It isn't all sunshine and roses...
Some years, I teach about MLK, and there is this lovely two-week (roughly) period where the kids really are a little extra-kind to each other.
We finished the unit today (mostly). Yesterday five of my fourteen kids got into physical fights at lunch, and another four were telling me about socially nasty behavior.
Ever feel like you're just paddling upstream against the wind? :-)
Actually, I am having the kind of week that reminds me of a kitschy sign in my cousin's kitchen. It reads: "Raising Children is like being pecked to death by chickens." So is teaching them, at times.
This week I have banned all collectible cards from our classroom. I am tired of seeing them when I am trying to teach. Can you believe the kids find Yu-gi-oh cards more exciting than verb tenses? I know, I was shocked too. The icing on the cake was the fight that broke out yesterday over card ownership.
I also am preparing a pop quiz for our next guided reading session. They tend not to pay attention, and I'm sick of fighting with them over it. So, this week, we'll do it, and then I will ask them to clear their desks and give them a little quiz on the story. Should be loads of fun, but it needs to be done.
Oh, and I have to say, when cheating on a writing assignment, it is generally best not to POINT OUT that your paper is the same as your neighbor's. The offender did this -- he put his paper in my box and said "Mrs. Melton, (kid A) and I had a cowinkiedink (sic). I first pointed out that the word is coincidence, then asked him to enlighten me further. First it was coincidence that his paper was the same as his seatmate's. Then they had agreed to work together. Kid A said "no -- he was copying off me." So, kid A was told that he should tell me the next time he sees someone stealing his work, and kid B got an all expenses paid trip to the principal with me as his date. He also got the valuable prizes of a chance to re-do the assignment and a personal chat with his mother and me. The NEXT time he gets a zero, but this is an 8 year old. They do get chances to do the right thing.
My class is generally noisy and on the fine edge of respectful. Today the principal passed out report cards, and she said when she was done: "Well, report cards look pretty good, but I know that you've been misbehaving lately and you are driving Mrs. Melton crazy, so you all should work on that. I had to bite my lip to not laugh. They looked suitably (and charmingly) cowed.
Actually, last month they were trying to melt my head by staring at me intently (long story -- it was in a book we read). I told them I was immune. It was still a fun game for all of us.
So yeah, my life at school really isn't always the subject of a heart-warming tv show called "Our Mrs. Melton." Just in case y'all thought it was ;-)
Maybe I'll get lucky and we'll get a snow day or two hour delay out of all the snow supposedly coming our way. That would be nice.
But I still love my kids. And that won't change. Pecked to death or not. :-)
We finished the unit today (mostly). Yesterday five of my fourteen kids got into physical fights at lunch, and another four were telling me about socially nasty behavior.
Ever feel like you're just paddling upstream against the wind? :-)
Actually, I am having the kind of week that reminds me of a kitschy sign in my cousin's kitchen. It reads: "Raising Children is like being pecked to death by chickens." So is teaching them, at times.
This week I have banned all collectible cards from our classroom. I am tired of seeing them when I am trying to teach. Can you believe the kids find Yu-gi-oh cards more exciting than verb tenses? I know, I was shocked too. The icing on the cake was the fight that broke out yesterday over card ownership.
I also am preparing a pop quiz for our next guided reading session. They tend not to pay attention, and I'm sick of fighting with them over it. So, this week, we'll do it, and then I will ask them to clear their desks and give them a little quiz on the story. Should be loads of fun, but it needs to be done.
Oh, and I have to say, when cheating on a writing assignment, it is generally best not to POINT OUT that your paper is the same as your neighbor's. The offender did this -- he put his paper in my box and said "Mrs. Melton, (kid A) and I had a cowinkiedink (sic). I first pointed out that the word is coincidence, then asked him to enlighten me further. First it was coincidence that his paper was the same as his seatmate's. Then they had agreed to work together. Kid A said "no -- he was copying off me." So, kid A was told that he should tell me the next time he sees someone stealing his work, and kid B got an all expenses paid trip to the principal with me as his date. He also got the valuable prizes of a chance to re-do the assignment and a personal chat with his mother and me. The NEXT time he gets a zero, but this is an 8 year old. They do get chances to do the right thing.
My class is generally noisy and on the fine edge of respectful. Today the principal passed out report cards, and she said when she was done: "Well, report cards look pretty good, but I know that you've been misbehaving lately and you are driving Mrs. Melton crazy, so you all should work on that. I had to bite my lip to not laugh. They looked suitably (and charmingly) cowed.
Actually, last month they were trying to melt my head by staring at me intently (long story -- it was in a book we read). I told them I was immune. It was still a fun game for all of us.
So yeah, my life at school really isn't always the subject of a heart-warming tv show called "Our Mrs. Melton." Just in case y'all thought it was ;-)
Maybe I'll get lucky and we'll get a snow day or two hour delay out of all the snow supposedly coming our way. That would be nice.
But I still love my kids. And that won't change. Pecked to death or not. :-)