like this:


Ben:
I feel like I haven't seen him at all this week...so your guess is as good as mine.

Mary Alice:
Mimi has started holding her own bottle this week!! And on a less positive note she has also started grinding her teeth.

Fun with a wooden spoon

Very determined... I will give my girl that much!

Peek-a-Boo

Let the games begin

This school year has been different in many ways. I will say that I am not a fan of taking over students from someone else. I had my work cut out for me, seeing as my sub was a bit more lax than I tend to be. But really I am tough FOR the students and for my sanity! So, our first day together was Tuesday and we went over the rules and expectations of the classroom, there was NO smiling. Smiling is a sign of weakness in the teaching world! Then we started lecturing the first day. I think the air in the classroom could easily be described as FEAR...but my most favorite kind of fear.
Day one, 7th hour, one of my AP students asks me how my day was going and I told him that it seems as though my students have the appropriate amount of fear and trepidation. He said, "Oh I bet, I remember I was terrified of you!" "Really?" "Oh yeah, let's just say your reputation precedes you!"
Day two was similar in intensity. This resulted in a story I will now share with you. I had a girl come up to me at the end of class and ever so timidly asked me "Did you say that the homework was 1-11?" "Yes, I said that twice and it is written on the board." "Oh ok, you scare me." "Good, let's keep it that way. Now get out of here!" Yeah, she is going to be trouble.
Day three 11th hour. Now the last hour of the day is always difficult, the students are tired, I am tired, and that just so happens to be a recipe for disaster. Well, this year I am trying to not let them get away from me in 11th hour. I had a young man speak out of turn, which I informed him that since he wanted to be heard so badly he could answer the next three questions, which of course were not the easy BANK questions. By the end he was frustrated (right where I wanted him). I said, "Perhaps next time you will speak only when spoken to??" "Yes ma'am" was all I got back. Problem solved for now, and it appears the whole class got that message.
Now you may be thinking at I am taking things a little bit far, but people I am having to take over for a first time teacher that allowed the students to run the room...not an easy thing to change half way through the year. Due to this fact I had this experience yesterday on my way back from in-school suspension (yes another year of in-school suspension duty) at an intersection of hallways I hear "Oh Miss H I miss you soooooo much...I hate Miss K." Yes folks I must be doing something right!!