Drama, Drama

Although I highlight mostly positive things in my posts, there are many things about my classes and certain students that stress me out.  For instance, we are currently dealing with a student who has been refusing to work for several days now.  He will look me straight in the eye and throw an assignment away, or refuse to read, even when I sit right next to him and point at the words.  Now, I would understand if he was incapable of reading or writing, but he can absolutely do both.  It's enough to make my blood boil.  I would feel better (still not good) about failing him, if I didn't know that his home life is a mess, and that he is considered homeless.  Trying to be sympathetic but tough is very difficult.  Hopefully we can turn him around soon!

Another thing that is a struggle from time to time is the constant blurting.  I would say I have decent classroom management, and my kids are definitely learning, but sometimes my kiddos translate my "coolness" as relaxed-ness.  I generally spend at least 5 minutes of each hour making ridiculous threats to hush them up.

"Logan, do you want me to become BFFs with your mom?   No?  Then do your bell work quietly."  See?  Ridiculous.

Anyway, I was thinking that it was too late to get the reigns back until...I talked to my new mentor and she recommended being completely dramatic about writing refferal sheets.  For the most part, I'd dealt with individual kids quietly, on the side, trying not to embarrass them.  I'm a softy.  Today, I tried her system, and it ROCKED!  Basically, here's how it works:

1. Set expectation: Example: No talking during bell work.
2. The first time someone talks during bell work, throw your hands up, stop class in its tracks and apologize to everyone for the delay, but there is something you MUST do!
3. Dramatically pull out a referral sheet, scrunch your brow and make it very obvious that you are writing something down.
4. Include the class by having them confirm details like "Today is the 30th, right?"  " Annndd....we're in 3rd hour?"
5. Don't laugh.
6. Once you are finished, apologize to the class once more for taking away so much of their valuable time, and continue with the lesson.

It sounds crazy, but it really works!  Everyone was so shocked that the rest of each hour was smooth and productive.  Even though I didn't start out the year this tough, I know that if I continue doing this from time to time, I will have so muh more time to teach!  Don't worry though, they are still my homies.

-Mrs. Combs

Totes Strange

Today I heard some rather strange things that really made me think.  The statements themselves are not strange, but the fact that they came from the mouths of sixth graders shocked me!

One of my students, referring to another of his teachers said, "I like her class.  She has high expectations, and it feels like we're learning!"  He is a very low achiever in my class, so hearing something so profound and hopeful come from him was awesome.

The second strange thing I heard came from a girl who has consistently been a behavior/attitude problem this year.  (She has great penmanship, though, so I value her greatly! ha)  We have been taking vocabulary quizzes every week or so, and today was our quiz day. She is usually a C student, but today she scored 100%!  When I congratulated her later in the day, she asked, "When is our next quiz?"  I assumed that my answer would make her sigh and stomp off, but instead, she sighed and said "Ahhh...I wish it was sooner.  I really like studying now.  It's fun!"

Say whaaat?

Once I re-formed my melted heart, I realized that she has been going on to our class's Quizlet website- the site that I religiously update and push for my students to use as a study tool.  I thought only 3-4 of my AP kids were using it, but I was wrong!  

These students made me realize that the ones who act like they do not care, just need someone to give them a kick in the rear and push them to do their best.  They WANT us to have high expectations for them, and once they feel any bit of success, will do just about anything to feel that way again.  Yep. Even study.

Even though that last line sounds like a killer end to this post, I thought I would list 5 of my favorite weird things to do in the classroom:

1. Play tic-tac-toe with a student during a quiz
2. Refer to kids as "Homeskillet" (Ex: "Hey, Homeskillet, will you run to the office for me?")  
3. Throw plush balls at unsuspecting students
4. Use the words "totes" and "cray cray" (This makes the boys face-palm)
5. Talk in vocabulary words for several minutes  (See below)

Homeskillet, it is not APPROPRIATE to talk during class.  You were tardy because you DAWDLED in the hallway.  Don't you dare SCOWL at me.  I'll EVICT you from this room if you keep tapping your METALLIC pen.  Don't look so FORLORN; you are just PARANOID.

By the third word, they have realized what I am doing and are begging me to stop.  So I don't. :)  I could go on for days.

-Mrs. Combs

Just Smiling

This week has felt like a fairly long week, and I think that the kids were feeling it as well.  I had so many grumpy kids today, it was almost depressing.  Fortunately, a few of them were still funny enough to make my day.  

