Prom

I chaperoned Prom on Saturday. It was so fun! I love people watching and this was prime for people watching. It also brought back memories of my Proms. In a nutshell, my proms went a little something like this...

Junior Year: I got asked to my school's Prom by someone from a different school and thought he was kidding. That was an awkward phone call later that night. The night of Prom I got locked in the car.

Senior Year: I went to Prom with a blind date.

A moment that made me smile: Friday was A Day Without Hate (you can read more about it here.) My fifth period class has some issues between several of the girls. They do not get along. This was the class that almost got into a fight over a game when my supervisor was visiting. One group of girls started singing "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole. It didn't take long before the other group of girls joined in until the entire class was singing.

After today, seniors have 9 days left and they are so checked out.

Student: "I feel so bad for you these next two weeks. We just don't want to do anything, but its nothing against you."

Survivor Mode

Most of the week I feel like I've been in "survivor mode". Barely a step ahead of my students, just trying to keep my head above water. Not taking macroeconomics in college is kicking my butt at the moment.

They warn you that student teaching will be hard, but you don't quite realize exactly how hard it is until you're actually doing it (that's what she said). There's ups and downs along the way, just like the business cycle (had to throw in some econ terms). I've hit my trough but I'm in expansion heading towards my next peak. Now I feel like a major dork for that analogy.

Today I learned that there is a Spongebob Pandora station...and that my second hour (which is seniors) knows about 98% of the songs.

The bribery didn't work. For the most part, the visit from my supervisor went well until the end of the bell game. There is some tension between some students and the game put them over the edge. I thought they were going to fight each other. Needless to say, I've had many chats since then.

I started writing this blog for a few reasons: 1. to share the student teaching experience 2. a type of journal to remember my experience 3. I don't have much of a life. What I didn't expect was to have readers from Malaysia, Singapore, and the Netherlands! Hello new friends!

Play-Doh Kind of Day

We had our final economics lab today, which involved Play-Doh! The seniors loved it and I did too...playing with Play-Doh for three hours? Yes please! But my OCD tendencies kicked in. Fourth period knows about some of the things I'm OCD about. Another one came out today...

Me: "One rule with the Play-Doh; do not mix the colors!"

Student: "Is that a rule for the lab or is that because of your OCD?"

Me: "Both."

I only had one student eat the Play-Doh, which was followed by a lot of spitting into the trash can.

Important People to Know and Be Nice To:

1. The computer/tech man

2. People of the TRC (teacher resource center...the place where you get all your copies and other supplies)

TRC Lady: "It's Cha Chi! I heard the kids call you that. How fun! Is it ok if I call you that?"

I fought with the SmartBoard again today. In my defense, I think it's broken or possessed. I won't even be touching the board and it will start doing random things like typing 's' all over or drawing green lines. It makes me crazy!

Student: "I don't think I've ever had a teacher struggle with the SmartBoard as much as you have."

Yesterday we played a game in government which involved running up to the front of the room to hit the bell if you had the answer. At one point there was quite the collision. One student's foot hit the table. It didn't seem that bad but then in class today she showed me her foot and there was a huge bump and bruise. Oops!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Last week in Econ we played Pit. If you've never played before, you are missing out. There are cards with different commodities like corn, barely, oats, etc. The goal is to get all the same cards by trading. Players blindly trade (keeping their cards face down) by calling out the number of cards they want to trade with someone else. Cards to avoid: the bear and the bull. Once a player gets 9 of a kind, they ring the bell and the game ends. It is so fun! Lots of yelling and shouting and the best part is dinging the bell! One group asked me to play with them. I was hesitant because I get competitive but they insisted.

Side note: Sometimes my competitiveness gets the best of me. For example, over the summer at camp we had scooter races and I did everything I could to win against the 6 year olds. I think I have a problem.

Anyways, we started playing and I think I was the loudest one. Round after round, I kept losing and I was not happy.

Student: "Miss C, we've never seen this side of you before!"

Student: "It's ok, its just a game."

Me: "My supervisor is coming tomorrow so please be good."

Students: "We should be really bad so that way you can show him that you can control us!"
Me: "Um no."
Students: "Nope, its decided. That's what we're going to do."
Me: "If you guys are good I'll bring you a treat on Thursday."

