Monday, January 02, 2006

Bits and pieces

Nothing real to update here in winter break, but a few spare ideas and details that don’t really fit anywhere else:

Number one reason why, no, you can’t be in the middle school talent show: You called me a “dumb slut” and then walked out of class.

Silliest threat I have received: “I will destroy your car and if you get a new one I will destroy that one too.” (I don’t own a car.)

Best Christmas present I received: hat and scarf from my new favorite suck-up

Best comment made during a standardized test: “Um, you didn’t teach us this, but I guess it’s too late now.”

Most disturbing monologue overheard in the library:
“That’s why I hate these teachers. They spit in my face and I spit in theirs. I have a lot of hatred in my blood. That’s why I like the color red. Your whole wardrobe should be red. Your teeth should be red. Your glasses should be red. Your brain should be red. I’m going to let all of my hatred out until I feel good.”

Best compliment I have received: “You make social studies fun. Our teacher last year just taught us out of the book.”

Second best: “I told my friends I only had one cool teacher and that’s you.”

Best comment on my announcement that I am going to read The Brothers Karamazov: “You wilin’, Miss. Did you see how big that book is?”

Best idea proffered during “fact and opinion” week: “Fifty-Cent is a gangsta and that’s a fact!”

Small act of rebellion: the fact that my bulletin board was empty for nearly three weeks (had anyone figured out that it was mine, I probably could have been seriously disciplined)

Biggest difficulty in teaching the Civil War as a play: Abraham Lincoln was suspended for bringing a knife to school

Biggest success before that: the Lincoln-Douglas debate raging across the classroom

Best (or Worst) made up name for an immigrant (we took on immigrant identities and wrote from their perspective:) “Dang-a-lang Duck Shit Shabazz” (which was later – after much debate – changed to “Dang-a-lang Duck Poo Shabazz” )

Best comment made in response to my announcement that the President had potentially spied on U.S. citizens: “Oh that happened to me! I was talking to my friend and I heard the phone clicking. It was the President listening!”

Most unlikely turn of events: I am now the number one supporter of our high school basketball team (9 and 1 kids, 9 and 1 – you can’t argue with those numbers) despite the fact that I do not particularly enjoy basketball. I just enjoy arguing with twelve year olds who say the team is “garbage” simply because they aren’t allowed to try out yet. The fact that I enjoy debates of this nature is perhaps the only reason I stay sane.

New favorite thing to do when I am being strict (after the one day that I admitted to not having had enough caffeine): hand me my coffee cup with the instructions to “take this to the head”

Most disheartening standardized test reality: all but three kids in our whole seventh grade got zeros on a portion of the practice test that requires them to edit a paragraph.

Silver lining: all three were in my class



New Year’s Resolutions:

Read something every day that has nothing to do with school
Write something every day that has nothing to do with school
Be kinder when it is most difficult
Settle “lay/lie” issue
Keep up with my book report sticker chart (I get one tomorrow for having finished Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man – one of the four copies that residents of my apartment received for Christmas)
Dishes (do more of them)



Apparently most first year teachers experience a “rejuvenation phase” following winter break. Do I feel it coming on? Maybe.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home


Free Counter