They just didn't want it

Last night was our last regular season volleyball game.  It was the qualifying game for the district playoffs.  My girls knew that we needed to win in order to go to the playoffs.  The game started at 5 and at 6 we were getting back on the bus with our heads lowered.  They did not play at all.  They gave the other team 2nd place.  They just didn't want it.  We could have easily had 1st place but instead we ended up 3rd out 3 teams.  It's like they're content with losing.  I will never understand a losing mentality.  Apparently they do. Next year... 

The other day I was bragging on my 6th and 7th period classes.  Well... I take it back.  They did good for a minute then they forgot how they were supposed to act.  Monday I had to leave early because of our volleyball game and 7th period showed their behind.  They were so bad that nobody wanted to come watch them Wednesday when I had to leave.  I was fuming.  I had to beg somebody to watch my class Wednesday.  Before I left I dared them to talk and threatened them with severe punishment.  When I got done fussing their eyes were buck and they were afraid.  Another teacher was walking by my room as I was fussing.  She said she was coming to tell me something but when she saw me fussing she decided against it.  She said she was scared and she didn't do anything. LOL.  6th period wasn't as bad.  They were just a little more talkative than I would have liked.  Nothing a few detentions won't handle.

Now that volleyball season is over I don't know what to do with myself.  I left school at 4:10 today.  I haven't left school before 6:30 in 2 months.  I'll finally have some energy to do stuff now.  I might even start cooking! LOL yeah right. 

We ran out of hand sanitizer today.  I ordered some with my EEF money (the money we get every year to buy supplies) but they said I couldn't order hand sanitizer saying it's not necessary to education or some bs like that.  My theory is if the kids are sick then they can't learn because they're not at school.  Therefore hand sanitizer is necessary to kill the germs that make kids sick and have to miss school.  Now I have to spend my own money to buy sanitizer to last us until May.  I'll be hitting up Sam's this weekend.  9th graders are already germy.  They need sanitizer!

The 1st 9 weeks is over.  9 weeks exams are next week  Where did the 1st 9 weeks go?! I didn't realize it was 9 weeks exam time until my kids asked me about it the other day.  I just knew I had another week or so.  Next 9 weeks, I'll be ready.

My posts have been sporadic this week.  I've had so much going on and I've been worn slap out.  I should be back to posting regularly now since volleyball season is over.  I'm still upset about that.  I'll just prepare for next year.

"Gonnesyphiherpelis"

Today during 4th period one of my guys was telling us about how he was going to have his own television show when he got older.  The name of the show would be "For the Love of (insert kid's name)"  I told him that the quality of the girls on those types of shows isn't always the best and he should be careful so he wouldn't catch anything. 
Kid: "But it be some fine girls on them shows."
Me: "Fine girls can have AIDS too."
Kid 2: "Yeah, some of those girls might have gonnesyphiherpelis!"
Me: (thoroughly confused) "They have what?"
Kid 2: "Gonnesyphiherpelis!  They probably got all of them."
Me: *blank stare*

Yesterday I had to sit in on an IEP meeting for a kid that transferred to our school.  For the non-teachers that read my blog an IEP meeting is where a committee consisting of a SPED teacher, a general ed teacher, a counselor, an administrator, the parent, and sometimes the child.  Sometimes a psychiatrist or other mental health personnel sit in.  In these meetings we discuss the child's ruling, the problem that keeps them from learning, and we come up with a plan for them to succeed.  We discuss any accommodations they may need and educational strategies that will help the kid.  Anyway, I sat in on a meeting for a kid that has emotional issues and the whole time I'm sitting there thinking, "I'm gonna have to fight this kid to get him to act right!"  Basically this child has problems controlling his anger with authority.  In the meeting I told him that he wouldn't make it in my class with that kind of attitude.  And of course he was originally in my biggest class.  I think he would have made #34.  That wouldn't have been good for the type of emotional issues he has.  At the end of the meeting a discrepancy in his IEP was pointed out.  The line for race was blank.  When was asked what his race was he said that he was black and white but he preferred white.  LOL. I don't know why that was funny to me.  I guess he was trying to make his race work for him.

