Book Reviews: 32 Third Graders and 1 Class Bunny

As I logged onto the online library catalog this morning and searched the "teaching" under keyword, i hoped that i would stumble upon a new teaching book to help get me psyched about starting school in a month and a half. Lucky for me, Phillip Done's 32 First Graders and One Class Bunny was the first book listed. Well, who can resist a title like that?? I stopped by the library later this morning and checked out this book along with a stack of others. (I am determined to read as much as possible this summer because i recognize that my free time will be rapidly decreasing in just a few short weeks)

When I started Done's book, I was so excited to see that it's a collection of hilariously funny anecdotal essays about things that have happened to him, funny tips for teachers, and lots of those "you know you're a teacher when..." stories. In teaching so many hilarious things happen every day (if you can manage to laugh about them...), and Done actually wrote them down and made a book! Candid and genuine (and HONEST!), Done's voice leaps from the pages of the book and takes the reader away to his funny classroom where the stapler always jammed, his tie gets stuck in the laminator, and the love the teacher has for his students is obvious.

I found it hard to put the book down to go to work this afternoon and dove back into it when I got home. Done's stories, horrifying as some of them are, remind me why i love teaching and why i love kids. If you're a teacher or have ever been a student, read this book :-)

what do teachers make?

Well, I guess I'm really going to be a teacher...

After blogging from time to time during my student teaching last year, I decided today that my teaching blog is worth reviving.  Miraculously, I managed to both graduate and land a pretty wonderful teaching position since I last blogged.  (I know, I can hardly believe it myself!)  Let me quickly recap the course of events leading up to this...

August 2008: Began student teaching in 4th grade.  Instantly loved every second of it and became convinced without a doubt that not only is teaching the perfect career for me, but intermediate elementary is the perfect age group.

December 2008: Shedding a few tears, said goodbye to my student teaching class, and began to think about my plans for post-grad.

January 2009: Began applying for teaching jobs throughout the state, as well as some other miscellaneous service/travel programs. 

February & March 2009: Many looong days of applications and job fairs; many looong nights of soul-searching and figuring out where I wanted my life to take me post-grad...a decision which turned out to be tougher than anticipated!

April 21st, 2009: Interviewed for a 5th grade position at an elementary school near my family's home.  Completely bombed the interview.  Strangely got a voicemail from the principal that night wanting me to return his call the following morning.

April 22nd, 2009: Was offered a job teaching 5th grade at said elementary school.  Was completely stunned/shocked/you name it.  Needed a day to digest news and think things over...

April 23rd 2009: Accepted job and officially began preparing for the next phase of my life--Miss Teacher, fifth grade teacher.  (weird...)

Anyways, as this summer passes by (too) quickly, I'm starting to anticipate and prepare for the year ahead. It's definitely going to be a tough year, and I'm both excited and terrified. I will be using this blog to chronicle my year, share lesson ideas, describe high and low points, and vent frustrations.
Here's to hopefully a relaxing and productive last month of summer and a beautiful start to the new year!

my students make me smile:

their strategies for figuring out whether or not santa is real:

"if santa can know whether i am good or bad, he can know what i want for christmas. so this year, i'm not going to tell anyone what i really want. not even my mom and dad. then, if i still get it, santa's real."

"i'm gonna stay up all night. all night long and hide in the family room and watch."
"don't you think you'll fall asleep?"
"no. all night. then i'll know whether santa's real or not."

and these are the days the kids make me nervous...

(talking about world war II)

Teacher: ....and then he was executed at the end of the war. What does executed mean?
Student 1: it means killed
Student 2: with an axe!
Teacher: no, not with an axe anymore...
Student 3, interrupting: no, tied to a chair and shot!


yikes...what video games have these children been playing?

:-D

4th grader: Miss Teacher, how do you spell beavul?

me: what?

4th grader: beavul.

me: What, say it again?

4th grader: beavul. you know. beavul!

me: *puzzled look*

4th grader: you know, beavul! like will you beavul to play today?

me: OHH you mean BE ABLE?

4th grader: oh...i guess, yeah

and ireland is in WHAT state?

me: "where do you predict we'll be traveling next on our train tour of the northeast region?"



4th grader: "Ireland!"

if only 4th graders could vote in the real election...

today in 4th grade we were talking politics, specifically the issues the kids are concerned about and what they read about the candidates' takes on them. the kid logic was pretty fascinating.

almost equally as fascinating was me trying to explain things that i don't quite understand myself like the economy and health care to these kids. oh, not just explain them but explain them in kid friendly terms. probably not my most eloquent teacher moments...

i think my favorite parts of the discussion were the following moments:

SOMEONE's parents have been talking politics around the dinner table...
4th grader: "well, the iraq war is an important issue for me because we should leave iraq so we are still able to get our oil there and so they won't be mad for us trying to take them over. and i think that it was wrong of us to go there because george bush said there were weapons of mass destruction there and there weren't, we sent in spies and everything to look and they weren't there. and i think that george w. bush is just trying to finish what his father started..."

miss teacher.: "...you've brought up some issues that are very important to a lot of americans. tell me, where did you hear about those issues/how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

4th grader: "i just thought it up right now."


a future litmus voter:
miss teacher: are there any other issues you'd like to discuss or have questions about?

4th grader: "i heard obama is for this thing called abortion that means that women can kill their babies..."

miss teacher: "...ummm...ummmm" (looks to cooperating teacher for assistance...)

and in our spare time, we pulled an al gore...

me: my teacher's coming to watch me teach you tomorrow, so be on your best behavior!
4th grader: your teacher?
me: yup, my college teacher
4th grader: do you go to isu?
me: no, i go to wesleyan
4th grader: (beat)...wasn't the internet invented at wesleyan?

me: ...ummm...no. no, it wasn't.

love it.

this morning, i didn't just hit the snooze button a couple times, but i physically was out of bed, in the bathroom, about to get in the shower....and then i went back to my room, reset the alarm, and went back to sleep for 15 minutes. here's to reaching new levels of pathetic tiredness :-)