Text message hypothesis

Another week in to Student Teaching and still I am learning SO much everyday. Kiddos are still wanting to test me every single day. I didn't know that teaching was going to be just telling kids how to behave or what they can and can not do. Here is a list of my most common quotes over the last few weeks:

• "sit still"
• "turn around"
• "no, you may not go to the bathroom"
• "do you need a pencil?"
• "where is your book?"
• "Please keep your hands to yourself"
• "where is your homework"
• "why is your agenda in your locker?"
• AND.. "No we are not going to have any fun today!"

However, I do have some bright parts to my day and still some quite funny stories. For example, I also grade papers. Yes bright part! Just kidding! No, but it can be funny to try to depict some of their writing due to spelling and capitalization errors. My favorite is when I tell kids they need to capitalize proper nouns such as America. Kids change: america to america. Well I think its humorous.

The next story I regret to tell you I didn't observe with my own eyes. However I am coaching volleyball and many of my girls are in my mother's science class. So this story is about on of my girls observed my my mother. One day my mom was doing a lab and was using scales. One of my volleyball girls places her cell phone on the scale to see how much it weighed. During the cell phone's stay on the scale the girl received a text message. She quickly said, "Oh I wonder if it weighs more with a new text message." Well it was a great hypothesis! I thought you technology gurus would like that story.

From Beiber fever to new friends

Its the start of the 5th week and I am finally starting to find my routine! Thank goodness! I cannot believe how fast the weeks seem to be flying by. I have been ready to quit several times and I have been so in love with teaching that I just can't wait to get there the next day. However, I have been learning sooo much in the last 2 weeks.

For example, I am figuring out that I actually have some classroom management! The kids are starting to stop testing me everyday in the classroom. Today I grumped at one of the students to stay on task. He quickly responded with, "Wow, I haven't seen you do that before. That was kinda scary." I responded with "Well, now we know its in their don't make me bring it out." So now the kids quickly called "it" the "Hulk". How how I love the comic book references. I also am starting to pick up on the little things the kids are trying to get away with in class, like texting, listening to ipods, or reading. Yes, they are trying to read and I have to tell them to put their book away. Shocking!

There has been several stories over the last few weeks that have made me laugh. Oh yes, share time! First has to be a volleyball story. It was the practice after our first game and I had gotten the team together to talk about the game. One of my questions was, "Is there anything that is going on with you that might affect the team?" One of the sweetest girls raised her hand and said "Yes, I would just like the team to know that I am coming into my feminine years." I'm not kidding you this is what she said. How am I supposed to respond to that? AND how am i supposed to respond to that without laughing. Anyway I would just like you all to know that we have now played two games, and have won them both very easily! These girls are really REALLY good! For 6th graders!

The next story has to do with music, or what some call music. We had the students fill out information about themselves. From questions like what makes you mad, how do you learn best, what is a memory from a subject, to what is your favorite music, movies etc. So this one girls paper that I was reading made me laugh and so I would like to share and answer of hers with you. To the question what is your favorite music she wrote the following bands: Slipknot, Metallic, Ozzy Osborn, Rage Against the Machine, 50 cent, Eminem, and...... Justin Bieber! Huh? It's like a game of which one of these doesn't belong. Oh but come on, Justin Beiber he is so good! It's Bieber Fever!

There are some other interesting kiddos in the class. They are now being able to vocalize their fears and freak outs with me AND its almost on a daily basis now. They are just so high maintenance. One of these high maintenance kiddos came scrambling up to me during class in a class 5 freak out. He quickly asked if he could go to the nurse because he was bleeding under his skin. When in reality it was just a marker. Now, before you say, oh Kendra he was just trying to get out of class, that is what I thought too! So I quickly sent him back to his desk and kinda chuckled at his failed attempt. However, either this kid is a very good actor and just went all in or he actually had a mental break down. He began to cry and legitimately freak out. So I had to go over and calm him down before the class was completely off task and therefore chaos. Oh wait too late! Finally, I convinced the kid that it was just marker and he could go wash his hands in the bathroom. He finally relaxed and did his work. Oh and your are correct he never went to the nurse. Just one of the many things I deal with.

Then there is one of my favorite students. I pretty much have a story a day about this kid. This kid really struggles with social cues and is highly analytical and must follow the rules to a T. To demonstrate this kids thinking I will share two of my favorite stories. First of all we have levels of talking from 0-4 in our class. 0 is no talking, 1 is whisper, 2, quiet voice, 3 presentation voice, 4 outside voice. We usually work in a 0 talking level. Therefore this kid was ripping up his journal and crumpling paper when I walked over to talk to him. I asked if I could help or whats wrong. He replied with, "I can't ask a question because we are at a 0 talking level or I would tell you that I 100% don't get this." I told him you can always ask a question if of course you raise your hand. Another moment with this kid happened today. We were playing this atlas game and before the game started I went over to help him with his warm-up for the day. In the midst of trying to calm him down and to get him pumped for the game this student replied with. "No offense but my biggest challenge today is going to be against myself" Amen kid, ME TOO!

