The Dream Team

New School Year. New Class. New Ideas. I don't usually like new things, but this year new is good. My class is so sweet and innocent and I love how my old students come and see me every single day.
I feel like a celebrity. My class this year is seriously THE DREAM TEAM. They are perfect in every single way. I am so excited for this school year and the memories that it will bring.

With the whole getting married thing, I haven't written for a long time. I had a whole blog post written out and right as I was about to press publish, my computer restarted. And for some reason it was all deleted except for the first paragraph. So... here it is from my memory, which is like a 90 year old woman's.

Nobody's Perfect
Whenever I think of this story, I always think of Hannah Montana and her song, "Nobody's Perfect". We are often singing that song in 2nd grade because I teach a bunch of perfectionists (I wonder where they get it from). There has to be some fabulous primary teachers in Spanish Fork because the kids at my school sure know their stuff. While one of my students was getting frustrated during writing one day, I heard this conversation:
Student 1: "Don't worry. Nobody's perfect. Except for Jesus."
Student 2: "Yeah, Jesus is awesome!"
Student 3: "If we try to be perfect, Jesus will come down to earth and visit us."
Student 1: "But if we aren't perfect, we will go to heck."
Student 2: "Guys, I don't think we should be talking about Jesus because we are at school, not church."

Yes, kids, Jesus is awesome.

Scooby-Doo
Last year, I had a lot of students who were obsessed with Scooby Doo. While my class was sitting on the rug one day, I noticed one of my Scooby fans staring intently at his neighbors face. After staring for what seemed like forever, the fan leaned over and whispered to his neighbor, "You have whiskers on your chin... just like Shaggy." I don't think that is what a 7 year old is wanted to hear.

Later that day, the same Scooby enthusiast came up to my table during Centers. He had a very concerned look on his face so I asked him what was wrong. He, nervously and obviously very upset, whimpered, "My eyebrows fell off." YOUR EYEBROWS FELL OFF??? How is that even possible (unless they are just giant, bushy caterpillars)? Your eyebrows don't just fall off! The only way this little boy would believe me was if I took a picture of him and showed him. He finally believed me and all was well... but MY EYEBROWS FELL OFF?

Sugaaa.... So Sweet!
All of my students know that the way to my heart is through my stomach. The teacher across the hall often brings me donuts, I always have a bag of Skittles or M&Ms in my desk, and I love a Jimmy Johns sandwich on a Wednesday (yes, they know my order and yes, we are always embarrassed when we go in there). My awesome principal has a basket full of fun-sized candy bars that she keeps in her office and sometimes after lunch we indulge and have one or two. As I was walking back to class from lunch, I had one of my students ask me, "Why do you get a candy bar?" Another student quickly piped up, "It's because she is really nice!" But another student rolled his eyes and said, rather matter-of-factly, "It's because she is way underpaid!" Yes, my friend. Utah teachers are underpaid, but I don't think that the government is trying to supplement our income by having our principals give us fun-sized candy bars. The chocolate does make me quite happy, though.

When I was in first grade, my teacher was teaching us about bar graphs. We had made a bunch of different bar graphs, but there is one that I still remember today. One morning, Mrs. Snyder passed out a gumball to each of us. We were going to make a bar graph graphing the colors of our chewed up bubble gum. It was the stickiest, grossest, most memorable lesson of first grade. So, I decided, "Why not?" And added it to my lessons plans for our graphing unit. My kids were so excited. They chewed up their gumball and stuck their slimy, slobbery, chewed up gum on a poster board (that I hung in the room for a couple weeks) and they LOVED it. But the best part of the whole activity was when my student came up to me and said, "Miss James, bubble gum just makes my heart flutter." Me too, honey. Me too.

Mawwage
Last year, I had a couple of students that I nicknamed my shadows. Whenever I was on recess duty or anywhere outside the classroom, they would follow right behind me. The whole recess. It was sometimes annoying, but I guess I was mostly flattered that they found me so interesting. These two boys were also OBSESSED with Kyle and the fact that we were "in love". One recess, I was checking the time on my phone. One of the boys asked me if I was texting Kyle. I reminded him that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to text him right then. He then said, "Well are you going to text Kyle and tell him that you love him?" The other boy, obviously the love doctor of the two, replied, "Of course not! Don't you think he already knows that?" I would hope so, after all, we were engaged. I just hope these boys are still able to read hints and understand love when they are teenagers.


