(no subject)
On the spammage: Okay, so maybe updating everyday is a bit much, but I have so much to say about this experience and I'm pretty sure it'll be easier on everyone if I dump a little at a time, rather than writing super long posts every few days. Also, it's a good habit to get into, I think.
Here are links to two of the songs that my students adore:
Lip Gloss by Lil' Mama
Cupid Shuffle by Cupid (This is such a fun dance. All the teachers at my site love it too!)
I'm going to bring my camera to work tomorrow!
When I listened to Chyleah, E'shante, and Tyrean discuss creative uses for ketchup, I was mildly appalled. E'shante told Tyrean that she was going to put ketchup underneath her nose in order to feign a bloody nose and miss school. Tyrean cheerfully added that she should use a new ketchup bottle because the runny bit at the top looked a lot more authentic than the thicker stuff. Chyleah asserted that she'd already done it dozens of times. I'm pretty sure Chyleah was lying and I'm pretty sure that none of these girls hate school enough to actually go to such lengths to avoid it. I suppose trying to avoid school is normal for most children and I shouldn't have been that surprised. But a ketchup bloodied nose seems rather gruesome when a faked fever would do the trick.
Talking to my fellow VISTAs, other children actually do stage injuries or even hurt themselves in order to be noticed. One of my coworkers said she watched as child laid down on the ground, pulled a desk down on top of himself and then began screaming out to her in pain and crying for help. She wasn't sure whether to play his game or not. Clearly he needed positive attention, but he also shouldn't learn that hurting himself is a good way to receive it.
Another coworker shared a story of a student who started a fight with another student. The first student approached my coworker swearing fervently that the second student had hurt him. When my worker scolded the student for starting the fight instead of sympathizing with him, the student walked away and proceeded to pick at an old scab until the old scrape began to bleed. Then he approached my coworker again, saying the other student had hurt him real bad. I would not have known what to say.
In other news, my address is up on facebook!
Here are links to two of the songs that my students adore:
Lip Gloss by Lil' Mama
Cupid Shuffle by Cupid (This is such a fun dance. All the teachers at my site love it too!)
I'm going to bring my camera to work tomorrow!
When I listened to Chyleah, E'shante, and Tyrean discuss creative uses for ketchup, I was mildly appalled. E'shante told Tyrean that she was going to put ketchup underneath her nose in order to feign a bloody nose and miss school. Tyrean cheerfully added that she should use a new ketchup bottle because the runny bit at the top looked a lot more authentic than the thicker stuff. Chyleah asserted that she'd already done it dozens of times. I'm pretty sure Chyleah was lying and I'm pretty sure that none of these girls hate school enough to actually go to such lengths to avoid it. I suppose trying to avoid school is normal for most children and I shouldn't have been that surprised. But a ketchup bloodied nose seems rather gruesome when a faked fever would do the trick.
Talking to my fellow VISTAs, other children actually do stage injuries or even hurt themselves in order to be noticed. One of my coworkers said she watched as child laid down on the ground, pulled a desk down on top of himself and then began screaming out to her in pain and crying for help. She wasn't sure whether to play his game or not. Clearly he needed positive attention, but he also shouldn't learn that hurting himself is a good way to receive it.
Another coworker shared a story of a student who started a fight with another student. The first student approached my coworker swearing fervently that the second student had hurt him. When my worker scolded the student for starting the fight instead of sympathizing with him, the student walked away and proceeded to pick at an old scab until the old scrape began to bleed. Then he approached my coworker again, saying the other student had hurt him real bad. I would not have known what to say.
In other news, my address is up on facebook!