Farewell Class of 2015

I know it's been a while since I last blogged.  Going to school full time and teaching full time make it difficult to share.  I had so many fond memories of my kiddos.  I suppose you could say that I took the time to live in the moment and not jump to social media.

Updates, my class originally started off with 43 kids.  It was an adventure.  There was no place for my TA to seat and I didn't even have a chair.  A large portion of the kids were my fourth graders from the previous year.  After 6 weeks with them all, it was very difficult to have half of the kids transition to another class.  At least I was able to enjoy them in the hallways and watch them continue to grow.

For the remainder of the year I only had 21 students.  I must admit it was a lot easier to visit the computer with less kids.  Parent conferences were also a lot quicker to hold.

After 9 years of teaching down, I can honestly say I had the most exceptional group of students this past year.  My students were intellectuals and very caring human beings.  Many of them have been in the same class for several years.  Culmination was difficult to hold back my emotions as my students gave amazing speeches and sang their little hearts out.

Here I am, the night before I officially begin the 2015-2016 school year.  I miss my old kiddos but I'm looking forward to creating new memories with the upcoming batch.  The current class I'll be receiving has scared off numerous substitutes teachers and gave their previous teacher a run for her money.  I have my work cut out for me and there should be tons of stories to share!

Flashback #3 You Know You Have A Lot of Students When...

A look back at my first 6 weeks of school.
You Know You Have A Lot of Students When...

...you need to request 8 more desks and chairs during the first morning of school.

...one kid has to sit at the kidney table because there is no more room for another desk.

....the kidney table is back up against the wall so you have to climb under the table to get to the center. All this to get a few extra inches of walking space.

....you have to suck in your stomach every time you try to maneuver around the room.

....there is no space to set up a projector and document camera.

.....the only space for your teacher's assistant can sit it at the sink.

...name tags come in packs of 36 and you must buy 2 packs to have enough for every student.

....when people ask if I am watching two classes.

...you have a whole bunch of apples on your tree.

Flasback #2: Swag

One day my class was reading a story about how dictionaries are updated.  This concept was very interesting.  According to this story, thousands of new words are added to the dictionary every year.  Language is living and constantly changing.  Editors of the dictionary write down new words on index cards along with the context that the word appeared in.  Words that appear the most often are added to the dictionary.  Every 10 years, the dictionary gets a total makeover.  When discussing this story, I asked the students to think of new words that have recently been integrated into a dictionary or words that may appear soon.  One of my students said we use the word "Swag" a lot.  This is a great example of a word that has recently been brought into existence.  Naturally, I ask my kids if I have swag.  They didn't even know how to break it to me.  They sat there for a moment, speechless probably trying to think of a way to put things nicely.  One student started to speak, "Well....for a teacher..."  I already knew what was coming, and it wasn't very good.  The student continued on, "kind of."  The proceeded to tell me that my swag could be increased if I changed they way I dressed.

A couple weeks later we had parent conferences.  One of my parents brought up this very discussion.  She said that her family was laughing so hard at the possibility of me having swag.  You know you've made it as a teacher when you are the topic of discussion at the dinner table.

Flashback #1 to Turnip

I've been teaching youngsters for nearly a decade now.  In most instances my class is full or English Language Learners (That's just a term that means students speak a language other than English at home).  For the last few years I have been able to work with more Standard English Learners (These kids speak English at home and learn Academic English at school).  Both of these groups of kids have been a pleasure to work with.
This is the first year that I will be working with a population where the vast majority of students are Standard English Language Learners.  Most of these students have a lot of language and they love to use it!  They are so much fun.  Just last week Kaiser came to our school and performed an awesome assembly entitled "The Amazing Food Detective."  The students were captivated by the actors and the storyline.  Kaiser included lots of dancing and songs that the kids really enjoyed.
The kids left the auditorium so happy!  I heard them say, "The turnup was real!"  Being the educator I am, I inquired about these "turnips" when we returned to the class.  I said, "I'm glad you like turnips.  They are very healthy for you.  I can tell you learned a lot during the assembly."  It was so funny to see their confused faces.  (In all honestly I am not well versed in the term turn up or turnt up.  I consulted my Urban Dictionary for advice).  I could see them trying to figure out a way to explain this phrase to me.  One girl described the term as slang, this was a new term that is being used.  I quickly corrected her and said that turnips have been around for a very long time.  More frustration sets in.
My goal is for my students to understand their audience.  You may talk to your friends and family in one way, and your teacher another. :)  They are getting it.  They realize they must expand their thinking and explain their ways to us "old people."