Speaking of race, some kids in my 6th period class are so ignorant to certain things.  They were having a conversation about swimming.  A white kid was saying that he couldn't swim and the black kid didn't believe him.  They went back and forth for about a minute or 2.  The black kid made the comment that he could swim and the white kid said, "No you can't. You're black."  I looked at that kid all kinds of crazy.  I corrected him and told him that I was offended because I'm black and I know how to swim.  He was confused as to why I was offended and couldn't believe that I could swim.  That just goes to show you what he's learning at home.

Guess whose 6th and 7th period classes are behaving? MINE! They have been so quiet. I know it's only Tuesday but I celebrate all victories, even the small ones.

Tomorrow is our last regular season volleyball game. We have to win tomorrow in order to go to the district tournament.  When we go it'll be the first time the volleyball team has gone in the history of the volleyball team.  I'm excited!

"She just snapped on me!"

Today a kid came into class with a hat on her head.  I asked her to remove it and that's when everything went downhill.
Me: "Remove the hat please."
Her: "None of my other teachers said anything about my hat."
Me (thoroughly confused) "I didn't ask you about your other teachers.  I said remove the hat."
Her: "I was just telling you."
Me (still confused) "I don't want to converse about the hat. I just want you to remove it. That's that."
Her: "Well maybe I wanted to talk about it."
Me: (blood pressure rising) "You can get out of my room. I don't deal with smart aleck disrespectful children."
Her (all of a sudden turning sweet) "But why do I have to leave?"
Me: "Oh now you wanna be sweet?"
Her: "But what did I do? I took the hat off."
Me: "Why are you still here?"

All she had to do was take the hat off but noooooooo, she wanted to discuss the hat, roll her eyes, and have an attitude.  As a result she was sent to ISD and she missed her test today.  When will they learn...

My 5th period "bodyguards" didn't walk me back from lunch today which was weird.  Usually when we walk back to lunch I have 3 boys that walk with me, one walks in front of me and one on each side.  I don't know why they do it but they do.  I just noticed it maybe last week.  When we get back to the building one of them opens the door while the other 2 stand aside and let me through the door.  Then they get back in formation.  It's hilarious.  One of my "bodyguards" is my Asperger's student.  He's the one in the front. LOL

The moon is still full and the kids are still acting accordingly.  With that being said I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

When does the moon change?

This full moon stuff ain't no joke!  The kids have lost their freakin minds!!  I can't even begin to tell you everything that happened in the past 2 days.  All I can say is I'm tired.  I've had to kick a girl off the volleyball team, sent 13 kids to the chicken coop, calm a lot of testy attitudes before they became monster problems, and diffuse several situations.  It's ONLY Wednesday and tomorrow is pep rally day.  If y'all hear a scream, it's me.  Just call the people to come get me because I've lost it.

Yesterday, was the Algebra I retest and I had to proctor.  That was the longest day of my life.  My room was almost finished testing but they brought in 10 more kids for me to watch.  *sigh*  Luckily, the counselors felt it in their hearts to relieve me so I could go get my children.   I was worn slap out after that. 

My 5th period class handled all of the state test room changes like champions.  All the other kids were running around lost and confused.  Not my 5th period.  Somebody told them that they couldn't come to my class because of testing but they didn't tell them where to go.  So they went to lunch.  They knew that when the bell rang they were supposed to go to lunch and that's what they did.  When I made it to the cafeteria they were in there with their trays and backpacks eating lunch.  LOL.  I was so proud of them for doing what they knew to do.  Then today they messed it up.  I had to take care of an issue today so I sent my kids to lunch and went to take care of the issue.  Well, I get to the cafeteria to find 2 of my boys had gotten into a little altercation.  I had to take back everything good that I had said about them yesterday.  When we made it back to class I let them know that I was disappointed in them for their behavior today.  They promised a change for tomorrow.

My brain is tired and I can't remember all of yesterday and today's events.  If I remember them tomorrow I'll talk about them then.  The 1st 2 months of school wear me out.  Good night! Remember to click on the links to help teachers out!

Full Moon

Full moon + state test + volleyball practice + grad. school = one tired teacher.  Good night.  I'll update y'all tomorrow.  Full moons make kids go crazy and I'm exhausted.

