first week stories

Well, there is just one day left in this the first week of the 2008-2009 school year. On Tuesday I actually thought it should have been Friday already. The week has really gone quite slowly, despite the fact that I have been busy with all that is required of a teacher during the first week of school. The one good thing about this week is that I've had a little break from my own schooling--I ended my last Master's program class last on Sunday and my next one doesn't start until next Monday.

As I've been trying to find the energy and creativity to post any thing this week, I've thought about some of the silly things that have already happened at school. Here's some quick stories about the first week that I want to remember:

1. Learning Names: It's always been one of my first week of school goals to get all of my students' names memorized. I feel like I have a pretty good memory and can usually put a "face to a name" in most cases. This year I spent the first day studying the students faces as I called their names and they raised their hands. Tuesday I spent the last 5 minutes reviewing names and trying my hardest to get them. I felt like I had about 85%. On Wednesday, I played my traditional Blanket Name Game, where I have two students hold a blanket up in front of me and another student stand on the other said. When the blanket is dropped, I have 5 seconds to say the name of the person who is standing in front of me. If I get it, I get the point; if not, the students get the point. I've never not won, but this year I added a little incentive--I gave a piece of candy to all of the students who I couldn't remember. Let's just say I only ended up giving about 5 pieces of candy all day. That's pretty darn good considering I have approximately 150 students' names to learn. And like always, the students think I am cheating somehow--a hole in the blanket, I have a camera screen, I'm using a mirror, etc. It is always a fun time!

2. Fascinating, Mrs. Hubert: Another one of my first week traditions is having my students write me a letter of introduction telling me more about them. This is my favorite thing because some of them really have some interesting life stories at age 13! As a model or demonstration of what their to do, I show them a letter I wrote about myself, addressed to my students. This year's letter included information about my Coloardo trip, my growing family (new nieces/nephews, you know), and my hobbies. I read the letter via over head projection all day. By the time I got to 7th period, I felt like I could recite it word for word without the paper, and thus, I was rushing, rushing, rushing to read through it because, let's face it, by 7th period I'm not the only who is tired and ready for the bell to ring. Now, on the front row were three of my Polynesian students--who, I remememered from last year, had kind of a negative reputation. One of them, a brother of a former student, raised his hand and in all seriousness says, "You have some fascinating stories, Mrs. Hubert." It was very comical to me!

3. Kitties & Cookies: As part of the letter of introduction assignment, the students have to brainstorm their ideas on paper. One of the things I have them brainstorm about are their likes and dislikes. I explained that one of their paragraphs could be about something they really like. As I was walking around helping them, I came across this particular student whose WHOLE letter was about his love and fascination with kitties. It was kind of scary-crazy. I tried to help him figure out some other things to write. Then, in another period, a similar situation, only this students' letter was all about cookies! I simply didn't realize you could write a whole 5 paragraph letter on one subject, such as kitties or cookies.

4. Totally Silent: Ok, so, if you've read any of my posts about my previous 2 journalism/yearbook staff in the last 2 years, you know that I haven't really ever had much luck getting good, hard working students on staff. Last year I mandated that, in order for a student to get into the class, they would have to apply. I accepted about 15 students. Because of a few unseen issues, my class now has about 18 students, which is perfect. The thing is, though, it's kind of strange to have such a willing and able staff. Case in point: They've been assigned to write a newspaper article OR create a yearbook page about themselves (the whole get to know thing). I assigned it on Wednesday, it's due at the end of class tomorrow. They began working on the project yesterday and most of them were barely done with a rough draft because they were taking such care to do it right. Today we only had about 20 minutes because of a 9th grade class meeting. They got right into class and got right to work. Some are so panicky that they won't finish in time to turn it in tomorrow. The whole baffelment of the thing is that last year when I assigned this same project, my staff slopped their way through it in 10 minutes on the first day and then turned it in. So, I'm already very impressed with this bunch because they are dedicated and diligent. Oh, and they are SO quiet!! I actually have to urge them to talk because the silence kills me!

I've had a lot of those "I love teaching" moments already this year and that is a great sign!