A True 6th Grader

I have so much to share about teaching, my school, my classroom, my students...and everything else that is going on in my (our) life, but I just don't have the time to sit and focus on writing...because all I currently focus on is teaching, my school, my classroom, my students...(poor Chad).

I need to start writing down the things that my students say and do because honestly, not only does it make me love even more what I get to do every day, but it snaps me into reality of how pure, innocent, and naive my students are to our cruel world. It also makes me realize how much they need me, just as much as I need them, to get through the day to day happenings; including life situations that seem unfair for a 6th grader, an 11 year old. Here are just a few happenings/sayings in my daily life as a 6th grade teacher...

• First day of school, "So, you're my 6th grade teacher? (Being looked up and down) Are you old enough?"
• (Second week of school) As the students were working quietly at their desks, I popped into the room next door to grab something off the printer. When I reentered the room they all started clapping. I was appreciative and quickly instructed them to get back to work. Apparently I had done something right in just a few days.
• In reading aloud Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (great book by the way), there was a scene where Danny's dad cocked the rifle back to shoot at a pheasant. Not expecting it, the students started laughing when I said "cock". What is going to happen when I have to teach a bit of sex ed.?
• Two boys came overly excited into class on a Monday. They were eager to share and show me their new purchases from the weekend. I was a bit nervous, and then suddenly both of them wipped out a stick of deoderant. I laughed so hard and my nervousness moved to thankfulness.
• One morning a student got dropped off an hour and a half before school started. She was crying, so without question I opened the door to let her in. She proceeded to share with me that her mom and her mom's fiance got into a big fight the night before and her mom woke her up in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor of her bedroom. Then she had to get dropped off so early for school because her mom and the fiance were still fighting and they didn't want to be around each other....mom just went to work. My student was afraid because she couldn't figure out how to solve their problem so her mom wouldn't call off the wedding. (Wow...talk about a gut wrencher.)
• A mom came in to talk to me about the worries her daughter had about being gone for our week over-night trip to Canada. The jist of the story is, mom is a recovering breast cancer patient and when my student was gone a year ago for an extended period of time visiting family, she returned to mom being in the hospital due to an infection. My student is worried that if she is gone for a week at our outdoor ed program, when she returns she won't have a mom anymore...even through her mom is clear and free of cancer. (Seriously? The worries of a 6th grader are unfair. They're only 11.)
• An unexpected student and her mom came into my classroom one morning because the student, while at her dad's house the night before, made me a "muffin-cake" to show me she was sorry for a recent loss. For all that don't know what a "muffin-cake" is, it's a Jiffy blueberry muffin mix baked in the bottom of a throw-away-tin pie pan. It's actually brilliant because it was as if I had received one big muffin top...and everyone knows that's the best part of every muffin.
• Okay a funny one...I have a couple of boys that are beginning to notice girls. One of them brought in a brand new white, trendy hat. He informed me very nervously and all in one breath that "He got the hat because girls like hats and he likes a girl and he's hoping that if he wears the hat then the girl will like him." (Oh dear, he has so much to learn.)
• Direct quote, "I thought the sub was...well...I guess just okay, but it's really hard to compare to Mrs. MacDonald because I like her a lot." (*tear* I like them too.)
• My favorite description of a 6th grader...Sixth graders are like first graders in a big kid body.

I look forward to sharing more thoughts/happenings/sayings of my 6th grade teaching adventures.