Chicken or Eagle?

Once upon a time there was a momma eagle and a daddy eagle.  One day they decided that it was time to start a family.  The momma eagle laid an egg and daddy was proud.  He went out everyday to hunt food to bring back to his honey bunch.  He wanted her to be strong and healthy so she could hatch that egg.  One day the daddy eagle went out as usual to bring back food and a bad storm came through the land.  The daddy eagle didn't make it back to the momma eagle.  The momma eagle had to make a decision.  She knew she needed to sit on her egg but she also knew she needed food.  She made the decision to leave her egg to go find food.  While she was gone a strong gust of wind came through, WHOOSH!, and blew the nest from its perch.  The little egg landed safely in a chicken yard.  When it landed the chickens in the chicken yard gathered around it to see what it was.
"What is it?"
"It's an egg, stupid."
"But what kinda egg?"
"I don't know.  It ain't a chicken egg. It's too big."
"Let's go ask the rooster.  He'll know."
The chickens went to ask the rooster if he knew what kind of egg it was.  He didn't know nor did he care to know.  So the chickens decided to keep the egg warm until it hatched.  The egg was so big that it took 2 chickens to sit on it.  The day finally arrived when the little egg hatched.  Everyone was so excited!  First, his little beak poked through, next his head.  After that his feet, then wings.  Finally, his whole body was out!  As the chickens watched, their excitement began to fade. 
"What kinda chicken is that?"
"I don't think it's a chicken."
"Well what is it?"
"I don't know.  I do know that it's big and ugly."
The chickens couldn't figure what to do with the little eaglet, so they raised him as a chicken.  They taught him how to do chicken stuff like cluck, scratch at the ground, and eat worms.  The eaglet went through his life thinking that he was a chicken.  One day while the little eaglet was out doing chicken stuff, he noticed a shadow on the ground.  He looked up and saw a beautiful eagle.  He thought to himself, "Man, that's cool.  I wish I could soar in the sky like that.  I'm a chicken.  I'll never be able to fly like that."  Then, he continued to do chicken stuff.  The eagle noticed the eaglet too.  He thought to himself, "What's that eagle doing down there with those chickens?  I better go down here and check the situation."  The eagle swoops down to the little eaglet and starts a conversation.
"Hey, what are you doing down here with the chickens doing chicken stuff?"
"Well duh! I'm a chicken!  Why else would I be down here?"
The eagle stared at the eaglet in disbelief. 
"Dude! You are NOT a chicken.  You're an eagle!  Look at you and look at me.  We're the same.  Now look at you and look at them.  Y'all are different!"
"Man, you're crazy! Clearly I'm a chicken.  I've never done anything but been a chicken.  They told me I was a chicken and taught me how to be a chicken, so I'm a chicken."
The eagle is flabbergasted.  He doesn't understand.  How could this eagle be ok with being a chicken?
"Look, flap your wings."
"I can't fly. I'm a chicken and chickens don't fly."
"Just flap them!"
So the eaglet flapped his wings.  Nothing happened.
"See? I told you I was a chicken."
"Flap harder!"
The eaglet flaps harder and gets off the ground a little.  The eagle was excited. 
"See! I told you! You're an eagle! You can fly!"
"I didn't fly.  I just got off the ground a little.  Chickens can do that."
"You are not a chicken!!!"
"Yes I am."
The eagle was getting frustrated with the eaglet so he left.  The next day the eagle came back to talk to the eaglet. 
"Look man, this whole eagle/chicken thing is bothering me.  Why do you think you're a chicken?"
"They told me I was a chicken."
"Well, you're not a chicken.  Flap your wings."
"Didn't we do this yesterday?"
"Shut up and flap."
So the little eaglet flapped his wings and got off the ground a little.  The eagle didn't give up.
"Now run and flap."
"I don't see the point but ok."
The little eaglet took off running and began to flap his wings.  He took flight but soon crashed because he thought, "What am I doing? Chickens can't fly."
The eagle still didn't give up.
"Go to the top of the chicken coop, jump down, and flap your wings."
"How many times do I have to tell you? I can't fly.  I'm a chicken!"
"Just do it!"
The little eaglet goes to the top of the chicken coop and jumps.  When he jumped he started to flap his wings and soon he was soaring.  He loved the way the wind felt in his wings.  He loved the way the air smelled up there.  He loved being able to look down and see everything.  It was in that moment that he realized that maybe he was an eagle but because nobody ever unlocked his eagle potential he thought he was a chicken.  All this time he was content with always looking down, being a follower, doing stuff because he was told to do it.  He didn't know he was supposed to soar above the rest and be a leader.  So, which one are you? A chicken or an eagle?

