Beware what you teach your students!

A few weeks ago my class began a unit on electricity and we have sense gradually moved from basic electricity to electromagnets. We began our unit on basic electrical safety. We ended up doing a lab where the students had to figure out how to light a light bulb. They were given a battery, light bulb, and wires. My students get very excited about science labs, but this ended up being a first for them. It was time for them to start and the kids were not starting. Then one child ended up asking me if they were going to get electrocuted. I ended up having to show each group of children that I could touch the wires to the batteries without being electrocuted. I released the kids to work again and from one of the groups, and I hear "you go first." This is so unlike my kids, who want to be the main person that does as much as possible during the lab.

Today my class was having some writer's workshop time. We have a class set of alphasmarts and the children were typing their stories. I forgot to charge them the other day and many of the boards needed to be plugged in. I plugged in the boards in different areas of the classroom and shortly after, Regina comes to me and says, "Ms. J, I predict the power is going to go out soon."

I was a little surprised, I mean I have heard of people predicting weather, but seriously, my student can predict a power outage. So, I then ask, "How do you know the power is going to go out?"

She says, "Well, Ms. J. you remember that lesson on too many things plugged in and you had to figure out why the power was going to go out."

She then starts pointing around my room and goes that computer is on, the lights are on, your computer is on, the active board is on, all these alphasmarts plugged in. If we plug in one more thing the power is going to go out!"

Things to remember: Remember what you teach your students, they always will catch you off guard and will use that time to teach you a lesson.