It's okay

"It's okay Mr. Holloway, I already got my nose (for you).", a response when I asked if I should get one student's nose. I guess, I'm predictable.

"Tag! You're it!", expecting the man-figure to run and chase him. I have played tag on occasion, but generally my attention needs to be focussed on the group. In this case, it was a wonderful warm day with adults vacating their blistering, unconditioned rooms for a change.

Ah ... the age when farts are funny and not shameful and where homework isn't five hours long.

Homework: "My baby sister chewed on it." It did look indeed just like that.
"I don't have it." Hours later, at the end of the day. "Here it is!"
"Can I use your pencil?" Still ... a different pencil is magical -- a nice, youthful perspective.
"I can't do it!" Stand here beside me for the rest of the day and watch me work. I want all of your attention.
"Mr. Hollywood." Close. "Mr. K?" Again, close.
"Haven't I seen you in movies?" No. The money would be nice though.
"They're not taking turns." Ah, if life were only this complex.
"Hey! Now that makes sense!" What a teacher really wants to hear. A person, student or other, getting a concept.
"Will you be my Daddy." "I can't do that." "Daddy!" "No. Don't you already have a daddy?" "Yes. But I want you. Daddy." I'll just hope that she drops this line of thinking.

"What about God?" "I can't talk about that."
"What is AIDS?"
"My mommy and daddy yell a lot"
"Our house has holes. My daddy does too. Right here (pointing to left abdomenal wall indicating a through-and-through puncture -- gunshot). Don't touch it."
"I have a dog! He died. I had (goes on to tell about 20 + dogs -- all dead)."
"You look tired. Did you sleep well last night?" "I didn't sleep good. My brother kept moving." "You sleep with your brother?" "Yeah. And my sister and my mom and my dad." They had only one bed
"Mister!" "Mr. Holloway." "Can I call you Mr. H.?" "Yes." "Mister, do you like pizza?"

"I want to you write a letter to Wilbur." The students were around mid-way through Charolette's Web. "Dear Wilbur, I sure do like you ... with toast, butter ... bacon ... ham. You're tasty." a third grader really made me laugh with that one. It was unexpected and I laughed, perhaps, too loud.

"My mom eats in the bathtub." The students in a different third grade class were assigned to write what odd things their parents do. It was NOT meant as an investigation tool. I tried to blank out from my mind the students who wrote these. This student went on to say that she brought in fruit to wash and did so in the tub.
"My mom and dad walk around naked all the time."
"They were funny socks."
"They eat asparagus."
"My mom sings in the bathroom." "You mean in the shower." "No; in the bathroom."
"My dad eats in the nude."

Now ... you can't take all of that as accurate ... it is, however interesting.

"What do you do?" "What?" "Where do you work?" a student asks me in class. Apparently teaching isn't a job?

While instructions on a worksheet were a little unclear ... my first attempt was to complete every possible combination. Mark a number between 28-34, etc, until the instructions were done. The teacher's guide then remakred, "ask students what they see on their worksheet." It made sense that each student should have a different combination of boxes marked. I then marked only one square for each, as did the other students. I came up with a sloppy looking thing. Rorschach test result: "duck on a stick" which was much better than the real answer ... makring every possible combination ... a robot. There was no other realistic answer. Teachers can make errors too. A good example for kids that if you make an error, recognize it, work with it ... grow.