Picking Up the Slack!!

I'm back!  The last two weeks have been absolutely exhausting, but I'm comforted in knowing that teachers who have been teaching for years are as exhausted as I was for the whole first month of school.  There have been many triumphs (including a day off, where I worked for books!!!), struggles (including various student issues in the classroom and on the playground) and of course ludicrous moments (including a student singing this song).  AND of course, the day that the author of Enemy Pie came to visit the Kinders and 1st Graders!!

The Triumph:  I love love love the days with just the 10 kids who come everyday.  I feel so lucky to be able to have that experience, because I am so certain that it is so unlikely that I'll ever have a group of 10 all to myself for a day ever again!  I love the opportunities that I have to talk with them about their lives and find out things about them that they do when they aren't at school!  I love that I can get to know them more in-depth than I would in the classroom when all 19 of them are there!

The Struggle:  I think the hardest part about the days with the 10 is knowing that they need the most help, which is why they come everyday and still seeing some of them struggling to make advances in their learning.  For about two weeks, we have been working on our teen numbers.  We have listened to the song about teens several times and students can sing it, but one girl is just not getting it.  It's hard to see one student struggle so much, use something that does work for them, but still not see it stick!

The Ludicrousness:  I honestly can not think of any today, but here are a few from the last couple of weeks.
As the author of Enemy Pie is wrapping up his presentation he starts to take questions.  Of course, one of my students raises his hand and is called on.  Here is his question.  "Who wrote this book?"  I just looked across the room, made eye-contact with my co-Kinder Intern and laughed.

I was informed by one of the recess teachers that a student of mine was yelling a swear word as he reached the highest points on the swing.  Back and forth he just kept saying it.  I'll give you a hint:  It starts with the "Quiet Brothers."

And finally, with excitement, a boy student of mine ran up to me during work-time, grabbed my hand and said "You have to come with me! I have to show you something!!!"  He then dragged me to the cupboard where we keep the snacks, opened the doors, and said "We can make POPCORN! Look, there is popcorn in there!" and then he ran back to me, grabbed my hand and said "Come on!"  He continued to lead me around the room to the microwave and pointed to it excitedly.  I then said, "Oh, would you like for me to make popcorn for snack?"  He looks up at me and says, "I think I'm allergic to that kind of popcorn!"  Goofy kid!