Tomorrow we'll see if the bribery worked.

One of my senior classes tried to play a trick on me today. While they were doing trivia, I went to the office next door to the room to pick up something I sent to the printer. On the way back, I saw the whole class in the stairwell.

Me: "What are you guys doing?!"

Students: "Aw man! We thought you were coming from the other direction and then you wouldn't have seen us!"
Students: "How did you even know we were here?!"
Me: "Because I know all! And you guys weren't every sneaky...I walk right pass the stairwell to get back to the room."

Student: "Can we play kickball today?"

Me: "No."

Student: "Pleeease?! I've wanted to play kickball in class since freshmen year but its never happened!"

Did You Lose Your Group?

Where to begin describing today? Today some of my freshmen students participated in Youth Summit. It's a program that brings high school students from around the state to debate current issues and develop their own policy on that topic. The whole thing took place at the Brown Palace...very fancy!

Some important information:

-I have a history of being bad with directions.

-My GPS is named Sheila. We fight a lot. Sometimes I yell at her or hit her. And when I'm really mad at her, I make her recalculate on purpose.

When the day started, I was nervous. I had to drive some students and I wasn't sure if we were all ready to experience my direction-challenged-Sheila fighting-self.

And so the adventure began. My cooperating teacher, we'll call CT (not to be confused with camel toe), also drove some students. CT decided to follow me. Talk about pressure! The beginning of the drive was smooth. Then we had to exit and I put a student in charge of being the navigator/reading the directions.

Me: "Where are we supposed to exit?"

Student: staring at the directions, "I don't even know what street we're on right now."

We would have gotten there problem free, but the directions I printed were to the Brown Palace, not to the designated parking areas. We only had to take one small detour...what a success! I didn't even fight with or yell at Sheila.

Once we got there, my students begged me to sign-in as 'Cha Chi'. I didn't cave on that one. But they did call me that throughout the day and I got some weird looks.

Lady: "Do you need help finding your table?"

Me: "Oh no, I'm ok thanks."

Lady: "Well what red number do you have on your name tag?"
Me: "I don't have one."

Lady: "Are you supposed to be a group facilitator?"

Me: "No, I'm a chaperone."

Lady: "I think you mean facilitator."

Me: "Actually I'm a student teacher."

Lady: "Ohhh."

Later in the day...

Another lady: "Did you lose your group?"

During the break...

Student: "One girl in my group is driving me crazy! All she wants to do is talk about feelings. I hate talking about feelings!"

Me: "And how does that make you feel?"

My students did great today! I'm so proud of them!

Just Another Normal Day...

I got asked to prom today, which then turned into a conversation about my love life...or lack thereof.

Student: "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Me: "Nope."
Student: "What about a maybe boyfriend?"

Me: "I don't have one of those either."
Student: "You need to get on that! You're going to be a teacher so you need to find yourself a sugar daddy. Don't worry, we'll work on it and figure something out!"

A student comes back from the bathroom today...

Student: "I'm really freakin out right now!"

Me: "What happened?"
Student: "I accidentally gauged my ear!"

Me: "How does that even happen?!"

Student: "I don't know, but it did!"

Me: "Here's a picture of Biden and his freakishly white teeth. He kinda looks like a less orange version of Bob Barker."

Student: "Bob's the man! Plinko!!"

My students are so smart :)

My government kids got their tests back today.

Student: "Cha Chi, do you want my test back so you can hang it on your fridge?"

My cooperating teacher and I will be gone tomorrow for a field trip with some of our freshmen. 4th period's biggest concern was whether or not they could still have Firework Friday. In the end, I added Firework Friday to the sub plans.

In econ, students read articles and then created supply and demand graphs based on the article. One student decided to read the article out loud in various accents. I think the entire class was in tears from laughter. So fun.

Golden Nugget: Abe Lincoln was a bit of a freak! When he first met his wife at a party, his line was "I want to dance with you in the worst way".

Cha Chi

1. The down side of knowing older siblings of your students: your students find out things about you. One of my students found out that when I was in high school some people called me "Cha", "Cha Cha", or "Cha Chi". Now my entire 5th period class only calls me "Cha Chi".


2. While we're on the topic of names, 0ne of my senior students and I share the same last name. Student: "So are you like his mom or something?"


