Overheard...

An audible voice emerging from what had been a hushed conversation between two boys:

"No, you cannot get scoliosis by falling off a bridge onto a parked car!"

Soaking It All Up

It seems my 4th graders are reaching that age where they become much more attuned to matters of style and fashion. This morning one of my girls gestured to the skirt I was wearing and exclaimed (correctly):

"You've never worn THAT skirt before!"

Surprised at her having noticed this, I looked up at her and smiled, "Wow, Kendra! You noticed that?"

"Yes. I'm very absorbent when it comes to my teachers!"

Sounds Like...

During yesterday's lesson on literary conventions, I had just completed a discussion about simile and personification, and was moving on to 'onomatopoeia.' As soon as I said the word, but before I could get it written on the board, a boy exclaimed,

"Oh! My uncle has one of those!"

Huh? I was thinking... I turned and looked quizzically at him.

"Yeah! Automatic Pea Gun! My uncle's got one of those!"

Postscript:

Predictably, the term "pea gun" was heard by some of the youngsters as "pee gun." Gasps and giggles rippled through as a room full of ten year-olds with ticklish insides considered their various visions of a "pee gun...." After a fashion, I restored the lesson's momentum, and the kids brainstormed dozens of examples of onomatopoeia.

Givin' It Up for Lint

Insomnia struck last night. So... I made cupcakes for my class--chocolate. While distributing them, I arrived at Tony's desk. "No, thanks," he said. This was rather out of character.

"Oh, you don't want one, Tony? Are you O.K.?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but I gave up chocolate for Lent."

"Oh, alright--good for you. Thank you for telling me," I said, moving on.

Just then another child asked, "What's Lent?"

Before Tony could answer, a third little boy interjected, "Isn't it that stuff that comes out of your belly-button?"

Lest We Forget...

I keep this quotation, attributed to J. F. Boyse, near my desk at school. It has the power to stem a rising tide of frustration, and make me take a deep breath... smile... and just "try, try again." It is a great reminder for those of us who, by parenting or chosen vocation, spend our days in the company of children...

"If, in instructing a child, you are vexed with it for want of adroitness, try, if you have never tried before, to write with your left hand, and remember that a child is all left hand."

Good Question!

First thing this morning, a boy told me that another boy, "Alex," was singing and refused to stop. Apparently the singing--however muffled--was creating a distraction.

Here's how the matter was addressed from there:

Me: Alex, please stop singing.

Alex: I ain't singing.

Me: [with emphasis] You aren't singing.

...pause...

Alex: Well, then why are you telling me to stop?

What's in a Rhyme?

My students were studying words beginning with "para--" paragraph, paradise, parallel, etc.

After each word on the page was identified we briefly discussed its meaning.

The word 'paralyze' came up, and I added it to the list on the board.

Turning to the class, I asked, "does anyone know what the word paralyze means?"

Immediately, a boy raised his hand.

"Yup, that's at the church, when they dunk you in the water."