Day 22: Superpowers

How is it that small children think they can get away with things or get over on us "unsuspecting" adults?  You know, sort of like when you send your child up to take a shower only to have the same child emerge from the bathroom in five minutes claiming to be clean?  Only you know they're not really clean because on closer inspection you notice:
a.  There is no scent of soap in the air.
b.  The washcloth is in the same spot it was in before--and it isn't even wet!
c.  The mirrors are not steamy.
d.  The towel, floor, and bath mat are still bone dry.

And when you confront said child, they deny the fact that there was any wrongdoing or untruths told.  But when the evidence is pointed out, the child seems so surprised that s/he has been found out!  This never ceases to amaze me.

The same can be said for the lovely little darlings you teach all day long.  Rest assured, there are going to be times when you will look at the child and think, "How on earth did you think you were going to get away with THAT?" or "Do you really think I'm THAT clueless?"

Two "shining" examples come to mind as I write this post:
Example 1:
Our school has adopted a daily Independent Reading Time.  For about 20 minutes, the class is to read a book on his/her guided reading and interest level.  After reading, students are to fill in a section in a journal about the book.  Some days I ask the students to write about a favorite part, what a character does or looks like, the setting, etc.  It's a good exercise in literature study and a way to practice the reading strategies we are learning in class.  Other days I ask the students to conference with me about their books.  This is what we've been doing this week.

On Monday I assigned a book to a student.  On Tuesday, this same student came to me and said the book was read.  I looked at where the bookmark was--page 86.  I knew good and well this child did not read 86 pages in 20 minutes' time.  (The books are only read during that block of time each day; students have other books for silent reading.)  So I called him on it by asking him to give me a summary of what he'd read so far.  He immediately begins flipping through the pages and fumbling through his explanation.  About a minute in, I stopped him and politely told him that I knew he didn't read the book.  (Insert surprised look here.) I also told him that reading the text is not the same as looking at the pictures because there are no details to support what the pictures are showing.  I then told him I don't appreciate being lied to and if it happened again there would be consequences.  (Insert gulp here.) The conversation ended with me telling him to go back to the first page of the book and begin reading because he would be my first conference the next morning. (Insert shock and more surprise here.)  Lesson learned.

Example 2:
Today, I was working with some of my students who need extra help during a quiz.  The students who finished were to complete their morning work (a math exercise, daily edit pages, and journal) before moving onto silent reading.  One student turns in her quiz and promptly brings out her silent reading book.  I asked her if she was finished with her morning work (I knew she wasn't.).  Her response, quick as a wink, "Yes." (Insert look of innocence here.)  Hmmm.  So I asked her if I could check it over real quick.  (Insert panicked look here.) Then something amazing happened.  She miraculously remembered that she still had part of her daily edit pages to finish, as well as a few math problems.  (Insert motion of hitting head with palm of hand.) Right. I politely told her the same speech about lying and consequences.  (Insert guilty look.) She got right to work.

The funny thing is, as I was talking to her, there were a few others who weren't quite finished either and I could see them "nonchalantly" following our conversation.  (Insert furtive glances here.) When I asked if I could check over her work, they got to theirs, all the while peeking over their shoulders to see if I was coming to look at theirs.  Because I was in the middle of helping two folks with a quiz, I didn't, but sometimes I do.  You gotta keep them on their toes.

It's also funny because little children haven't quite figured out how to whisper, so I sometimes overhear them asking each other how I knew such and such.

How indeed?  Superpowers, children.  Superpowers.

Day 21: Controversy

Have you ever done something to try and make things better and other people take offense to it?  Have you ever been involved in a misunderstanding and people take offense to you? I hate when that happens.

It started yesterday with a colleague sending out an e-mail to the entire grade level asking about an alternate format for reading comprehension quizzes after being asked about them by a parent. Apparently, parents were talking to each other and one parent asked another teacher why the quizzes were different than what his/her child took. This colleague wasn't sure what the parent was talking about, so s/he sent out the e-mail to try and get clarification to explain to the parent what happened.  Come to find out, the children who took the differently formatted quizzes were special education students in another room.  The quizzes were formatted by the special education teacher to meet their IEP goals.  The other children received the regular quizzes.  One part of the issue down.

The second part of the issue continued because I had made two alternate format quizzes to see if the format was challenging enough to let the students practice what they've learned and easy enough for parents to understand.  (We've had problems in the past with parent complaints that the questions--which come directly out of the story discussion section teacher's manual--were misleading and confusing.  A point that I--and my colleagues--agree on.  Some of the quizzes needed work.)  So I explained to the other team members that I am trying out the new format to see if it is better understood by students and parents.  I sent out a copy of one of the quizzes that I made up and said I would gladly share if anyone was interested.  (Some of us don't use comprehension quizzes, but do other comprehension activities.)

I hadn't shared the alternate format prior to the e-mail from yesterday because it is still a work in progress.  If the format is still confusing, I'll need to change it or think of another option.  So far I've done two and the students are doing pretty well on them.  Parents will see them for the first time in the students' test folders on Friday, so I will see how they are received.  

On a side note, my husband would like everyone to know that he is not a mean person.  He didn't like the way I wrote about his actions during the whole cell phone alarm incident from yesterday.  He thought it made him sound like a mean person for laughing at me.  I was totally not trying to make him out to be insensitive or anything. My husband is a great guy and has a ready sense of humor.  I guess I failed to see the humor in the midst of trying to find the source of the blasted vibrating sound!  I DID, however, laugh about it after I realized what I did because it was pretty funny.  Still, I can think of better ways to start a Monday.  =D

Day 20: Another "Wha...?" Moment

My "Wha...?" moment of the day did not occur at school, but as I was getting prepared to go to school. (My actual school day was great!)