3. Smart Board-1, Me-0 The Smart Board and I did not get along today. At one point I might have yelled "Darn you Smart Board!". Hopefully when my supervisor comes tomorrow the Smart Board and I can get along.


4. Things you don't learn in teacher school: how to outsmart the Smart Board.


5. In econ, we went over supply and demand graphing. When graphing supply and demand 'up' and 'down' do not exist, its only 'right' and 'left'. Once you get the hang of it, the whole graphing thing is pretty easy. Unless you're like me and still mix up your right and left. I don't know what my deal is. Even if I hold up my thumb and pointer finger to make an 'L', I still confuse myself. Let's just say this 'issue' led to several embarrassing moments in class today. Don't worry, my students were laughing with me not at me.


6. Now that my total student count (7th, freshmen, and seniors) has reached about 260, I really can't go in public anymore. They are everywhere!

Sorry about the numbering...it kept clumping it all into one big paragraph unless I numbered it.

Watch Out Steve Urkel

I think I took my nerdiness to a whole new level. In economics, we are starting supply and demand graphs tomorrow. Not only can it be a little boring (even though the nerd in me thinks it's kinda cool), but it can also be confusing. To make it a bit more fun and a little easier to understand, I re-wrote the chorus of the Cupid Shuffle to help my students out. I call it the Econ Shuffle and it goes a little something like this... To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left Now shift, now shift, now shift, now shift Increase shifts to the right, decrease shifts to the left There is even a dance that goes with it. Supply and demand dance party in class tomorrow? I think yes!

I Love Abe

I hate it when the Smart Board outsmarts me. You know it was a solid day when discussion ends with Abe Lincoln in a Speedo. Student: "FDR. Who is that? (very confused look, then short pause)...Franklin Delano Roosevelt!" A bit of a split personality moment. Students had to answer some questions about being a president. One question was "What should the President look like?". Some favorite responses: -sexy -slightly balding -must wear a monocle -muscular but not in a gross way Student: "Why have we never had an attractive president?" Me: "How are your pants even staying up right now?" Student: "I just have a really nice butt."

Back In Action

Farewell Spring Break, you will be missed. The worst part of my day: waking up and figuring out what to wear. Yes, this is real life. This task is especially difficult for someone (like me) that already lacks dress-yourself-skills. If only I could throw on some sweatpants and a Bob Marley shirt and call it good. I've been at the high school for a week now. There have definitely been some adjustments. 1. Probably the hardest one is getting used to eating lunch at 1 instead of 11. What can I say? I like my food. 2. Being at school at 6:50 is way earlier than 7:50. An hour makes a huge difference. 3. Everyone is so tall. Here are some highlights: Student A: "I'm going down for the honor roll brunch." Student B: "How do you even get on the honor roll?" Second semester senior year...it might be a little late to figure out how to get on the honor roll. Firework Fridays. Every Friday during 4th period, a senior class, a couple of students started a tradition called Firework Fridays. Basically, at the end of class they throw a bunch of scraps of paper in the air and yell "Friday!". Its pretty entertaining and even better, they always clean up their mess. It makes them so happy! They have a Word of the Week and whichever team can properly use that word in a sentence gets points. This week's word: embezzle. The winning sentence: "I'm going to embezzle you to Mexico." I'll work on remembering good stories...that was all my little brain could handle for tonight.

First Day of School...Take 2

Today was the epitome of 'the other side'. I started my high school placement. But not just at any high school, the high school I graduated from. All day I couldn't help but think about the person I was the last time I walked these halls. Up until today, I didn't realize how much I changed and grew (not height wise unfortunately) the past 4 years.

Embarrassing Moment of the Day: getting my picture taken for my staff id. It's the picture that everyone dreads...the one where your eyes aren't quite open and you look like a cartoon character that just got hit on the head with a frying pan. I wish I would have known it was a one shot thing. I guess I'll just pretend I made that face on purpose...

Note to self: Don't make an assignment due on your last day of your first student teaching placement. You get yourself stuck grading that assignment on top of all the new planning and grading at your new placement. But on the bright side, returning the assignments is an excuse to go back and visit.

I must say, I sure lucked out and got some amazing placements for student teaching.