Miss Frizzle
Finding the perfect outfit for school is probably way harder than teaching school. Just last week I wore the cutest, white shirt to school and I dropped my black expo marker right down the front of it. I have yet to find a remedy that removes expo marker. So, every day, I go through my schedule and brainstorm what bad thing could spill on the outfit today.... markers, paint, snot, ketchup, food coloring, glue... the possibilities in elementary school are endless. If I deem the day "safe", then I usually wear the new, cute outfit that I have been saving. If not, black pants and dark colored shirt it is. One day, while we were watching a Magic School Bus at the end of our Rock Unit, I had a student blurt out the question of the year.... WHERE DOES MISS FRIZZLE GET HER CLOTHES??? I'm wondering the same thing and I'm started to thing that I need to find items and accessories that align with what I'm teaching as well.

I think that this school year is going to be fabulous. I have the dream team, I know how to set up my classroom expectations, and I no longer feel like I am drowning every day (so far). So cheers (only if its Diet Coke, of course), to a new school year with lots of laughs, learning, and love.

Sick Days

I never understood why my teachers came to school sick until I became a sick teacher. It is probably the worst thing ever to go to school when you are sick... but I honestly think that writing up sub plans is the only thing that could top it. So here I am, sick as sick can be, and I went to school. And decided that this evening, I would watch a Christmas movie by the Christmas tree, drink Diet Coke, and write my blog post for the term (because I don't have enough time to write anymore).

THANK GOODNESS CHRISTMAS BREAK IS IN T-MINUS 8 SCHOOL DAYS. But before that, we have 5 singing practices, a gingerbread house making extravaganza, 2 school sing-a-longs,
1 class party, Grinch Day, a field trip to the care center, and a week's worth of lesson plans to get through.

The First Field Trip
Well... I survived my first field trip in October. It was pretty rockin' and I'm pretty sure I'm as old as the 2nd graders. We went for a hike on the Provo River Trail and fed the fish at Bridal Veil Falls. It was so fun to interact with my students in a place that wasn't my classroom (even though my pirate classroom is adorable). While feeding the fish, I handed each of my students a quarter to feed the fish. I told each student that the quarter was to feed the fish. One of my students turned and asked sincerely, "You mean you feed the fish the quarter?" I could not stop laughing and it is still a joke between us.

Mom in 2nd Grade
I probably have the best mom in the whole world. She is so supportive of my career and will do anything to help me succeed. I'm so grateful for her and everything she does. Right before Halloween, my mom brought the cutest vampire doughnuts to my class and watched the Halloween Parade. My kids had a million questions for her, but my favorite quote from her visit was, "Mrs. James looks like a grandma." My mom then explained that she couldn't be a grandma because I wasn't married and the kids began calling her Miss James' Mom. We love when Miss James' Mom comes to school.

'Murica
We have been learning about the different countries and continents. It is something that is really hard for the students to understand and I get a lot of funny comments and questions, most of which relate back to the United States of America in some way. My favorite quote was said by a student who is probably overly informed about politics and the government because his dad is in the army and he reads A LOT. After asking which continent we live in, he exclaimed, "We live in America... where our president hates us." Speechless.

Too Old for Their Own Good
I love when my students make comments that they have obviously heard from an adult somewhere because there is no way they came up with it on their own. One of the activities we were doing a couple weeks ago related to an activity we had done earlier in the year. My student immediately sighed and said, "This activity is just like one we had in the good old days." You are too young to have any "good old days". I mean yesterday you were like, born.

Dietary Talk
Kids these days are allergic to EVERYTHING! I have to always have back up treats for when a students brings in their awesome birthday treat and four of my kids can't eat it because it isn't gluten free, it may contain nuts, and it was made in the same country as dairy. While announcing the lunch menu one day, the kids began to cheer because it was Wednesday which means pizza. Suddenly, a student declared, "Well, Miss James, it is a really good thing I'm a pizzatarian."

Pizzatarian (n): someone who only eats pizza (thank you, 2nd grader, for finally creating a word that describes my dietary needs).

