Cut to the Chase, Lady!

I asked a disruptive student to step outside for a moment.

"What did I do?" he asked belligerently.

"Who said you did anything?" I replied.

He scowled. I shrugged.

"I noticed that you weren't following the directions," I told him, "and it's noisy in our classroom. I wanted to see if you had any questions."

"They were talking to me!" he said about the other students at his table.

"It looked like there was a lot of conversation going on," I agreed, "between everybody," I added.

"That's why I don't know the directions," he said.

"Did you notice that I put your seat right near where I usually stand?" I asked him. "That's so if you have any questions, you can ask me and I will help you."

He gave a small nod.

"There are a lot of kids in our class," I told him, "and I need you to be doing what you're supposed to..."

I took a breath and he looked a little alarmed. We both knew I was winding up for the pep talk. He reached out and patted my shoulder.

"I get it!" he told me. "I'll pay attention!"

I laughed in surprise.

"Say, I promise," I said.

"I promise!" he answered. "Now what were we supposed to do?"

Heard in the Hallways

"I don't need need a nametag-- my name is unforgettable!" ~one of 137 new students

"Will I breathe fire?" ~Z when I told him his classroom was near the Dragon Team.

"What can I do to help with that class? It was unlike anything else I saw today!" ~my co-teacher after our 6th period, 28 student inclusion class

"It's time to go home already? Well, that was a fast day!" ~new 6th grader after the final bell

"1 down, 179 to go!" ~principal in our "quick stand-up faculty meeting debrief"

Brace Yourself

The bills are paid; the errands are run; the house is clean; the pool is closed; the alarms are set for zero dark thirty; and my writing notebook has a fancy new cover.

I guess I'm ready to start school.

No Sour Grapes

When life gives you bland cantaloupes?

Make cantaloupe vinegar!

Let it ferment a bit reader and get back to me.

Two Minds

I ran into a pair of former students when I was walking the dog this afternoon. "Hey twins!" I hailed them. "Are you ready for seventh grade?"

They answered simultaneously:
"NO!"
"Yes!"

I laughed, unsurprised.

They are fraternal twins.

Not that Funny

It was close to 6:30 when I carried three grocery bags and a basket full of produce from the garden through the parking lot and up the stairs to our unit. A quart container of heirloom beans teetered on top of the yellow squash, okra, peppers, and so, so many tomatoes.

"Don't spill the beans!" I said to myself, and then I laughed.

And then I spilled the beans.

Welcome to Sixth Grade

"How was the open house?" Heidi asked when she picked me up at 5:30 this evening.

"They seemed nervous," I started.

"That's pretty normal, right?" she said.

"I'm talking about the parents!" I told her.

It could well be that more kids means more parents, and more parents means more anxious parents. I think I was pretty reassuring, but even so?

I'm buckling up.