Every End Is A New Beginning

Today was my last day at the middle school. It was very bittersweet. On one hand I'm excited to go to the high school and start a new adventure, but on the other hand I'm really going to miss my 7th graders. It's amazing how fast you can get attached. I was only there for half a semester, but in that short time I really got to know these kids. They will always be "my first class".

My students are so thoughtful. I got so many wonderful cards, letters, and gifts today. I felt so special!
Some lovely notes from my students:
-"You're cool. Stay cool. Don't be a loser."
-"Don't get beat up or I will find you."
-"1, 4, 3 I la la la love you"
-"I will miss bothering you."
-"You don't look like you're 21. You look like you're 19 or 20."
-"Don't leave. There is going to be an awkward weirdness in social studies now."

A letter worth sharing:
"Dear Miss C,
I am going to miss you sooooo much! I do not want you to leave because then I will be very sad, and you do not want me to be sad, now do you?? Please find a job at _____. That would be WONDERFUL! You made this year so much more fun. I think you are going to live a great life because you are an awesome teacher. I wish that you can stay forever, but you can't...cry, cry :'( I hope to see you around, especially at a movie theater where I can scream "HI MISS C!" I think that would be really funny. I know I am not supposed to talk to you in public...wink, wink...but I still will, and I will scream your name super duper loud...wait is duper a word? You're the teacher, you should know! :) If you ever dream about cows making leather or if you ever see cows making leather, please tell me! I will be super happy if you do ever see cows making leather.* Also, if you ever see an octomom, tell me that too. Have fun teaching all those other kids, but always remember that we were your favorite group of kids! Good luck! I will miss you!
P.S I drew you a picture on the back"
The picture was me on a unicorn.
*See 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' post and this will make more sense.

Student: "I just learned what a kimono is! Basically its the original Snuggie."

Top 10 Reasons I Love My 7th Graders:
10. They tell it how it is.
9. Even when they really piss you off, they always find a way to make you laugh again.
8. They are kind and thoughtful.
7. If you push them, they are very insightful.
6. Prime time for awkwardness.
5. At the end of the day, they make it all worth it.
4. They laugh at my lame jokes.
3. They understand sarcasm and can give it right back.
2. They are genuinely enthusiastic.
1. They aren't afraid to pick their nose in class.

Overall, I absolutely loved working in a middle school. It's funny how your mind can change. Before I started student teaching, I was certain that I wanted to teach high school and was not looking forward to my middle school placement. 10 weeks later and I've fallen in love with teaching middle school. If I find a job as a middle school teacher, I would be thrilled!

Next week brings a lot of new. A new school, new students, and new adventures. I'm excited!

Can I Have Your Number? Can I have It?

Great MadTV skit, not as great in real life...more specifically, in real life while student teaching at a middle school. Tomorrow is my last day there and my cooperating teacher is going to bring in a poster for the students to sign.
Student: "Can I sign my name and put my number on it? And then you can call me?"
Me: "Umm definitely no."
Student: "I can't even write it?!"
Me: "I guess you can, but don't ever expect a call from me."
Later on with someone else...
Student: "It just feels like we've all become best friends! Can I have your number so I can text you?"
Me: "Not gonna happen."

My last class of the day was wired. They couldn't stop talking and kept getting off task. I had a little chat with them, but about 5 minutes later they were back to the same disruptive, annoying behavior. They pushed me past my patience. I stopped the lesson and had all of them write a paragraph about their behavior in class and how they are going to improve it for tomorrow. Some great responses I got...
-"I was a good little girl. I listened carefully and did not speak unless asked to. I may have dozed off a little but I did it quietly."
-"My behavior in class was ok. I was talking a little bit. Not as much as the naughty class though. Tomorrow I will just THINK about James Franco instead of talking about him."
-"I laughed during class because a piece of my pencil flew when it fell on the desk. Next time I will leave my pencil on the desk."
-"My behavior in class was good. I never talked much. I participated in class with my mind."
After reading their responses, I guess I'm a little less mad.

Tomorrow is my last day with these kiddos. I will definitely miss them!

Student: "Miss C, you were in my dream last night!"
Me: "That's creepy. Don't tell me things like that."
Student: "No, it was so cool! You were a Power Ranger and you did ninja rolls. Then you shot me."

