It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Or maybe sound like Christmas, or behave like Christmas. They were NUTS today. I was a friggin’ broken record, and I can’t even count how many times I closed my eyes to hide rolling them. They would get quiet or go back to work when I asked them, but it lasted ten seconds. I think [...]

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Please Excuse This Interruption

Sometimes as a joke I say, “NO”. But only when it’s an all-call announcement – not when they call the room. (If I’m annoyed then, they get a drawn-out, “Yeeeeess?”) The kids laugh.
Today it was one interruption after another starting at 9:30. Special Ed Barbie and Sped Aide switched classrooms so now I have [...]

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Did I call it or what?

I got rid of the guinea pigs, and now Asthmatic is gone.
He keeps getting sick, and apparently his mom flipped out today and said it has to be the room so he’ll be in Fashionista’s room for a while. I guess he’s been off antibiotics for only two days and is about to end [...]

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This Oughta Be Interesting

I just figured out their November bonuses. The highest was $1,070. The lowest was – you guessed it – Lupita, with – get this – $0. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. ZERO. I talked about this with her mother at conferences – in Spanish! – but she still doesn’t do any homework. (If she whines, “I [...]

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What Work Ethic?

A few years ago we started having one day of night conferences during conference week. In exchange for staying til eight at night, we are allowed to leave with the students on one (ONE) of the other early dismissal days. We can choose whatever day we want, and don’t need approval from the principal. What [...]

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Nice Kids Come From Nice Parents

You know I’ve been really pleased with my class this year. All the same, I was nervous about conferences. Needlessly. All the parents were so pleasant, the conferences were actually enjoyable. I can’t remember ever leaning back in the chair, laughing and chatting. Well, maybe with a parent or two, but not with so many. [...]

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P.M.S.

I think they’re all getting their periods.
Even the boys.
They were some cranky children today! Snow White was sniping at Asthmatic who gave it right back, and all over stupid stuff like, “You’re not writing fast enough!” during math groups. Gentle Giant stormed out of gym because he thought he was going to get [...]

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A Stalled Classroom Economy

I’m trying the Classroom Economy System that Asbestasican and Rafe Esquith use. To tackle it at first was more than a little daunting, but once they picked jobs and I figured out bonuses, it got much better. I didn’t do any kind of special event the first month, and I really think they would’ve been [...]

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It’s Mischief Night

… and how evil is it that I want to let the guinea pigs play on Asthmatic’s desk?
I finally made a note to send to parents (I was hoping he would move like he said – every two years, his step-”dad” moved out, he found a book from 4th grade because he was cleaning [...]

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Little Butt-in-skis

All yesterday afternoon I was ticked off at my sub from Wednesday because she gave the kids the wrong book for reading groups and messed up my plans for the whole next week. (They were supposed to read the vocab reader, but she gave them the levelled readers, and they speed-read the whole thing instead [...]

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