During my fourth hour, my "all things science" kiddo from my last post was being his normal self- teaching us all sorts of science things that we may or may not have ever needed to know.  (He reminds me of Matthew in that he can remember numbers and statistics that most couldn't begin to recall.)  Sometimes it gets to be a bit much, because his hand is ALWAYS raised, but on the other hand, he is my go-to-guy whenever the rest of the class is unresponsive.  

I digress.   

Today we were discussing the difference in facts and opinions. One of the sentences caused my science guy to give us another lesson that involved the way orange juice and toothpaste could affect our enamel (or something along those lines).  Now, I will be honest- I have perfected the 'wide eyes, smile and nod,' and I thought I was getting away with it.  Halfway through his spiel, however, one of my ornery kiddos jumped up, and pointed at me, and said, "You have no idea what he's talking about!  You're just smiling at him!"

Guilty.  

Another situation that made me smile today is actually began yesterday.  I've copied my posts from the last two days that explain it fairly well:

I love my job because I end up smiling 97% of the day.  One of my kiddos is super stoked to go home and see his family's new carpet. He was on the phone with his mom saying, "Don't tell me one SINGLE detail! I want to be surprised!" #presh 

Update: "The carpet is soft but firm. Some of it is shaggy, and some of it is polkadotted." (See yesterday's post 

I am so lucky to get to work with these guys!

-Mrs. Combs

Logic and Science

For those of you who do not use Facebook, I thought I would post a funny student response that I received yesterday.  As I mentioned before, we are currently reading Holes, by Louis Sachar.  In the book, the main character, Stanley, is described as overweight.  This fact must have really stuck out to one of my kiddos.

Q: Stanley's father was smart and had perseverance.  What did he not have and why?

A: A skinny son named Stanley.  Because Stanley always finished his food.

According to the book, the answer was "luck," but this was so unintentionally genius that I let it slide.  The funniest part is that I am certain he wasn't trying to be funny.   This was his legitimate answer!

On another note, I have a student in my fourth hour who is obsessed with school and everything scientific- so much so that he tends to ruin our fictional stories.  When reading "All Summer in a Day," in which a group of people live on Venus where it rains for seven years at a time, he informed the class that this story would be impossible.  Anyone who is anyone knows that rain on Venus would be acidic!  He has also decided to let the class know that the yellow spotted lizards (an important element in Holes) are not actually deadly like the book says they are.  Sigh.  I never know for sure whether he is right or wrong, but he says it with such conviction that I always believe him.  Next he is going to tell us Santa isn't real!

-Mrs. Combs

Hole-sitting

          Wow! It has been over a month since my last post. So much has gone on that it would take me days to catch up.  For the sake everyone's time and sanity, I'll take the easy way out and simply list the  major events:

• Quarterlies went well!
• I wrapped up my first semester as a real life teacher.
• My friend/mentor moved to a new job :/
• I found out just how awesome Christmas break is!
• Christmas break was extended two more days due to snow.  Bittersweet.

          We have finally been in school for an entire week!  Things have changed quite a bit from last semester.  Because my mentor was also the other sixth grade reading teacher, I'm now working with someone else- thankfully it is another teacher that I am already familiar with.  They moved her to work with me, and hired someone to take her place.  It has worked out very well!

           To kick off the semester, we are teaching the novel Holes, which has been a blast!  It feels good to be reading a book that I have to set limits regarding how far they CAN read, not setting a minimum number of pages they HAVE to read.  Even the kiddos who begin class in a trouble-making mood end up with their nose in the book.  It's lovely.

         Here are a few of my last-minute decorating ideas.  I threw these together last minute- so next year I'll be taking it up a notch, for sure.

(Side note: This is the door my runner used to exit the building!)     

    

I posted this sign that was in the book.  The kids' reactions were pretty funny!  Several of them darted back to their lockers, pretending to put their "illegal items" back before class.

          One of the pre-reading ideas in the novel guide was to have students draw pictures of things that they already know about holes, and display them on the bulletin board.  The three categories we talked about were: 1) Why people dig holes, 2) What things have holes, 3) What things live in holes.  I'm not sure how much this added to their education, but as usual, I received some funny pictures, like the one below.   This Pre-AP student was assigned the category, "Why people dig holes." Her response...?

Apparently I need to try hole-sitting.  It looks like great fun!

-Mrs. Combs