As you all know I've been having a few discipline problems in my 6th and 7th period classes.  I was getting a little frustrated because nothing I was doing was working to correct the behavior.  The other day when I was whining to my mom about my kids she reminded me of this story, well, a similar story, and told me to share it with my kids.  I had nothing else to lose so I gave it a shot.  My repeaters received it pretty well.  They separated themselves from their chicken friends and worked on their behavior.  Fourth period is a good class so they didn't see the point in my story.  Fifth period adjusted their behavior as well.  Sixth period...  6 of them had to go to the "chicken coop."   The chicken coop is a corner in the back of my room where the chickens sit and do whatever they want.  They won't get the work that the eagles get nor will they get to participate in class.  The chickens can do whatever they want in the chicken coop. After I told the story one of my "chickens" told me that he was not a chicken and I told him to prove it to me.  As class progressed 2 boys kept laughing, talking, and playing while I was teaching.  I told them to go sit in the chicken coop.  They were heartbroken.  They got in the chicken coop and didn't say a word.  They knew they didn't belong there so I let them come back to sit with the eagles.  They didn't say another word.  Next, my chicken that said he wasn't a chicken and one of his buddies decided they needed to discuss something.  They got sent to the chicken coop. They talked the entire time they were there.  Class went on and 2 more students went, a girl and a boy.  The girl knew she wasn't a chicken.  She took out some paper and took notes as I was teaching.  She moved her desk away from the other chickens and wouldn't stay turned facing the wall.  She got to to come back to the eagle section.  The 3 boys remained in the chicken coop for the rest of class.  They laughed, talked, played, told jokes, etc.  My eagles were getting mad so we moved our desks in a circle and had class that way.  At the end of class, I had a talk with the chickens.  I explained to them that of the 6 that went to the chicken coop 3 realized that they didn't belong there.  They did what it took to get out.  The 3 that stayed were content with being there, content with failing, content with being a loser.  Their excuse? "You told us we could talk over here!"  They were right. I did say that.  I said they could talk, not they should talk.  They sat there in disbelief, like I had just tricked them or something.  Hopefully they've learned their lessons.  We'll see Wednesday.

My Asperger's child gave me a 2 word sentence last week!  I asked him if he was having a good day and he said, "Yeah, sure."  I was so excited.  He never speaks more than 1 word to me.  Woop! Woop!

We lost our volleyball game tonight.  I don't think my girls want to win.  They just get out there hit the ball around and hope that they can score some points.  That's so irritating.  Tomorrow will be a tough practice.  I'm not having any mercy.

I got in trouble today for being too loud.  They were doing the SATP re-test in my building today and I got to stay in my room.  I don't know why they put those kids next door to me knowing I don't have an inside voice.  One of the counselors came and told me to be quiet 1st.  Then a principal came and said we had to go.  We got kicked out of the classroom!  That was their fault anyway.  They know that wall between the classes isn't a real wall. 

I have more to say but it's past my bedtime.  I have to proctor the Algebra I SATP tomorrow and I need to be alert.  Hopefully the kids in my room will finish pretty quickly so I won't be in there all day.  I know it's selfish of me but they're taking my planning period and I had stuff to do in the morning.  I love starting late but it really cuts back on getting stuff done in the afternoons after school.  I'm trying to graduate!  I'll just go Thursday.  *end gripe*

"When we get old, the names we have now are gonna sound funny."

