~ Competetive much? ~

In the middle of yet another round of end-of-the-year testing.

(I won't even get started on my feelings about that.)

The room is silent; students are (mostly) focused on the big, yucky test they have to do.

Which was when S felt the need to ask the entire classroom, "Is anyone past number 76 on the science part of the test?"


Everything's a competition, I guess!

~fo' shizzle ~

Question on spelling test: "Write five words that begin with 'sh.'"

Student only provides one word: "Shizzle." Because I'm apparently teaching a rapper wannabe.

This is the kid who hasn't passed a spelling test all year, yet he can spell the word "Shizzle" perfectly.

Sigh.

But, as a dear friend pointed out, he could have put a very different sort of word beginning with 'sh,' so I guess I should be thankful!

~ When you have to try not to laugh ~

My little story teller, R, started my morning off by asking me for a favor. A favor embedded in a story, of course.

There, in the middle of all the morning hoopla, when I have breakfast choices/attendance/field trip money/field trip chaperones/kids to get on task, was R.

"Mrs. N," he says, "can you do me a favor today?"

"Probably....has anyone seen K this morning yet?"

"Well, you're gonna need to keep an eye on me this morning," R continues.

"Oooook.......C? C? What did you have for breakfast?"

"Doncha wanna know why?" says my storyteller.

"Why?"

"Well, I hit the kitchen floor with my head. But not on purpose, ya see, we were messing around with electrical tape, and my brother, he taped my hands together in front of me, and so then when I tripped over a chair, I couldn't put my hands out to stop me from falling, and so I fell on my head, and I didn't bleed, but I had a bump, but the bump is gone this morning, but my mom still said I have to be careful not to pass out today at school. So I need you to keep an eye on me."

He was so dead serious about it, and it was all I could do not to laugh. I was expecting him to ask for a bathroom pass

~ Question of the Week ~

S. is typing away on her report about zebras this morning in the computer lab when she jumps up and comes to find me.

"Mrs. N, isn't it botox when they suck all the fat out of you?"

"No, it isn't."

"Oh. Well what is that called when they suck the fat out?"

"Liposuction."

S. heads back to her computer. Thirty seconds later, she's back.

"Mrs. N, how do you spell liposuction?"

With only a handful of days left to the end of the year, I'm not even going to ask what on earth liposuction has to do with zebras.

~ Eew, Eeew, Eeeew! ~

Did you know that it is now a violation of student's rights to send a student home because they have head lice? Yup...that's apparently changed this year. The school may notify parents that they think the child has head lice, but they can't do head checks anymore.

So...when C walked up to my desk during Social Studies itching, itching, itching his head, I was a little grossed out. Then he asked me if I could check his head because it was itching really bad.

Um, no.

He then stood there at my desk for 3 minutes vigorously itching his head and explaining to me all the things that he thought could be making his head itch, including ticks and the worms they used for fishing bait yesterday.

I kept repeating, "Please make sure you tell your mom tonight," in between every explanation he gave, all the time silently praying that whatever little nasties had taken up residence in his scalp would not decide to jump ship and land anywhere in my general vicinity. Yick...

~ Conversation of the Week ~

Overheard while waiting for my kids to come back from gym:

Aide from autistic room: Ok, now we're going to gym.
Autistic child: But--
Aide: You are not going to talk about dogs right now...
Autistic Child: But did you--
Aide: ...you're going to talk about gym class right now.
Autistic Child: No, not dogs! I'm talking about marsupials.
Aide: Ok, you're not going to talk about marsupials right now, you're going to talk about gym class.....

~Creative Geography~

Geographical term of the day: Peninsula

My kids typically do not have trouble with the concept of a peninsula. Since we do live in Michigan, they've heard the terms 'Upper Peninsula' and 'Lower Peninsula' most of their lives.

So when, in Social Studies, I ask them to find an example of a peninsula, there isn't usually a problem. Usually.

But there's always one. Or sometimes two. This year it was two. One who informed me that Oakland is a peninsula, another who told me Nevada is a peninsula.

Sigh.