You're going to be a rockstar Ms. J.

As many teachers typically do, or maybe I'm just assuming this because I do this, I am constantly asking the children what they would like to be when they grow up. I can get many different kinds of answers and for some of them, this is constantly changing. Today my class began making a music video for a song I made to help them to relax during our Terra Nova Testing. It is to the song Tik Tok. The children really enjoyed this and asked for another, so I began working on another song about plants to the song Telephone. At the end of the day the children asked me about it, so I sung what I have done so far.

A week ago Cornelius asked me if I thought the school would let him sing, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" for the talent show. I said no, but then I got to thinking that maybe I could help him out by changing the lyrics. It starts off a little something like this:

"Jesus went down to Galilee, he was looking to preach his word,
Try not sin, for I am here, and the Kingdom of God is near."

I have quite a bit more to the song done, and to Cornelius' request I sung what I have written so far. He really enjoyed it and said, "Wow, Ms. J., you are really good at this!" But my favorite was Matthew, who said, "Ms. J. when you are done teaching, you should be a rockstar!" I guess it is never too late to pursue your dreams of being a rockstar.

Go to school to learn to be a bachelor

A while back ago, Cornelius told the class that when he grows up he wants to be a bachelor, so that he could have a bachelor pad. He then went on to ask me about my bachelor pad. I told Cornelius that I'm a female, so I am not a bachelor, and therefore I do not have a bachelor pad.

Last week, Cornelius noticed my degree hanging on the wall of the classroom. He immediately comes up to me and starts asking me about my university that I went to. He then goes on to ask how does one get a bachelor's degree. I then asked him what he meant, he said that I had a bachelor's degree. I asked him if he thought my university taught you how to be a bachelor. He answered, yes. I explained that it was just the title for the degree and that I went to school for elementary education. How funny and cute is it, that Cornelius honestly thought that you can go to school to learn how to be a bachelor?

Hail Mary

Teaching at Catholic School, you quickly learn that the children are in a completely different environment compared to public schools. The children also find a great freedom with prayer and religion, where it is acceptable to request prayers and ask faith filled questions. Today at school a group of children created a chain and were running around as a chain. Another student playing soccer fell on the blacktop nearby. It was my recess duty, so I began to walk over. The boy bruised his leg and scraped his elbow. While seeing the damage the chain of children surround us. Regina speaks up, "Who will help him to the office?" A child volunteers and they walk into the office to get a bandaid. The rest of the group decides that they should pray a Hail Mary for his recovery.

I speak girl language JK, LOL!

Today before the children could eat their snack in the afternoon, I asked that they please clean out their desks. We have been testing and with the moving of desks their items just fall right out. Some of the children are much organized than others, and I usually get one or two that will help another student clean out their desk.

Today Emily took the time to help Anthony clean his desk. While watching this, I found the whole thing rather amusing. Emily takes out all the items of Anthony's desk, as he watches. She places all the books neatly in his desk. She then begins to go through a stack of crumbled papers she has found in his desk along with another folder of miscellaneous papers. She has determined that these papers are not necessary to have because many of them are just drawings, but being the sweet girl she is, she decides to ask Anthony about them and their importance. Anthony quickly showed his attachment to his crumbled paper drawings naming each drawing she showed. She then put them back in the folder handed it to Anthony and asked that he flatten this.

A few minutes later Anthony walks up to the front where his desk is and was ready to hand it to Emily. Before Emily gets a chance to see, I ask, "DIdn't Emily ask you to flatten that?"

Anthony says, "Ms. J. I flattened it as much as it would, I even stood on it."

I go, "Hmm, I think Emily really wanted you to put those papers in the folder neatly."

"But she didn't say that, she told me to flatten."

"Well, Emily is a girl, and I can speak girl language, although she said to flatten the papers, in girl language that means she really wanted you to put the papers away neatly."

Emily agrees.

Anthony stands puzzled.

Joseph decides to join in, "I know girl language, JK LOL!"

We of course laugh, and then get back to Anthony's papers. I suggested to Anthony that he consider taking his papers home, that Emily was also really hoping that she could throw them away. This way he can keep his drawings and she has successfully cleaned his desk.

Once complete, the children gave Emily a standing ovation, this is the first time Anthony's desk has been clean since the beginning of the school year. Go, Emily!

The Ring Finger

Today we celebrated a birthday in my class. I remember being in school and only having the only April birthday, but this year there are eight of us that are celebrating April birthdays. Typically for a birthday, the child celebrating a birthday will bring in some kind of snack to share with the class. Today John brought in ring pops to share with the class.

