www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/education/17middle.html

Christmas Vacation is Over

Today we went back to the classroom.  The school was nice and warm with the snow falling all day long.  We played a bean game which turned into an all out bean throwing fight.  One bean went down my throat when my mouth was open.  (when is my mouth not opened).  One bean richocheted off my front tooth.  Several beans went down my cleavage and I even found several beans in my pockets.

I guess the highlight of the day was when I told Diego Happy Birthday- He was born on 1/1 and he kept asking in spanish "how did you know when my birthday was?"  then he went over and got the vacuum and started vacuuming up all the beans.  It was very touching.

p.s. find the man's head in the beans.

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Never Thought I Would See That!

So today I was actually pretty excited to get back to my new students after being gone for one week of long Thanksgiving Break.  I was calling roll and trying to remember the students names when I looked at the back row and there was a boy- curling his eyelashes with an eyelash curler and a mirror?

I called out his name to discipline him and he didn't seemed embarrassed in the least.  Oh well, at least my classes are more quiet than last trimester???

New Trimester Today

Today I got mostly new students.  I did get about 10 that I had last trimester but that's okay.

I was shocked beyond belief- the classes were extremely good.  My last class that I was scared of thinking they would be like my last term's 7th period turned out to be silent.  For the first time ever, when the announcements came on the TV on Channel One- the entire class was silent for the entire broadcast.  

Unbelievable!  Here is a picture of cute little Kelsey sleeping in my class.  I was jealous that it was her and not me!

Today School Was Great!

It was such a wonderful day at school.  I got so much done.  I did things that I've been trying to get to for weeks.  I cleaned areas, organized files, made new rule posters, cleaned all the counters,

cleaned the pantry, worked on grades, answered old emails.  Why did it go so well?

Because there were no students- it was teacher work day!  Oh how I love those days!

1/3 DONE

Friday was the end of the 1st trimester.  This means that the school year is 1/3 over.  Next week I get 4 more classes of totally new students.  I am so excited to start off super mean and have rules and rules and seating charts and consequences and I might even buy some german shepherds to patrol around the classroom.

I will miss some of the sweetest most fun students.  I hope to see them again.  7th grade is such a strange age- some of them seem like people and others seem like 3 yr. olds and they don't understand anything you say.

Overall, even though this is so hard- I am liking it and I'm determined to learn how to teach these classes.

Longest Day Of My Life

Today was so hard- I had all my classes cook and I even let the bad students cook cause it was the last lab of the trimester- next week I will get all new students.

First I got there and I had to get the custodians to help me unplug all the plugged up sinks cause the after school program poured their ramen noodles down the drains.

Then I had 3rd period clean the kitchens first and Samir was walking by 2 girls and I witness him throwing Ajax all over them- in their hair, their clothes, and their new suede boots. I got so mad- I sent him to the principal immediately- but they believed his story that it was an accident.

5th period- they made whole wheat bread in 25 mins.- it's a long story- but there was flour all over the floor and then I noticed that the vacuum had been stolen- it was gone??? Who would steal a vacuum?

6th period - made mini-pizza's- it was so horrible that I have blocked it out of my mind. I had several fights with Roy and Dan but I did get them to clean the laundry closet so that was good.

7th period- again they tried to make the bread. Xavier started the class making balls out of aluminum foil and they kept flying around the room.

After school a couple of girls felt sorry for me so they said they would help me clean up. So they helped me pick up all the aluminum foil balls and clean up the flour that was everywhere.

the girls were going to walk home and so I took them home and they were so embarrassed by me seeing their homes and neighborhoods. I tried to make them not nervous but I can't believe what these kids have to go through. Again, my eyes were opened wide by their stories.