The last time I wrote, I was a baby teacher nearing the middle of her training in Chicago. Now I am a baby teacher looking back on her first month of teaching in a real live public school to real live children.
At least I think most of them are alive...they're pretty good at sleeping with their heads propped up, so for all I know, they could be dead. But then again, they do leave like quick little bunnies when the bell rings, so there goes that theory.
Alright, so my students aren't all sleeping though my classes. There are a few who have gotten away with sleeping if they prop their head on a binder- OH WAIT. No they didn't. Newsflash: teachers can SEE YOU. You're not fooling anyone just because you're not drooling on your desk.
Although, I do have one student who kinda roosts himself into his chest like a mama owl and falls asleep sitting up perfectly straight, most of the time with a pencil in his hand, poised on the paper. It's amazing. Once he fell asleep during a quiz, and I debated just letting him snooze his way to a zero...but then I felt bad, so I rapped on his desk, and he carried on writing as if nothing had happened.
...So I just thought I would share my thoughts so far, maybe a few anecdotes, so that those of you who read this every once in a while will know what I've been up to.
I made it through my first whole month of teaching! The days go by faster now (they always go by much much faster than they did when I was a student) and that is partially because the feeling that I am drowning is dissipating day by day. Yay! It's also because the school day is not very long at all: due to budget cuts, my teaching day goes from
7:30 AM (high schoolers love that) to 1:45 PM.
Yup. My kids get out of school everyday before 2:00. So when they fall asleep in my 7th period class, I can say to them "just wait 20 more minutes! then you can take a 4 hour nap and still wake up in time for dinner!" It also makes their "I didn't have time to do my homework"-excuse really weak.
soundbites:
At least I think most of them are alive...they're pretty good at sleeping with their heads propped up, so for all I know, they could be dead. But then again, they do leave like quick little bunnies when the bell rings, so there goes that theory.
Although, I do have one student who kinda roosts himself into his chest like a mama owl and falls asleep sitting up perfectly straight, most of the time with a pencil in his hand, poised on the paper. It's amazing. Once he fell asleep during a quiz, and I debated just letting him snooze his way to a zero...but then I felt bad, so I rapped on his desk, and he carried on writing as if nothing had happened.
...So I just thought I would share my thoughts so far, maybe a few anecdotes, so that those of you who read this every once in a while will know what I've been up to.
I made it through my first whole month of teaching! The days go by faster now (they always go by much much faster than they did when I was a student) and that is partially because the feeling that I am drowning is dissipating day by day. Yay! It's also because the school day is not very long at all: due to budget cuts, my teaching day goes from
7:30 AM (high schoolers love that) to 1:45 PM.
Yup. My kids get out of school everyday before 2:00. So when they fall asleep in my 7th period class, I can say to them "just wait 20 more minutes! then you can take a 4 hour nap and still wake up in time for dinner!" It also makes their "I didn't have time to do my homework"-excuse really weak.
soundbites:
 |
| it's the bangs. it's always the bangs. |
- (male) Student: "Ms D, I figured out who you look like. You look like Carly Rae." Me: "Who? I don't think I know who that is." Student: "You know, (sings) before you came into my life I missed you so bad! I missed you so so bad/ So call me maybe! you know?" Me: "Yes, but I am oh-so-glad you just sang that out loud."
- (female) Student: "Ms. D, can I make up the work I missed this week? I was in jail."
- I don't even know what it was for, and I didn't ask. All I said was "Sure. We did 3.7-3.9 in your workbook. Bring it to me tomorrow"
(male) Student: "Ms D, I figured out who you look like. You look like Carly Rae." Me: "Who? I don't think I know who that is." Student: "You know, (sings) before you came into my life I missed you so bad! I missed you so so bad/ So call me maybe! you know?" Me: "Yes, but I am oh-so-glad you just sang that out loud."
ReplyDeleteYou're terrible, and I love it.
THEY GET OUT AT 1:45?! What is this nonsense? I'm sure it's good for you though. Keep updating us with all the zany things the children say to you--truly inspired stuff. <3
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the complete disregard for gender boundaries that your kids show in those quotes hahaha the boys are singing "Call Me Maybe" and the girls are in jail lol, EPIC. (Can you tell my bachelor's essay is starting to invade the rest of my life??) I'm glad everything is going well!! We miss youuuu!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear what you're up to and that everything is getting better all the time!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking just yesterday, "Claire hasn't written in a while. Then again, neither have I, so I can't complain." Shame on me.
ReplyDeleteYou should snap pictures of sleeping students and when you have some free time display them in class. There's no rules against embarrassing them are there? If so, quit. It's not worth it.
Welcome to the struggle. I had my own sleeping students today. One was confused why I thought it was disrespectful. Your mom caught part of that lecture.
ReplyDelete