Spelling is a huge issue. I don't know if they aren't teaching it as much in elementary school or if technology is keeping kids from learning how to properly spell or if its a combination or maybe its something completely different. No matter the cause, these kids need some Spelling 101. However, it does provide for some entertainment. Here are my top 2 favorite spelling mistakes:
-the student meant to write "general public" but instead wrote "general pubic".
-when writing about Biggie Smalls, a student meant to write "I wish you still rapped" but instead wrote "I wish you still raped".

Confession: One of my favorite parts of the day is catching students passing notes. It makes me feel kind of bad ass...which makes me sound like a lame ass.

Student: "I had to go to a 2-year old's birthday party this weekend. I really didn't want to go but the only reason I went was because I knew there would be cake there."
Sometimes my students just make me so proud!

Note to self: Don't live and work in the same neighborhood as the school you teach at. Your students will stalk you at work and in public.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Quote of the Day:
Student A: "America is always poking its nose everyone else's business."
Student B: "Like Khloe Kardashian!"
I'm always encouraging my students to make connections and sometimes you never know what they will come up with.

Sometimes my brain gets ahead of my mouth. This usually leads to me saying something really dumb or mixing up words. Today was one of those days. Here is a little collection of some of my most recent shining moments:
-I tried to say "people and food" but it came out "pooed"...let me tell you, 7th graders don't let you forget that one.
-I meant to say "Leather comes from cows" but instead I said "Cows make leather". Once I realized what I said, my filter turned off and I blurted out "All I can picture is a bunch of cows making leather!". My students gave me crap for that one too.

Student: "Do you like white chocolate?"
Me: "Nope."
Student: "But your teeth are really white."

A Penny For Your Thoughts

If only making money was that simple. Today after school was a meeting about the district budget cuts for the next few years. Not the happiest note to end the week on. Unfortunately at this point, things have to get worse before they can get better. These next few years will be tough but hopefully things come out better on the other side.

The hardest part is staying positive. I'll admit, I haven't done a very good job of this. It's hard knowing that in this district alone (which is the district that got hit the least) is making $40 million in cuts, which includes cutting 212 jobs. And that's just for the 2011-2012 school year. The amount of cuts in 2012-2013 will be about $45 million. The time this cuts go into effect is the same time that I will be looking for a job...no bueno.

State wide, there are $375 million in cuts. Funding per pupil got cut $500/pupil...we're already ranked 49th out of 50 for funding per pupil. In this district, graduation requirements are being lowered, foreign language is not longer required, all employees are taking a 3% pay decrease, there are an additional 6 furlough days, the Outdoor Lab program is being suspended...just to name a few of the things being cut.

At the end of the day, how can we afford to make cuts in education?

They're Everywhere

After school I went on a run to unwind from the day. Side note: when I run I sweat like a man. Along the way, I saw two students. I was trapped...there was no way to avoid running past them. Seeing students outside of class is already weird enough, add in looking like a hot mess and it's not a good situation for anyone involved. In my mind I had super human speed, which allowed me to run past without them seeing me. In real life, they saw me. They thought it would be funny to run behind me. They didn't make it very far before they yelled "You're too fast!". That secretly made me feel good about life because I'm not fast at all. Just when I thought the nightmare of seeing students in public was over, another one popped up. I was running along when I saw a group of kids sitting around in the grass. Inside I was desperately hoping that it wasn't more students. All that hoping didn't work. I heard a kid yell "Hey you're hot!". Then another kid yelled "Oh shit, that's my teacher!". I think tomorrow I'll unwind with a glass of wine instead.

Give Me 2 Pair, I Need 2 Pair

I was listening to Air Force Ones by Nelly, which surprisingly inspired a mini-unit. We are doing a unit on globalization and what better example than a sneaker? It's amazing how many countries are involved in making one sneaker. Just the design takes place in three different countries...holy moly! And that doesn't even include the countries involved with locating materials, assembly, distribution, etc. Let's just say, it blew my mind. Your favorite pair of shoes has probably been in more countries than you.

Things you don't learn at teacher school: how to master "the look". That look that says "You better change your behavior real quick or things will get ugly". It took a little bit, but I finally have it mastered. It's amazing what one little look can do.

Student A : "Is it true you have to pay to be here?"
Me: "Yep."
Student B: "Wait, what?! Just for that I'm going to buy you Texas Roadhouse!"