Sneaky
What animal do you think of when you hear the word "sneaky"? A black panther? A mouse? A spider? In the morning, I am often facing my computer when the first kids walk in the classroom. I was finishing up a last minute email, when I heard a couple of soft steps. I turned around and one of my students was standing right behind me. He was smiling, and stated proudly, "I was a sneaky little pony this morning, teacher!" I probably wouldn't define a pony as being sneaky, but if that is what he wants to be, that is fine by me!

The Aggies
I am the lone Aggie down in the BYU Cougar Territory. I live in Provo and wear my Aggie gear whenever I leave my apartment. I have my huge Aggie flag hanging in my classroom. I have a stuffed Big Blue that sits in my reading corner for every student to see when they go to choose a book. I wear my Aggie lanyard with pride. Every one in the school knows that I am an Aggie. So when I found out that one of my students had an uncle that played football for Utah State, I was ecstatic. I might even give him a treat whenever he wears his Game Day shirt. When he was sharing his autobiography with my class one day, he shared a picture of him and his friends at Merlin Olsen Field cheering on the Aggies. He described the picture by saying, "This is the Aggie stadium. We always pray for the Aggies." So do I, Son. So do I.

The Hair Dye
I colored my hair a couple of weeks ago and I knew I was about to get some gold when it came to comments from students. The very first question I was asked the next day was, "Did you paint your hair, Miss James?" She was very worried about what I had done and said her mom would NEVER let her do that. I received many compliments that day, including one that I think is my favorite of all time. When taking my kids out to recess, one girl said, "Miss James, why are you so skinny? Also, your hair looks really pretty outside. I think you should stay outside with us because it looks so pretty." I probably would've been convinced if it hadn't been 30 degrees in windy Spanish Fork.

Thanksgiving
The day before Thanksgiving is CHAOS. Everyone is excited to see their family and to be out of school. We were writing acrostic poems with the word Thanksgiving right before we left for break. My kids couldn't think of anything to write with the letters that they were thankful for. My example for them was that I was thankful for my "H"andsome boyfriend. As I was walking around, I noticed that multiple kids had written "H"andsome boyfriend for their letter H. I asked my student why he was thankful for his handsome boyfriend (just to be funny and to hopefully make him realize it didn't work) and he passionately blurted that he didn't have a handsome boyfriend, but that he was grateful for my handsome boyfriend. So funny.

Elf on the Shelf
The new trend in elementary schools are for classrooms is for each class to adopt an "elf" from the North Pole. I jumped on board and started it this week. After finding the elf the first day, one of my students said suspiciously, "This is kind of creepy... he look slike a doll, but he smells like the North Pole. I don't know what to think about him." How does he know what the North Pole smells like? I have no idea, but it is making him suspicious of my elf.

Its Hard to be a Kid
My students often think that they have the hardest life in the whole world (which can't be true because their teacher gives them treats ALL THE TIME). While doing their handwriting this morning, I heard my student mumbling, "Once upon a time, there was a kid that was really tired and had the worst life because he had to practice his U's. The end." Wow, honey, it is so hard to be a second grader. :)

The Crepery
We are currently having each of the second grade students give a presentation on a country of their choice. Today, a mom came in to help her daughter present France and she brought in her two younger daughters. While she was presenting (she was also making crepes for the kids to try), I was trying to entertain the daughters. They were a handful, to say the least. I didn't hear any of the presentation. While the mom was packing up to leave, I went and stood by one of my students and sighed a breath of relief. She then turned to me and said, matter-of-factly, "Just wait until you have your own kids, Miss James." I really hope I have enough practice that I can handle my own kids when that time comes. Good thing I have a couple years before that can happen.

If you made it this far, you must have the humor of a 2nd grade teacher. I'm so grateful, especially in this holiday season, for my job. It can be a comedy show, Walmart on Black Friday, or a classroom, all in one day, and I LOVE IT. I couldn't ask for a better career for me and I am so thankful for the things I learn about myself that I couldn't learn any other way.

The Young, The Bald, and The Religious

Wow. How has it already been a whole month of school?! Time is zipping on by and I feel like I have only known these crazy kids for a couple of days. I LOVE MY JOB. I love getting sweet emails from moms who's child is loving my class. I love having parents walk in and say they love my classroom. I love getting hugs from 20 students as they walk through the door to go home. I love when I ask my kids what they loved about the school day and they said they love how I taught them nouns, place value, or that they just love me. With all the love floating in the air, who couldn't love this job?