Today some kids with, uh, "creative" names came to the realization that their parents jacked them up by naming them what they did.  One kid made the comment that it's going to sound stupid calling an old man (insert creative name here).  I agreed and encouraged them to name their kids something reasonable that they can spell in kindergarten and doesn't include every letter in the alphabet and an apostrophe.  I hate that because I can't ever get the apostrophe in the right place.  Speaking of names, one of my least favorite kids asked me if I was going to name my kid the same name as him when I had kids.  I almost cussed.  I asked him why would I name my kid a name that brings up bad memories?  I'm naming my kids stuff like Bob, John, Sue, and Betty.  They might not even get names.  They'll be Kid 1 and Kid 2.  Teachers have a hard time naming their kids because a lot of names conjure up bad memories and make us shudder at the thought of certain children.  LOL.  Ok, maybe it's not that bad.

Sixth period is in for a rude awakening.  I'm trying so hard to be patient with them but my patience is running low.  They're the type of kids that you just can't be nice to so Monday the nice Miss G will be absent and mean Miss G will be the new teacher.  I'm so tired of them and their disrespectful behavior.  When I talked to the 8th grade teachers at the beginning of the year, I told them who I had in that 1 class and they all apologized.  That lets you know the type of children I'm dealing with here.  It's not the whole class that's acting like turds, just a few.  Those few are keeping the rest of the class from learning.  Monday everybody in that class is going to get a chance to exercise their rights.  They have the right to a free and public education and they also have the right to fail.  Those few that are violating the class's right to learn will begin to exercise their right to fail.  I will not violate their right to fail by continually asking them to be quiet, to sit down, to do this or that.  This usually works for my behavior problems.  They realize that they can't pass without me and they adjust their behaviors.  Some kids just need to fall and bump their heads before they realize that what they're doing just ain't working.  Some kids have to fall a lot in order to get it.  Hence my class of kids that have been with me for 3 years.  My question in all of this is where is the parent?  How do you let your child fail a class 3 times without coming to the school, calling/emailing the teacher, something? It always baffles me but I digress.  Hopefully those guys in 6th period will get it together sooner rather than later. 

I got evaluated again today.  It went well.  We had to put on a show because we were about to take a test when the principal walked in.  My kids are quick on the draw and play along with little prompting.  They are so funny. 

Remember to vote for Bronson at http://www.limeadesforlearning.com/.  Also check out the other links in the "Check this out!" section.  Shout out to my momma for supporting all teachers.  Her crown has extra rubies in it for her support of us!  Thanks Ma!  You're the bomb.com!

"Myrtle is gonna eat you first!"

After our volleyball game tonight, I brought the girls back to the school.  All of the girls were gone except 1.  My manager and one of my senior players usually waits with me at school until everybody is gone.  Usually everybody leaves pretty quickly but tonight was different.  The kid kept calling her mom and her mom wouldn't answer the phone.  We waited and waited and waited.  While we were waiting we were chit chatting, telling ghost stories.  Suddenly, I start hearing noises.  The girls of course didn't hear anything so we blew it off.  Shortly after the noises started up again and this time my manager heard it.  At this point we're planning our escape.  We all decided that since we were still there because of one kid she should be the one to be eaten by Myrtle (see Myrtle the Ghost).  She didn't appreciate this and called her mom 3 more times to come get her. LOL.  It took me calling the mom to answer the phone and say where she was.  If your child participates in extracurricular activites, please pick them up on time.  We've been with your child all day.  It's your turn.  I know coaches who have called the police to take kids home because mom and dad take their time picking them up.  Imagine how you're going to look when the police pulls up and you're at home watching tv instead of picking up your child.  It's not a good look.  It was about 8:15 when I finally left the school.  Not cool. 

Tonight we had a volleyball game and we lost.  This means we're 2nd in our district.  We HAVE to win our next district game or we're out of the district tournament.  My girls have worked so hard to get to this point and they deserve to go to the tournament.  Now if they keep making simple errors and beating themselves then they don't need to go.  Point blank.

This morning I had a group of guys (not in my class) completely lose their minds.  I walked out of my classroom and they ran to the door and start hollering at me like I was one of their little hoochie momma girlfriends.  I mean cat calling and all kinds of stuff.  I reprimanded them but Friday they get a visit from a police officer or administrator to explain what sexual harrassment is.  I don't have time to be harassed by a bunch of horny 15-16 year old boys.  I don't get paid enough. 

