AuburnChick's Adventures

So, my first week as a teacher has come and gone.

Oh, I realize that it is only Thursday, but I had to take today and Friday off to take Chicky to college (you’ll be reading about this in a couple of days).

I have to tell you that my excitement has not waned.

Even though I find myself at the mercy of an annoying alarm clock, I actually do not mind crawling out of bed before dark, donning “teacher clothes,” and starting my day well before the 9-5’ers.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that one of the most important things a teacher must learn is how to adapt.

You see, many of the students were absent on the first day of school and, thus, I found myself with half of them in my classes.  Because I am working at a small school, that meant that at times, I only had two students.

Yeah.

And so I did not follow through with my lesson plans for Monday and simply shot the breeze…handed out a couple of things, and made do.  I shifted Monday’s plans to Tuesday.

On Tuesday, I still had a few students out, but I pushed on, determined to stay on track no matter the challenge.

Now, I have to tell you…I am teaching 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English.  There is quite a difference between a 6th grader and a 9th grader.

For instance, when children enter the 6th grade, they are assigned lockers…for the very first time.  Because there is only five minutes between classes (it’s a one-hallway building), the students do not have far to go.

However, the 6th graders are very intimated by the upperclassmen, who use the top lockers.  Thus, they are very slow in getting back and forth.

One of my rules is that students must be on time.  Three tardies equals detention and a 500 word essay.

I did not think to make the rules different according to the grade.

My poor 6th graders.  They saw “500-word essay” and, quite honestly, freaked out.

As we were going over the rules and procedures, they seemed stuck on the tardiness rule.

“Mrs. AuburnChick,” one student asked, “What if I am really sick and can’t make it to class on time?”

I replied, “Mrs. AuburnChick does not have a cold heart.  Of course you will not be marked tardy in that case.”

Another student followed…”Mrs. AuburnChick, what if I am about to throw up and really need to go to the bathroom.”

“Sweetie,” I responded, “You better run out of my room as fast as you can, because barfing on my carpet will get you in worse trouble.”

heehee

One girl, still perplexed, posed this question:  “Mrs. AuburnChick, what if I’m running down the hallway, don’t see the door closed, and knock my head on the door and fall down?”

Um, yeah.

They were trying to anticipate every scenario for being tardy.

I told her, “First, you should not be running in the hall, and second, we both know you are not going to hit your head on the door.”

Good gravy.

When I shared these questions with my teacher friend, Barb, who has been teaching for hmmm hmmm years, she said, “Oh AuburnChick, I should have warned you ahead of time.  NEVER let students ask ‘What if’ questions.”

Gee, thanks Barb.  I could have used this advice seven hours earlier.

But, I still love her and went in the next day armed with that retort (which worked, by the way).

Too funny, though.

Probably the highlight of my week was when I gave my students their first pop quiz.

Here is what it looked like:

———————————————————————————————————————————

First Test of the Year!

Read this whole paper first, and then follow the directions given. You have 10 minutes to complete this test.  Mrs. AuburnChick will be watching you and making notes of what you do, so read carefully!

1. Write your name in the upper right hand corner
2. Put the date in the left hand corner

3. Write your age: ________

4. Write the name of the President of the U.S. ______________

5. Call the name of a friend, wave to them, and say hello.

6. Stand up and shake someone’s hand.

7. Get two others to tell you their favorite colors. Write their favorite colors here ____________ and _____________.

8. Walk once around all the desks in the class whispering “We’re the best in the school!”

9. Find two other students and play “Ring Around the Rosie.”

10. Put your left shoe on the desk and leave it there.

11. Give a high five to another person.

12. Tell Mrs. Hall your middle name.

13. Add 237, 4986, and 866. Answer: __________________

14. After you do number 13, whisper, “I found the answer!”

15. Write the name of your favorite food. _______________

16. Sit down and stand up 10 times as fast as you can. Record how long it took you here: ________________

17. Print the name of the planet you live on ____________

18. Look to the person at the right and tell them something you like about them.

19. Draw one red circle and two blue triangles on the bottom of this page.

20. Don’t follow these instructions. Do only #1 and #2. Then sit quietly at your desk until time is called.

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

I administered this exam to every class EXCEPT the 6th graders.

Oh my gosh, y’all.  I had to cover my mouth to keep them from seeing me laugh.

The entire point was to teach them to follow instructions.  However, almost all of the students went forth without paying attention to the first set of instructions.

I saw smiles appear on their faces, and, when they started giggling, I giggled along.

I watched them march around the room, whispering “We’re the best in school.”

I saw them take shoes off and put them on their desks.

I played Ring Around the Rosie with the girls who needed someone to play along.

And then…

I saw it…

As they reached #20…

An awareness that they had been duped…

They looked up at me with surprise etched all over their faces.

DING!

I saw light bulbs turn on.

I discreetly put my finger to my lips to ask them not to spoil the surprise for those who were still adding numbers and saying, “I found the answer.”

Uh huh.

One of the girls laughed and laughed afterward.  She said, “You had fun at our expense!”

Well, I sure didn’t intend to, but yeah, I guess she was right.  It was very entertaining.  I don’t know that I’ve laughed like that in a long time.

However, the most important thing was that the students learned an unforgettable lesson…following instructions.  I might have to pull this trick again in the middle of the year…see if they truly took the lesson to heart.

Of course, I can always see how well they executed the instructions of the project I left for them to complete while they had a substitute teacher.

Yeah, on top of everything else I have going on this week, I had to make lesson plans…for a sub!!!

Oy, but what a toughie!  I do think, though, that as someone who has subbed for the last two years, I am probably one of the best people to be making sub plans.

So, my first week as a teacher ended well.

I still want to go back on Monday.  The students have not scared me away.

In fact, I have already formed a strong bond with my students…even the ones who wish I had picked a different color than pink for that particular class’s color theme.

heehee

I think that the kids KNOW that I am in this for the long-haul and have their best interest at heart.

I cannot wait to see what next week holds!!

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: teaching |