Over the past month, I've been writing down the funny things that have happened in my classroom. I've just been waiting for enough time to write my post :) After many people asking me to post some more highlights, I have decided to finally write it. So, here it goes!

Young:
My kids are young. I am young. We are just a young class trying to figure things out. Most of the time, I look like I am a deer in the headlights. But we all just act like we know what we are doing and we are doing alright. I think my favorite question I have been asked this past month is, "You are teaching second grade and you are how old??" or "This isn't like a real job, is it? It is just your student teaching?" I have been asked these questions by parents, PTA members, other students, my students, co-workers, neighbors, etc. etc. So yes. I am 21 years old and I have a full-time job working as a second grade teacher.

That wasn't very funny. So here is the good stuff.

Bald:
I have a Polynesian student who is probably the funniest child you have ever talked to. He has the best sense of humor and I love having conversations with him. One day, he came up to my desk and said, "Miss James, my grandpa is bald. (pausing for effect) But even though he's bald, I still love him." I tried so hard not to laugh at this as he left my desk, but I thought it was so funny. A week or so went by and when we came back to school the next Monday, the teacher across the hall from me had shaved his head. As the kids were coming back from recess, I heard my student telling the teacher about his bald grandpa and how he still loved him even though he didn't have any hair. We had a good laugh about his concern over the teacher who had shaved his head.
I met this student's parents that night at our school carnival and I realized why he was so worried about the lack of hair.... his dad had hair that was WAY longer and WAY thicker than mine. Hopefully my student would still love me if I were bald.

Big Ears:
Some of my favorite funny stories are of things I overheard while being in the midst of seven year olds. From, "It gave me the freaks!!" to "When Micah was my friend... (he isn't dead, he just isn't my friend anymore!)" to "Do you know what villagers do? They don't move their arms!" you never know what is going to come out of a students mouth.

Religious:
Teaching in a community that is prominently LDS is an interesting thing. It has its perks and it definitely gives me my fair share of laughs.

One day, I was at recess duty and we were admiring the awesome weather we were having as well as the leaves changing on the trees. There was a cloud that was covering the sun and light rays (I don't know what they are called) were shining through the cloud. One of the girls that was observing with me exclaimed, "Look! The angel rays are here!" The other one quickly yelled, "It must mean the second coming is here!" I think that being on the playground with my second graders would be an awesome way to experience the second coming.

Another time, when we transitioning from the rug to our desks, one of my students came up to me, looking very determined. "Miss James, do you know why Jesus is dead?" he asked. I was flabbergasted and caught off guard said, "No, why?" "Because he suffered for our sins." and just like that he went and sat down at his desk.  He was on a mission that morning to convert me, but what he doesn't know is that I'm already converted. It made me happy to know that he was learning some awesome stuff in primary class about missionary work.

This week we were learning about poems and we wrote a poem about things we love. We were brainstorming ideas of different things we loved when I called on a student. He said proudly, "I love my God." The class grew silent, but in my head, I agreed with him. I do love my God. And it is hard that we can't incorporate religion into the schools, but I think it is also a great part of this country. This country was founded on the love we had for God and how He blessed our nation. I am grateful that my school recites the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, and that it is in God that we trust. I love the little lessons my students teach me every day.

The Band:
I'm going to start a band with my students. We have had boys making farting noises, pencil tapping, paper ripping, singing, humming, and sneezing throughout this year. Oh, and I had a chubbier student who pulled his shirt up and was playing his tummy like the bongos. Our album is going to be called The Soundtrack to Our School Year. Look for it on shelves starting May of next year.

Breeding Dogs:
My puppy, Molly, is a reoccurring topic in my classroom. They love to see pictures of her and hear stories about her. Today, I was showing them a picture of me reading Molly a book, and one of my students raised her hand. The conversation went something like this, "Miss James, I was telling my mom about Molly. And she said that she would be good friends with our dog. And then we were talking, and we thought it would be fun if Molly and my dog made puppies! Would you want to do that?" "Sorry, we just made it so Molly can't have puppies." "Oh, that's too bad." Another student in my class shoots his hand up, "Miss James, you mean your puppy can't have puppies until she gets married, right?" "Yep, that is exactly right."