After receiving her ring pop, Regina comes up to me. She asks me to look at the freckle on her finger and confirm that the freckle is on her ring finger on her left hand. I confirm this and she goes, "Oh good, now I will always know my ring finger, so when I get married and my husband asks what finger to put the ring on, I can go the one with the freckle." You have to love Regina, she is always thinking, especially when she told me last week that my license plate for my car should say SINGLE, so I can find a husband.

Oh, the many ways my children make me sound old!

I have not posted in a while, I feel kind of bad, but mostly last week was a very busy week. Last week though, seemed to be the week of Ms. J. being old. At least that is what I heard most of the week. I'm 25, but right now to my students that is old. The first incident started out with me being asked to come to a soccer game over the weekend. I said that I would not be able to make it because my sister-in-law was getting confirmed. The child then asked, "Is your sister-in-law young or old like you!" I was left sitting thinking, yikes they really think I'm old.

The following day we had Easter Sundaes to celebrate Easter. I allowed the children to watch a movie during this time, Aladdin. I decided to make a comment saying that the movie had come out when I was in the fourth grade. I later thought hmm, maybe I should have just left that comment to myself. Why you may ask? Well, one my students responded back, "Wow, Ms. J. I didn't think Disney was invented then."

Someone please tell me when 25 became old!?!

I think I want to be a teacher!

Today was Hot Lunch. We only have Hot Lunch one day a week, because of that I think as a school we appreciate hot lunch more than most schools. After I got my lunch today, Regina goes, "Ms. J. do you get to eat lunch for free?"

I try to be honest, and so I gave her an honest answer, "Yes, I do."

She responds back, "Well, I think I want to be a teacher when I grow up, so I can get free lunch, too!"

(I have actually heard this response with doughnuts. Before the break my class got Krispy Kreme doughnuts and I got to take home the leftovers. Cornelius said on that particular day, "That he wanted to be a teacher because then he could take the leftover doughnuts home.")

Regina continues, "Do you make a lot of money?"

"No, I work additional jobs so that I can continue teaching."

"That is okay, I think I will just get a husband and he will be a surgeon and then I won't have to work extra jobs."

"That is a great idea, Regina!" Hmmm, maybe I should find a surgeon.

I have always been told that those who teach, do not teach for the money, but apparently we will teach for the free food!

Pencil Sharpener Explosion

This morning Regina comes into the classroom and announces she had a dream about school. She said that in the dream the pencil sharpener went crazy and was still running even after she took her pencil out. She said then I went to look at the pencil sharpener and all of a sudden I yelled "TAKE COVER!" Then the pencil sharpener exploded all over the place.

I often find it odd that my students have so many dreams about school, I hardly have any. This one was rather entertaining to me because as I sit and think this over, I must say I HATE THE PENCIL SHARPENER! My students are constantly using the sharpener and at times it seems like it is running non stop. Now that they are 4th graders the need to have the perfect point all the time has started. I can't really blame them for wanting that, I like it too, but the sound of the sharpener running and running begins to be rather annoying. I think what makes the dream all the more entertaining is that we had a pencil sharpener continue to run even when there was not a pencil in it and after hearing the sharpener run for minutes, I have held up my hands and yelled out "STOP THE SHARPENING!" I guess that can easily be changed to "TAKE COVER!" in a dream.

I am so tired tonight, but I must please one of the other teachers who just heard about the blog. She asked that I include a special story about something while my students were in her class and I have to admit it was rather funny and worthy of being in my blog. Today I went to pick my class up from music, they are working on their songs for our Spring Music Program. One of the children wasn't singing and so she wanted to inform me of this and spoke privately to me while the children sang one of their songs. As she was talking, I became easily distracted by one of the drawing my students had made on their music folder.

After the music teacher stopped talking, I felt bad for not exactly being the best listener, so I held up the folder and showed her the picture. It was a picture of a guy, later I was corrected by Maximus, it was an alien holding flowers and a girl (also an alien) was asking if he was seeing another woman. Well, I was quite surprised by this drawing, Maximus never draws these types of things.

When we returned to class I asked Maximus about his drawing. This really is unlike him. His response was that he drew it a few months ago and "he was going through a phase." How many fourth graders do you know that would answer by telling you they were going through phase?

Did my student just smell me?

Today was the first day back from break. It was pretty good day, but today as we were getting ready to go to lunch Cornelius walks up beside me and smells me. Not even realizing what he had done, I had just turned to get the class ready for prayer. Cornelius looks at me and goes, "What, Ms. J., Anthony says to get to know people better you need to learn their scent." Oh, what shall the rest of the year come to if I'm now having students come up to me and smelling me as if they were a dog?