The past two weeks have been the standardized state testing. Proctoring the test is not as fun as it sounds. Basically, you have to walk around the room for 60 minutes and watch the students take the test...you can't read or have any type of electronic in the room. It's so painful. I want to stab my eyes out with the wooden, graphite-based, No. 2 pencils (yes, the proctor's manual describes the pencils that way). Then I caught myself thinking about how I would much rather take the test than proctor it. As a student, I would have loved to proctor if it meant getting out of taking the test. Yep, I'm officially on 'the other side'.

A moment I was left speechless...
Student: "When I talk I don't sound as smart because I always say 'like' but when I write I sound like really smart. So today on the test, for the writing part, I wrote it out and then I re-read it and I was like 'Oh my gosh who wrote this?! It's so good!' Then I was like 'Oh yeah, it was me! Wow, I'm good.".

Student: "I cried today after the test."
Me: "Oh my gosh, is everything ok?!"
Student: "Yeah I don't really know why I was crying. The worst part was I was so worried that my tears would get on the test and then my test would be invalid."
Poor kid.

Student: "Can I go to the bathroom? It's an emergency. And I have a really bad headache and I'm not sure if its from having to go so bad."

Student A: "If you were a character on Glee you would be Rachel."
Me: "Isn't she a little crazy?"
Student A: "Yeah, but you're a little crazy too."
Student B: "At least she didn't say you are Santana, she's a freak!"

TGIF

It was one of those weeks. The one where time stands still and Friday seems like it will never come. The kind of week that takes every ounce of your energy to get through one lesson, but then remembering you still have to do it 4 more times. The kind of week that you just want to put in a movie and call it a day. Luckily, we made it to Friday! And even during 'that kind of week', my students always have some comment to make it all worth it.

Student: "I have a comment but first I have a question."
Me: "What's your question?"
Student: "Is everything on The Office real?"

Student: "If I see you at the grocery store I'll say hi to you."
Me: "I can't talk to students in public."

Me: "Before we get started, I have an important announcement."
Student: "Oh my gosh, you're finally getting married?!"


Student: "After you graduate, can you come back and visit us wearing your cap and gown?"


I got shampoo or soap or something in my eye this morning. My eye kept burning so I figured wearing my glasses for the day was a good life choice.
Student: "You have glasses now?"
Me: "No, I just normally wear contacts."
Student: "Me too. Do you like them hard or soft?"
There's no good way to answer that...and answering with a straight face is near impossible.

Student A: "Will you like us better than your high school students?"
Me: "Well I haven't taught them yet but I'm sure I'll like you both equally."
Student B (to student a): "Oh come on! Of course she'll like them better. I mean come on, were in middle school, we probably drive her crazy!"


Me: "I have a confession. Over the weekend, I think I caught the Bieber Fever."
Student: "Nooooo! I always thought you were cool but now you throw that curve ball at us?!"


I have a new YouTube obsession. A history teacher makes music videos about events in history set to common songs. This one is probably one of my favorites but they're all so good! Check them out!
French Revolution...Lady Gaga style

I made my students watch the China dynasty one set to Madonna's song Vogue. They pretended they didn't like it, but today's music trivia song was Vogue and they started singing the China dynasty version!

Cry Me a River

I almost made some students cry today. I didn't mean to, it just happened. We are talking about communism and in order to simulate a communist society, I made the following announcement:
"From now on, all grades will be the class average, meaning everyone will receive the same grade. This includes in-class assignments, homework, quizzes, and tests."
Of course, I wasn't really serious, I was just making them think that in order to make a point. Some of them freaked out. The good news is they got the point I intended.

Student: "I really really need to tell you something."
Me: "Ok what is it?"
Student: "Thank you for wearing a different outfit everyday. I would really hate to have to look at the same clothes everyday."
Just doing my part to make my students' lives better.

A student drew me a picture of a dragon/Pokemon thing...I'm not 100% sure what it is. The student chased me down after school to give me the drawing but then didn't say a word, handed it to me really fast, then ran off. Oh how I love awkward middle schoolers.

Today's music trivia was Mambo #5.
Me: "Our music trivia song for today takes us back to my childhood."
Student: "Oh great, an old people song."

Today was the start of our state standardized testing. 1 day down, 5 to go...