Guess Molly is going to be single forever, poor girl.

A Bug:
This morning, I was doing some work at my computer while the kids were coming in. I have way more boys than girls in my class, so I only had boys in my room. I looked down at a paper when I saw the BIGGEST, BLACKEST bug I have ever seen. I scream for a second and got the attention of the six boys in the classroom. They hurried over and saw the bug and began playing with it immediately. "Woah, this is the coolest bug I've ever seen!" "I think it might be a stink bug." "A stink bug on STEROIDS!" "No wonder Miss James was scared of it!" I told the boys that someone needed to kill it immediately who wasn't me, and almost instantly the boys started a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" competition to see who would kill the bug. Eventually the bug was killed and Miss James didn't die from the giant stink bug. I couldn't help laughing at my six heroes that came to save me.

The New Teacher on the Block

A lot has changed from my last post. I graduated from college, moved home with my parents, and started my career as a second grade teacher. Don't worry, I'm moving out soon! I am the youngest teacher at my school and one of four new teachers. But the hardest, most rewarding, most exhausting change has been the responsibility I have been given of educating 21 seven year olds. Who like to talk. A lot. Nonetheless, my second graders are the cutest things in the whole world and I am so glad that I chose this profession.

I'm sure that the funnies will continue to flood social media all year, after all it is only day four. I have already been called mom, grandma, Mrs. James, and all of the other names in the book. But that is expected. So here are some hilarious things that have happened in Miss James' Second Grade during the first week of school.

August Brings Funerals:
Today I asked one of my students what they did over the weekend. He responded very casually, "Oh, ya know. We just had a funeral for Summer on Saturday. We all wore black and we had a beautiful service. It was really sad, but I think we are all recovering well." Like, WHAT? Why did I never think of having a funeral for Summer? You can all be invited next August when I plan the coolest funeral Summer ever did have. Make sure to brings some funeral potatoes and jello.

Armpits and Other Body Parts: 
Another good one from today. We were practicing counting by two in math by counting body parts. We counted by tens using our toes. We counted by fives using our fingers. And then we counted by twos using our armpits. Yes, my students wanted to use their armpits to count by twos. The rule with counting armpits was they had to make sure they didn't smell. And then after we had played a couple of other skip counting games, one of my students raises his hand and announces to the class that we could also count by twos using our nipples. Because everyone has two nipples. I tried not to make a scene and quickly changed the subject, but I have been cracking up about it all night long.

What We Can't Recycle: 
Last Friday, we had an awesome discussion about recycling: what can be recycled, how we recycle, etc. While talking about what can be recycled, one of my students raises his hand and says, "We could recycle our teacher." I answered with a sharp, "What? You want to recycle me?" "No, no, no. We would only want to recycle our teacher if she was mean. Then we could get a nice, new one! But you are the nicest teacher I have ever had!" "Nice save." I never knew we could recycle our teachers or else there would've been a couple that I would've recycled.

The Rewards: 
And then there are moments like when I asked my students what their favorite part of the first week of school was and they respond with, "Finding out you were our teacher!" or "Meeting you for the first time!" or "Seeing our awesome classroom every day!" Sometimes they can be the sweetest!

These kids are definitely keeping me on my toes, but there is no where I would rather be. I love being the young, second grade teacher, even with all of the challenges being a teacher comes with. I am being stretched in ways I never knew possible and I couldn't be happier as a first year teacher. Happy First Weeks of School! I hope your's is as entertaining as mine will be! :)

Life in the 4th Grade....

So... It's been awhile.

I totally knew this would happen as soon as I decided to write out all the funny things that happen in the classroom so most of the hilarious things have been forgotten. But that's what happens when you are in your FINAL semester of college, student teaching and trying really hard to have a social life and eat a decent meal every day.

I am now student teaching in a 4th grade class. Let's be honest, the 4th graders just aren't as cute and funny as the 2nd graders. Which is probably why I haven't posted in awhile. They are just a bunch of ten year olds that like to be sassy and are way too cool for their teacher. Boy, am I glad that I don't work in the middle school.

