"You Said I'm Going to What???"

I've been thinking a lot about something that happened last week with a fellow teacher, student and me.  Every afternoon but Fridays,  because I'm (a) crazy, (b) love kids this much or (c) love easy money, I tutor for the YMCA.  I get paid $25 a day to watch poor (as in pitiful) kids who have had no break all day do their homework, and then attempt to persuade them to listen to me while I try to tutor them in something else.  

On Tuesdays and Thursday, the teacher next door and I do our tutoring together because we do not have a lot of kids.  We usually end up doing a Reader's Theatre to help the kids practice their fluency skills.  Last Tuesday, Mrs. H and I were discussing about how we both care too much about people we've never met.  Me (a blog family who has a very sick baby) and her (Natasha Richardson and her untimely death.)  This very special girl (Tina) who I love my time with every week was sitting with us.  She asks us what we are talking about, and the other teacher tells her we were having a grown up conversation about people we don't know.  Tina then proceeds to tell us "Oh you shouldn't gossip! My pastor at church says if you gossip you will go to hell."  

I for one was dumbfounded.  That I was just told by a 10 year old that I was going to hell for gossiping?  I wanted to explain myself that (1) there is a difference between gossiping and talking about people and (2) we weren't saying anything bad about them in the first place .  But I was too annoyed at her comment that I don't believe I said anything at all.

Which brings to the question that I have been pondering.  When we told this story to our fellow teachers they were all more horror struck that she was correcting her elders than what she actually said.  This is what got me thinking.  How old do you have to be before you get to correct people that are older than you?  And, how come kids don't get to correct adults?  Besides the fact that she was wrong in her assumption that we were gossiping, what if we really were?  Would she have to sit there and listen to the adult figures in her life do something she knows is wrong but not be allowed to correct them?

I guess maybe because I am brand new at this adult thing, and still 50% of the people around me are my elders I was curious how this really worked.  As I thought about this, I realized that the majority of the time I would not dare to correct my elders and I too was brought up this way. Now, I am not sure what point I was trying to make and think I might be just as confused as I was to begin with.

It's just that kids are told day in and out not to do this and that, and are constantly being corrected and then when they think they've caught their teachers doing something wrong, they aren't allowed to correct them.  I guess where Tina went wrong was that what she thought she was "calling" Mrs. H and I out on, we weren't even doing.  She might need to go look up the definition of gossiping...  

What do you think?  Would you be offended if someone younger than you corrected your misbehavior?

J-Man returns?????

I got a new student last week.  Well I don't know if "got" is the right word.  It sounds like I had a choice... Back up to 20, which really is not that bad, I should definitely not be complaining.  Within 10 minutes of being in my room this new boy...hmm what should his blog name be?  If you have been reading my blog since the beginning of the school year, you may remember a certain student I had that I liked to refer to as J-Man.  Well we should call this new guy, J-Man the second, so how about J-2?

Anyway, back to J-2.  Within 10 minutes of being in my room, I think every girl in my class was in love.  Seriously, there were tongues on the floor and girls turned completely around in their seats staring.  Needless to say, as soon as they went to specials, their seats were changed.  Getting a new student close to testing is always a big scare.  Because no matter how soon it is, what this student scores will reflect the teacher.  I was though quick to discover that J-2 is extremely smart.  Then I was quicker to discover that not only is he smart...he's a bit of a know it all.  Within minutes in our math lesson, my previous top math student discovered that there was some competition which proceeded into a yelling match over the correct right answer.  Amazing, that after only a short time, J-2 has changed the dynamics of the classroom.

At RECESS the first day, J-2 succeeded into getting into a fight with another student on the playground.  Not usually a good idea on your first day at a new school.  This was last Thursday, J-2 has yet to return to the playground because he does not seem to like to do his homework.

After school on the first day of J-2's arrival I was looking at his records on the computer which includes his new address.  I look at J-2's address, and think hmmm that street looks familiar.  So I looked at the rest of the class's addresses, nothing there, and then looked at the original J-Man's address.  There we go! It was the same street.  So I looked at the house number and then back at J-2s and discover with quite amazement.  Not only is it the same street, it's the same house.  How strange is it, that my new student lives in the same house as my previous trouble-making student??  At this point, I was a little frightening that my few months of bliss after J-Man's departure were over and his "lively" spirit has returned somehow...

On the second day of his arrival, we went to the library to get some good ole AR (Accelerated Reader) books.  Remember that lovely program? Well it's still around.  While the rest of the students were taking a test, I had J-2 start his AR book.  After about 20 minutes, he declares that he has finished this although short, but about 50 paged book.  I disbelieving this have him go ahead an take the AR test on it.  He proceeds to make a 100 percent.  The rest of the class stared in shock. I think they were amazed that someone could even get a 100!!

 

It appears though, that I have my work cut out for me.  J-2's favorite thing to say is "Whatcha Doing?" About 200 times a day.  I have quickly gotten rid of this habit, by giving him laps every time he says it.  From what I've heard it seems like this poor kid has already been through a lot.  Single Mom, probably not too much money, moving in March is never usually a good sign of anything.  From the way he screams out all his answers, you'd think he went to a school were the kids didn't know how to raise their hands! But, we are working on it, and it has gotten a lot better everyday.  You honestly though can't hardly look at this kid and be angry because I along with the rest of the little girls in my class have fallen in love with his precious dimples and smile.  Soon, I'm sure I'll be thinking was there ever a time without J-2?

All for now, you all should just be impressed that I updated twice in one week.  I was told there were some impatient people in Virginia who say I don't post enough?  I'll try to do a better job...hah we'll see.  CRCT is in 2 weeks!!! EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!! (For you VA people that's our version of SOLs.)  

No rest for the weary!

Need a Laugh????

A few good laughs to make your day a little brighter courtesy of Room 102...

 A few afternoons ago at dismissal I heard the phone ring in my room.  I go to answer it and it is another teacher asking me if I have Franny S.  I say yes I do, and she asks me if he gave me a note saying that he did not need to go to YMCA this afternoon because his little sisters are saying that they are suppose to go home on the bus.  I tell her no, but I will ask him.  

Actual conversation follows:  

Me "Franny, do you have a note saying you don't need to go to YMCA today?"  

Franny: (With a very perplexed look on his face) "No....I don't"

Me: (I say into phone) "No, he says that he does not have one"

Franny: (While I'm talking on phone) "I do have a note that says I need to go home"

Me: (Into phone) "Nevermind...he does"

My kids are special...very very special.  And for even more proof read on for another amazing story, that yes really happened...

Today I was teaching a lesson on alliteration.  I had a poem written on the board which happened to include the author's name.  The author's name of the poem was Christina Bertolli.

Conversation was as follows:

Lilly: "Ms. Geer! Did you write that poem?"

Me:  "No, Lilly, do you know what my name is??"

Lilly:  "Well, I know your first name is Christina, but I don't know your last name."

Me and rest of class: "What? Lilly for real?  Are you kidding?  Her name is MS. GEER!! That's her last name!! Duh!!!!"

Lilly:  "Oh, I just thought that was your teacher last name"

Apparently she thought teachers teach using secret alias last names... I'm really not quite sure. She tried to play it off later that she was kidding, but I think she was just quite embarrassed when she realized how ridiculous she sounded.

It's all in a days work in the 4th grade :)