Over the weekend I got a new cell phone.  I put all of my settings in, including my alarm clock.  (I always wake up to my cell phone; there isn't even a clock in my bedroom.)  Anyhow, I woke up before my alarm and was waiting in bed for my husband to get out of the bathroom.  As I am waiting, I hear a vibrating noise.  Thinking it was my new phone, I picked it up to turn off the alarm.  Only there was no display on the screen prompting me to turn off the alarm.  So I fiddled with the phone thinking I missed a step.  Soon the vibrating stops.  Success!

Or so I thought.

Five minutes later, about the time for a typical snooze function to kick in, I hear vibrating again.  By this time my husband is out of the bathroom.  I asked him how to turn off the alarm on my phone because I bought the same model he has.  He looks at me like I'm crazy as I tell him I can't find the screen to turn off the alarm. 

Then--he starts laughing.

I don't get the joke.

By now I'm frustrated because he's laughing at me and I don't know why, and the vibrating still hasn't stopped, so I cry, "If it's not my phone, then where is that noise coming from?"  To which he replies, "Check the closet." 

The closet?  Why is there a vibrating noise coming from my bedroom closet?  So I go to the closet and open the door.  The noise is coming from the shelf.  More specifically, a bag on my shelf.  Most specifically, the bag on the shelf that contains my old cell phone.

The cell phone that was fully charged when I went to buy my new phone.  The cell phone I forgot to turn off.  The cell phone that was trying to wake me up as it had so many other mornings.  The cell phone whose alarm I promptly turned off.  The cell phone I powered down and put back on the shelf.

I emerged from the closet to my husband's laughing face.

Sigh.  What a way to begin a Monday!

Day 19: I'm So Glad Today Is Over

Well.  This was a day.

I started off with a parent meeting because I have concerns about a student.  The parents seemed to be receptive to my concerns and had some of their own.  I'm hoping we can get this child some help so s/he can be successful.

Next, I was stopped in the hallway by my principal because of the newspaper article.  It wasn't a huge deal; he called me a "newspaper star" or something like that.  He also mentioned that he had received a call from the Administration Building (Oops!).  I thought I was in trouble and probably should have contacted someone over there, but he said that wasn't necessary.  The only thing the article mentioned was my district and school, and didn't have anything to do with district policies.  The article was about my choice to use the website DonorsChoose to get supplies for my class.

By then, we were in the midst of another hot day.  (I thought this was fall!) By the end of the day it was a toasty 92 degrees outside.  Which means nearly 100 degrees in my room.  Let's just say my class and I were sweating a LOT today.  One girl complained that she was sticking to her chair.  Ew. Let's also just say that being sweaty with a "breathable" neoprene knee support on is not the most comfortable thing in the world.  Double ew.

That being said, I have returned to my air-conditioned home, removed the knee support, showered, and eaten a snack. I'm feeling pretty darn content right now.

TGIF!

Day 18: Updates

Topic 1:
I didn't find the book order.  After I ripped everything apart--again--I e-mailed the mom of the student and told her what happened.  She didn't seem to upset about it, but I still feel terrible because now she has to cancel her check for the amount and pay whatever fee her bank charges.  I went ahead and ordered the books anyway because they aren't in the next brochure. I paid for them with my bonus points.  I figure it's the least I could do.

Topic 2:
The reporter interviewed me yesterday about using Donors Choose.  You know, why I decided to use the site, if I asked my students' parents to donate to it, and all that stuff. 

I decided to use the site because I've been wanting the WhisperPhones for a while, but I can't afford a class set.  (Sharing is not an option; it's a hygiene issue for me.  I figure each student can be assigned one to use for the year and I can periodically disinfect them.)

I didn't tell my parents about my being on the site. I generally don't ask  the parents for much; I pretty much buy everything I need/want to use outside of what the school provides.  (See the post from Day 15.)  Anyhow, outside of Kleenex, hand soap, and paper towels, there isn't much else I feel comfortable asking for aside from the occasional class book donation from the yearly book fairs.  The parents in my school are very involved in the PTA, from appreciation luncheons for teachers and class parties to assemblies and book fairs.  With all that they already do, it just doesn't feel right to ask for more, especially with the expense of the product I'm asking for.

With Donors Choose, donations are through anonymous donors.  There may be some parents who want to help with the class but may not be able to afford to donate items, through Donors Choose or just in general, and that's fine.  I feel like I'm removing the pressure on parents and allowing them to help however they are able, whether it's during class parties, helping in the building, etc.  

I know there are probably some people who would say that parents want the best for their children and want them to succeed, so why not ask them for donations on Donors Choose?  As a parent, I understand the reasoning.  I donate to my children's classes as I am able.  I think not asking parents for certain items eliminates the feeling/pressure of "having" to donate because someone's child happens to be my student; I don't want to be the one to say you absolutely must donate to the class.  To me, that's too much control over someone else's choice.

But, if after reading the article I have parents who want to donate, that's okay.  I just don't want to tell them they have to do it.

I know some of you are reading this and questioning the fact that I'm asking strangers for these items.  I look at it like a common interest.  When there is a crisis, donation drive for illness, or special collection taken for a need, people contribute if they feel moved to do so.  I look at having supplies to help students be successful as a vital need, especially in these times.  People will contribute if they feel moved to do so, just as they donate to animal shelters, hospitals, and other organizations or causes.  Will I be upset if no one donates?  Maybe.  I'll just try to find another way.

Topic 3:
Still dealing with the issue of the torn meniscus in my knee.  I'm learning how to hobble around with a brace on my knee while trying to keep up with my second graders until I get the MRI on Monday and the doctors tell me what they think should happen next.

As one of my friends always says, "I tell ya. Never a dull moment!"