Day One Hundred Fifty-eight: Flip flops

My worst classes are now my best.  My best class is now my worst.  I think it's due to testing last week and having some students not be able to come to my class for four days.

Today I had to break a promise to my students.  We were supposed to throw darts at paint filled balloons in my first two classes since they'd been asked to help tomorrow with the Special Olympics.  After work, I realized my car key had disappeared.  Most likely fell out of my pocket somewhere, never to be seen again.  So I had to wait for AAA to come, get towed to a dealership, arrive after they closed, and luckily found a friend whose husband was out of town to borrow his car until I could get mine back (wow that was a bad run-on sentence).  So after getting home at almost 10pm finally, I didn't get the supplies I needed.  My students, my awesome resourceful students, decided to construct their own darts from broken pencils, push pins, and hot glue.  Bonus points for creativity!  So we got to experiment with a few balloons to see if it worked better with lots of paint or less paint inside.  The verdict?  Less is better.  It makes an awesome splatter while the others make big streaks down the paper.  (Cool if that's what you're going for though).

I took some students third period outside to take a look at the morning's experiment.  It was a few minutes before lunch when we went back inside and I had to pull the chain to close the door through the woodshop.  I asked the students to wait in the attached classroom for me (so they wouldn't sneak out early to lunch, which they usually try to do on a regular basis).  I walked into the room to find ALL of my students sitting down waiting for me.  I almost fell over.  Did they just actually follow directions?!

Another highlight of the day?  Also in that same class.  I was talking to my students about this summer, and how I was excited for the break but going to miss them.  Then one of my most outspoken students got up and said, "You should come down to my hood.  And I'll tell everyone, 'Hey, leave her alone, she's cool!'"  Completely serious.  He went on about it for almost five minutes.  I could barely keep myself from falling on the floor laughing.

Day One Hundred Fifty-six: Consequences

Kids are getting a little restless.  The end must be getting closer. 

I had a conversation today with a student in my second period about consequences.  He struggles a lot in school.  He doesn't think anyone does anything for him.  He acts out a lot.  He complains about class being boring.  For Friday I've been plotting a really fun activity involving throwing darts at balloons filled with paint.  I told him if he wants to participate, he would need to come to class and do the work each day this week.  After multiple requests to leave (I did let him go to the bathroom once) he couldn't take it anymore and walked out with about 5 minutes left.

Early in 3rd period I got a phone call from the front desk.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah..."
"Someone called 911 from your classroom at 10:50."

Honestly kids. 

Didn't take much to figure out that it was the kid from my 2nd period.  Found out later he'll spend the next 2 weeks in SMARTS (in-school suspension).  Talk about boring. 

I had a really great chat with my assistant principal today about my performance review.  He thinks I've created a really great environment in my classroom and the kids have come a long way as far as participating in class from the beginning of the school year.  I asked him if he expected me to still be around at the end of the year.  He didn't think I would be gone, just that he thought they would have eaten me alive. 

These kids have taught me so much.

I was a little sad today to find out about some students who had withdrawn from school.  On the flip side, a student came by today beaming that he was finally done with classes and graduating.  Speaking of how things change...he used to be in my class and walked out almost daily.  Now he that he's not in my class, he comes almost every day and helps out.