Truly do I wish I could record some of the conversations that transpire between me and my students.
I want to replay some of them over and over.
Thank goodness for this blog, which has become a snapshot of the things I want to hold close to my heart.
Here are a few comments I overheard yesterday.
Before school started, one of my students popped in. He was on his way to take FCAT because he is an eleventh grader. As I began wishing him good luck, he proudly opened his backpack and displayed the HEALTHY snacks he had packed for the day…carrot slices and peanut butter crackers! He also told me that his friend, another student of mine who won’t be testing until next week, had MADE him eat breakfast that included PROTEIN!!!!
I.
Kid.
You.
Not.
Later, I saw one of my students walking past my classroom before second period. He was on his way to another class and would be seeing me later, but he said, as he made eye contact, “Mrs. AuburnChick, I went to bed an hour earlier like you said.”
You see, I’ve been asking my students to eat healthier and get more rest in preparation for the FCAT test they will be taking next week.
In fact, nutrition has been an ongoing theme in my room all year as they inquire about my vegan lifestyle.
These are conversations that most of my students do not have with their parents.
Changing topics…
My second period class was taking their five-minute break between classes (we are together for second and third periods). One of my students proudly announced that he had read twelve books this year! Another student chimed in by saying she had read six.
They’ve been keeping lists. I had no idea!
Another student told me he needed a new series of books to read. He’s read Neal Shusterman’s Skinjacker and Unwind series. He recently finished the I am Number 4 series, written by Pittacus Lore. He’s read a number of other books this year as well, but he likes series, where he can establish long-term relationships with characters and story lines.
Three female students were discussing how they liked/disliked a prominent male character in one of the books they’ve passed around.
One of the girls said she didn’t like him because he has one dimple, which students in my classroom have been teasing her about, saying they would make the perfect couple because she has one dimple and the character’s dimple is on the other side.
Ahhh…teenagers. You’ve gotta love them!
I love listening in on these conversations. They reflect the atmosphere in my classroom…one that has fostered a love for reading…a camaraderie among vastly different teenage personalities…a sense of accomplishment.
This is not something that has existed to this extent in my previous three years of teaching.
These things show me that my ability to connect with my students…read their interests and supply their needs…is improving with each year I am in the classroom.
Go ahead and be envious.
I’m doing a job that pays these kinds of dividends every single day, and I am a fortunate gal indeed!
Filed under: Books, Teaching | Tagged: books, reading, teaching | Leave a comment »
AuburnChick's Adventures 