Well, it finally happened! We all new it would! I mean really it was just a matter of time before.... I was asked if I was a new student! Yes, little me got mistaken as an 8th grader! I was observing an 8th grade class when one sweet little girl leaned over and asked if i needed help getting caught up to what was going on in the class, and even asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her friends. I honestly thought about taking her up on the offer. I made a new friend!

2 days of purple

I am so excitedly exhausted! I am now into the third week of student teaching which means I am still observing and slowly taking over 5th period. This past week the students and I have been building our relationships. I have been getting to know them and they have been getting to know me. Therefore they now have more confidence in asking me questions. Sometimes these questions can be really personal, but for the most part they are just hilarious.

Monday my cooperating teacher got sick so I had to take over the entire day of teaching! It was quite an experience and I fully enjoyed every moment. I think the adrenaline took over for the most part! My first hour was really quite so we started talking about the weekend and allowing them to ask me questions to get know me better. So one girl, who reminds me of Sarah Piersky, sheepishly raised her hand and asked, "Why did you want to be a teacher?" To which I replied cause I wanted to hang out with cool kids and help students learn there might be better ways to live. " Without missing a beat this young girl looked up at me with bewilderment in her eyes and said, "Ms. you know that you have to get up early to be a teacher? Why would you do that to yourself?" This is a great question.... AND my answer is..... I DON'T KNOW!!!

Not only do the students question my career choice but they question.... MY FASHION! Today one of the "popular" girls beckoned me over to her and her little groupies. She quickly asked me "Why did you wear purple two days in a row. I mean you look really good today but..." Heck whats wrong with purple? What did I take from this?....A 7th grade girl thinks that I look good! YES VICTORY IS MINE!

ensalada de papa

So I'm into my second week now and I am already starting to form connections with students. While making these connections I am gaining a lot of fun stories...

Story 1: The students are expected to come into the classroom and start journal questions that are on the board. Sound familiar? The question today was asking the student to predict if the Uni tied States population is the same or different than the world's population. This student replied there would be more Americans because Americans live in America. Just thought you should all know that!

Story 2: This particular student is trying to be "too cool for school!" I have become very fond of this kid however he is getting in trouble already in other classes due to outburst and bullying. Sad day :( So the other day this kid was bragging to the other kids about how much money he has and flashing lots of money to the other kids. Today he had folded up the money into rings which he wore on his fingers and proceeded to walk down the hall saying...."I got the bank on my fingers." Who is this kid? Aww but still love this kid!

Story 3: First period is slowly becoming one of my favorite classes, but my favorite part of the morning is what has become, Spanish word of the day. One of the students have decided that he wants to learn Spanish so we have been adding one word everyday which he then writes the word down. One of these words is"C" which is "Si". My favorite word however is "Ensalada de papa" which is potato salad. Yet for us we decided that this just sounds like a pimp name! Ensalada de papa!

More stories to come!

Everything has changed

I am now several days into the start of my student teaching semester, and already it is quite an experience. Everything is new! Everything has changed! It has been really hard for me to completely switch from my old life, which was only last week when I lived in Arvada. For the last few days I have spent most of my time missing all my friends and all the wonderful students in Arvada. Yet as much as I miss the students, I realized that I just can't wait to meet the new kids that will consume my life till December. I realized how much I miss having kids in my life when I started coaching volleyball on Monday.

I have been coaching volleyball for 3 days now, and I am already falling in love with these new little girls... and yes they are little!!!! I had one girl today all upset because she was worried about making the team. Oh how cute, she reminds so much of myself at that age. I reassured her that she is completely fine, but hope she continues to be a leader. I am really excited for these girls...p.s. I have two that can jump serve!!!! haha 6th graders who can jump serve! Oh the joy!

I also cannot wait till I actually have kids in the classroom. I am just really anxious and getting really tired of looking at old CSAP scores or sitting in meetings. I don't think I am alone. For example the Math teacher on my team in each of our meetings has either busted out a whoopie cushion, a tiger mask, or throwing a ball around. I think he will be a great influence on me... Oh and he also giggles with me when anyone says "Duty". My cooperating teacher is not impressed with bathroom humor. What am going to do?

The countdown is on to meet the new kids!