School is officially in. We started last Thursday and I am back to teaching 2nd grade. My first day back went pretty well. Nobody all out cried, although I had two 'friends' who had really glossy looking eyes but we were able to nip that in the bud. I also realized really quickly that the way you talk to second graders is much different than third. For example in third you might say "Alright students, I would like you to take out your math books." In second it is "Do any of my friends need to use the restroom? There is still a long time until lunch and it might be hard to hold it."
Heres the deal. I sit in a class with 23 blossoming young minds and it is great. Seven year olds are quite anxious, their ability to sense and deliver sarcasm is reaching a critical point, and they struggle with logic resulting in a vast amount of non sequitur arguments. Plus they are really stinkin' cute. This combination leads itself to some of the best stories imaginable. I have already heard my share of sassy remarks and had to stifle a classroom of laughter that erupts when a kid farts during the middle of read-aloud and contain my own giggles when a girl fell out of her chair because she was leaning to far back in it during math. (In my defense, I had warned her.) The following are a few entertaining things that have been said.**The first two require a preface. On Saturday I went shooting with a couple of friends. While taking aim at a clay pigeon I didn't quite get the shotgun mounted on shoulder blade. As a result there was a little bit of a recoil that landed on my upper inner bicep. This quickly manifested in a giant bruise. It is August in Arizona and I really haven't been in the mood to wear a sweater and cover it up.
1. During a read-aloud on Monday the students are sitting on the floor around me. It is an hour and a half into the morning and we are about 5 pages into the book. Students will sometimes raise their hand and make a comment about the story. Some still don't have the raising the hand thing down. I am reading one of the pages when 'Mickey' shouts out "What did you do to your arm?!" I calmly responded that I was wondering when someone was going to ask because it is kind of big and purple. Then the kid directly in front of me responds so cleverly "I really wanted to know too, but I thought it would be rude." After that it was just a matter of explaining how I got it without directly saying, I like to go shoot things with big guns for fun on the weekends.
| What I think of every time I hear armpit hair. |
3. I overheard 'Mickey' tell his table that he definitely got the answer to the math problem right because he is wearing glasses.
4. While we are getting ready for lunch and putting away our homework I hear a small voice going "Bee-do Bee-do Bee-do". Since I associate that sound from voice mails from Alison and James and search it out. I find the girl doing it and ask why she is making fire-alarm minion sounds. Happy that I recognize what she is doing she gets louder. At which point other friends hear, remark how they love that movie and join her in the "Bee-do-ing" Now I have 13 or so students in unison singing their Bee-dos and no fire house to spray them with to make them stop. I quietly relish in the hilarity because that was one of the best parts of the movie and then decide to stop it because I have some responsibility to maintain control, respect, and authority.
More to come. This year is gonna be good. Real good.