Macho, Macho Man

The first writing prompt I witnessed in the 4th grade was about cutting the school music program. The students were first asked to choose a side, and because everyone loves music, everyone chose to support funding the music program.... except for two. Each of the students were to come up with three supporting ideas for their argument and we decided to have them share with the class. Here are some of their answers:

"I think that we should fund the music program and cut funding in other subjects like P.E. and football because those activities can injure you and can just cost more money. They are both really dangerous!" In reaction to this statement, a student who supported taking away funding said very matter-of-factly, "Well, if someone knocks you down and hurts you, you just got to get back up and walk it off." He wasn't happy that someone wanted to cut the athletic program. Every time I look at this student, I just want to sing, "Macho, Macho Maannn" because he is so rough and tough.

"The school music program should be cut because it is boring and makes people fall asleep."
**cue teachers dying of laughter in the back of the room.**

"The school music program should be saved because if it leaves, Mrs. ______ won't have a job. And that wouldn't be fair; she loves music!"

The Crickets and Seagulls- a history moment

Today I taught my first full lesson in the 4th grade class and I was a little intimidated by these thirty ten year olds judging my every move. I was teaching about Utah in the early 1800's and how it was isolated from everything else. I asked the students what they thought would happen if the early settlers of Utah had one of their crops fail and where they would get the food. One student went on to tell me:
"See, this did happen! The pioneers had some crops one year, and the crickets came and started eating them! And the Mormons didn't know what to do because it was their only food. So, they prayed and with their great faith, seagulls came and started eating crickets so their crops were saved. This was a huge blessing for the Mormons!"

I didn't know what to do.

Gangsta

The other day, a little boy didn't do his homework the night before so he needed to stay in at recess to do it. I said, "Yo Dude, you have to do your homework!" "I'm not a dude, dude." "Yo Homeskillet, you have to do your homework!" "What's a homeskillet?"

I guess I'm too gangster for the fourth grade.

Laugh Always,
McKell

How Can You Make the World a Better Place?

Happy Kids:
This week at school, the principal introduced the school wide challenge of "7 Habits of Happy Kids" along with our school service project, "Kindness Makes Cents". We will focus on a different habit every week. Our humanitarian project involves collecting clothes for a school/orphanage in Africa and earning pennies for doing kind things around the school. This weeks "Happy Habit" was being proactive and choosing to be happy.

For our writing journal on Tuesday, we asked our students how they could make the world a better place. As I was walking around observing, I couldn't help laughing to myself. These are only some of the funny things that second graders can do to change the world:

"I can spread light through the world and be a good example."
(Isn't that a scripture or something? She is definitely attending Sunday school.) 

"I can make the world a better place by smiling, even though I'm missing a few teeth." (More like all of your teeth, but that's okay.)

"I can make the world a better place by cuddling with my kitty, cuddling with my mom, and by eating lunch. Because you doesn't love lunch? Gobble gobble." (Eating does make the world a better place. And who doesn't love to cuddle?)
"I can make a difference in the world by being true. Honesty is the best policy." (How sweet is this?)

And we can't even let someone else on the road during a merge.

(I'm not bitter or anything.....)

Cheating Mistakes: 

This week I was retesting some students who missed the math test from the previous week during our prep hour. While we were testing, I noticed that one of my students, Joe, was whispering things to my other student, Aiden. I reminded them that it was a test and that they weren't allowed to talk, but stood near them for the next question. After reading the next question, Joe began whispering again, but this time I heard what he was mumbling... "Cuatro.... Cuatro...." 

"Joe.... I know that you are saying four in Spanish. And just so you know, I don't think that is the right answer."

"Miss James, you can speak Spanish???"
....I'm sure you can only imagine what happened after that.

The funny thing is, is that I am currently teaching in the French dual immersion class. If they had been telling the answers in French, I wouldn't have had any idea what they were saying. Hahaha oh second graders. It was hard to get mad at these boys. 

