viernes, noviembre 18, 2005
neither here nor there
do not ask me why i am awake at this hour. i desperately want to sleep but it's not gonna happen, so might as well blog.
i am saving teacher reflections and resolutions for the new year, but here's a short list of the things that make me me (most of these apply in my personal life as well, but we're focusing on my maestra identity):
1. i have a terrible memory. this is established and admitted very early on. my kids no longer get mad if i promise them pumpkins one afternoon and they don't actually get them until a week later. it's amazing how forgiving they can be. and how freakishly good they are at reminding me to do things. "you forgot about..." is one of the most common phrases spoken in my room.
2. i am obsessed with books. my favorite feeling is when i sit at the carpet with my kids doing a re-read and i don't even have to read the text because my kids know it so well. i feel particularly proud when this happens with english books and my chamacos with the least english fluency are chanting along.
3. i am all about the dumb catch phrases. when my english kids came, i started saying things like "are we ready to rock?" and "could you knock my socks off today, please?" before that, i taught my spanish-speakers useless phrases like "it's easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy" (said by my 7th grade english teacher from britain) and my all-time favorite question... after i give instructions and right before i send students to work, i give them this barrage until they start giggling and wiggling: "questions? comments? concerns? problems? chisme? money? flowers? coffee? mosquitos? smelly socks?" ad nauseum.
4. i am a spaz. at least five times a day, you'll hear me shriek "what are you doing?/¿qué andas haciendo?" or "is that respect?" i find it particularly ironic when i say "please don't yell at me, i don't yell at you!" because i am a very loud person and tend to speak in a loud voice at all times. however, my spazocity is generally not as negative as it sounds. when my kids give me gifts, i get very flowery and lovey... my 2nd graders are notorious for dropping by with letters and stuffed animals because they know i'll give them elaborate thank you letters. i also get very excited when my kids work productively or just generally kick ass. which is more often than not. consequently, my kids are very familiar with the words "amazing", "incredible", "outstanding" and "phenomenal."
5. i can't stop singing. we have at least one song a week. and i sometimes sing instructions. whenever it's work time, music is on. my latest obsession is playing them music in languages other than english and spanish. when they're hard at work, i sometimes test them by dancing and serenading. you'd be surprised how good they are at ignoring me. best practices? probably not. but it's awesome to hear a 6-yr-old say "be quiet, you're distracting me, teacher!"
i am saving teacher reflections and resolutions for the new year, but here's a short list of the things that make me me (most of these apply in my personal life as well, but we're focusing on my maestra identity):
1. i have a terrible memory. this is established and admitted very early on. my kids no longer get mad if i promise them pumpkins one afternoon and they don't actually get them until a week later. it's amazing how forgiving they can be. and how freakishly good they are at reminding me to do things. "you forgot about..." is one of the most common phrases spoken in my room.
2. i am obsessed with books. my favorite feeling is when i sit at the carpet with my kids doing a re-read and i don't even have to read the text because my kids know it so well. i feel particularly proud when this happens with english books and my chamacos with the least english fluency are chanting along.
3. i am all about the dumb catch phrases. when my english kids came, i started saying things like "are we ready to rock?" and "could you knock my socks off today, please?" before that, i taught my spanish-speakers useless phrases like "it's easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy" (said by my 7th grade english teacher from britain) and my all-time favorite question... after i give instructions and right before i send students to work, i give them this barrage until they start giggling and wiggling: "questions? comments? concerns? problems? chisme? money? flowers? coffee? mosquitos? smelly socks?" ad nauseum.
4. i am a spaz. at least five times a day, you'll hear me shriek "what are you doing?/¿qué andas haciendo?" or "is that respect?" i find it particularly ironic when i say "please don't yell at me, i don't yell at you!" because i am a very loud person and tend to speak in a loud voice at all times. however, my spazocity is generally not as negative as it sounds. when my kids give me gifts, i get very flowery and lovey... my 2nd graders are notorious for dropping by with letters and stuffed animals because they know i'll give them elaborate thank you letters. i also get very excited when my kids work productively or just generally kick ass. which is more often than not. consequently, my kids are very familiar with the words "amazing", "incredible", "outstanding" and "phenomenal."
5. i can't stop singing. we have at least one song a week. and i sometimes sing instructions. whenever it's work time, music is on. my latest obsession is playing them music in languages other than english and spanish. when they're hard at work, i sometimes test them by dancing and serenading. you'd be surprised how good they are at ignoring me. best practices? probably not. but it's awesome to hear a 6-yr-old say "be quiet, you're distracting me, teacher!"