Cowboy Counterfeit: 

Here is an update on the "Miss James is a Cowgirl?!" phenomenon that I posted on FB. After the exciting outburst from the class that left them finding out that I did indeed own cowboy boots, a hat and took riding lessons for a couple years, we planned a cowboy day where the whole class planned on wearing their "cowboy" gear. And of course we planned it on the day with the first snow fall (bad idea). Thursday I showed up in my cowboy boots and blue jeans, along with 5 or 6 of my students. And then there were all the girls who showed up in their brown boots that they thought were totally on the cowgirl level. And then there were a couple of boys and girls who wore plaid shirts for their cowboy attire. But that's fine. I totally wish that I would've gotten a picture. And I only almost fell down in the snow like twice.

Dodging a Bullet... Or a Pencil: 
This week I also got to be one of the students. My cooperating teacher was teaching a lesson that required a lot of partner talk and one of our students didn't have a partner. I got to sit in a tiny desk, with a tiny chair and talk with cute Chloe about the book we were reading. While Chloe and I were in deep conversation, my cooperating teacher asked a question and Tara's hand shot up, her pencil going flying. Luckily, tennis reflexes are still somewhat present and I was able to deflect the pencil away from my face. I calmly started using the pencil to minimize the shock and distraction of the class, Tara covered her mouth, and the entire class started whispering, "Why did Miss James throw her pencil in the air? Doesn't she know that is against the rules?" Basically, I'm lucky that I still have both of my eye balls and that I survived a day as a seven year old. Of course, I was the best partner Chloe had ever had and she asked if I could be her partner again the next day. It's probably because I knew all of the answers.

Sprightly Second Graders:

And finally, the funnest thing that happened all week. Every single day, Tyson (a very smart, cute second grader that I would totally want my daughter to date if I had a daughter his age) asked me for sugar/sour sweet-tarts. Every single day. I think that he just enjoyed my reaction and my immediate no that followed his bright eyed question, but he thought it was so funny. He would always put on this puppy dog face and say, "Please Miss James! I promise I won't bounce off the walls this time..." Yeah, whatever. But I guess I didn't learn my lesson on Halloween. When I finally agreed to his acquisition today, he was so surprised that he forgot to take his sweet-tarts and I immediately became his favorite teacher ever. Or so he says. Oh the immediate happiness that comes from two sweet-tarts.

I know that I have missed countless stories about inappropriate words shouted in class (in second grade, I know), face palms to the forehead (what were they thinking?) and waterfalls of tears (how mean can second grade girls be?), but those stories happen almost every day. I must say, my day job is way more entertaining than yours. :)

The life of a teacher. And to think that I am only getting started.......

The Little Things

I have been contemplating writing a blog for awhile to share the funny goodness that happens in the elementary, but I was worried that I wasn't the blogging "type". After thinking about it, I realized that it was worth writing all the funny things down to brighten my spirits when I have a rough day in the classroom. So here it goes.

Kids. You love them, you hate them, and all they do is make messes. I spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week with 28 of them. And that's not counting lesson planning, grading, and the students' extracurricular activities that you are always invited to. I grade their papers, admire their artwork, and hopefully build their self confidence. I read to them, I teach them, and play football with them during recess. I am an example to them, I talk with them, and I love them. Why do I do it? For moments like these:

1. My sweet student complimented me on my hair, shoes, eyes, jacket, shirt and pretty much everything else I was wearing or doing on Thursday. She also said that I was the best teacher that is a student that she has ever had. My feel goods were definitely on a high. At least a second grader thinks I'm fashionable and a good teacher.

2.

My student wrote about How to be a Math Genius for the writing lesson I taught last week. Who, other than a second grader, would want to teach someone how to be a math genius? I wish that I would've read her book when I was like, in 7th grade. It would've helped a lot. I also love her second grade pictures.

3. One of my students has been obsessed with Men in Black ever since Halloween. He is always wearing black or wearing ties to school. His new obsession is hilarious and I try not to laugh when he comes in with a black tie on over his white tshirt. He also calls me Mrs. James which makes me laugh every time. I should be used to it, but I'm not.

4.

Love this for so many reasons. First, she told me that this wasn't a reflection of my teaching and that she just thought it would be funny. So I guess that's good. I also love her perception of bad teaching. And her pictures. They are great.

5. On Friday, a student asked me why I hadn't read Diary of a Whimpy Kid. Because obviously that is the most important book in elementary school. So... I guess I'll get on that.

Hope this brightened your day. I'm sure there will be many more to come from these exhilarating second graders.

Laughs Always,
McKell