Everybody in my 7th period is behaving except one child.  We're going to have to have a come to Jesus meeting real soon.  The other students have become annoyed with her and her behavior.  She thinks she's funny or whatever.  It's almost like she's trying to see if she can get me flustered or frazzled.  She has yet to learn that there isn't much that a kid can do to bother me.  She'll learn sooner or later.

We took our 1st test today and I'm not sure it went too well.  One kid turned in a test with 5 answers on it.  Out of 50.  Sigh... 

Remember to check the links under the "Check this out" section and vote for Miss Bronson in Limeades for Learning.

Birthday cake and Benadryl

Yesterday was my birthday so I took the day off.  I told my kids the only thing I wanted for my birthday was a good note from the sub.  All yesterday they wrote happy birthday messages on my Facebook wall.  They also made sure to write on there how good they were for the sub.  This time they actually were good for the sub!  I was so happy when I got back to school and saw the note on my desk.  Of course there were a few turds who acted up, but for the most part they behaved. 

Upon my arrival to Room 300 this morning, I encountered the sneezies.  I was sneezing nonstop so I took some Benadryl.  BAD IDEA.  I was dragging all day today.  My kids were talking to me and I didn't hear them.  They knew something was up because I didn't have my eyeshadow on and I was just letting them talk amongst themselves, not really trying to get them quiet.  Of course they asked what the deal was and I told them I was feeling sneezy and I had taken some Benadryl.  They all went "Ooooooohhhhhhhh."  They understood that I was in a fog.  They then commenced with the "whisper to the person on our right or left so Miss G can feel better."  They're sweet. 

I had so much cake left over from Sunday that I took it to share with my kids.  I'm pretty awesome like that.  My kids DEVOURED the cake.  You would have thought that they hadn't eaten in days the way they ravished that cake.  I mean they murked it.  Poor cake didn't stand a chance.  Let's have a moment of silence for the cake. 

As you recall 6th period got on my bad side Friday.  Today I put them in assigned seats, gave them their study guide, and dared them to talk.  They behaved for the most part.  There are 4 guys in that class that no matter where I put them they find a way to talk to each other.  So today I reverted to good ol' time out.  I put all 4 of them in different corners of the room.  They had to face the wall and everything.  They want to act like little kids so I treat them as such.  I plan on doing it everyday until they learn that they can't talk all the time.  3 of the 4 will learn pretty quickly.  The 4th one is such a turd that nothing will help him except me laying on my face praying long and hard that he'll get it together.  That and some oil.  It's crucial. 

Today's life lesson for 5th period was "If you're going to make fun of someone, make sure you're better than them at what you're making fun of them for."  One of  my new kids wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" to me so I let her.  I thought she had a nice voice and did a good job.  Some of the mean girls in class thought different.  They made fun of her loudly.  Naturally I got heated.  I asked them how were they going to make fun of somebody else's singing when they all sound like dying whales when they sing?  At least she tried and thought enough of me to sing to me.  I don't understand why the... Never mind.  I'm not going there.  I'll just think it. 

As most of you may know, education is not a priority in Mississippi.  They take our funds left and right with no thought of the consequences or the affects it may have on our kids.  Because of this we have to get creative in how we reach our kids and how we fund it.  There are several programs out there that allow you to help us.  One is www.adoptaclassroom.org.  My classroom is on there as well as some of my coworkers.  Sonic has a program called Limeades for Learning (www.limeadesforlearning.com).  There are about 15 teachers in the Jackson, Ridgeland, Bolton, Brandon area.  You can search by city, state, county, or name.  I only know of one person on that list and her name is Miss Bronson.  It's her first year teaching and her class needs chair shelves and other storage things for little kids.  You can go to the website and search keyword Bronson.  Once you find her vote for her class.  It costs you nothing.  You can vote multiple times!  OfficeMax is doing a thing on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/officemax?v=app_4949752878) where they'll donate $1 to Adopt-a-Classroom for every person that likes them.  I'll post these links in the upper right hand corner under "Check this out!" so you'll be able to get to them without having to scroll through this post.  Thanks for all you do to help us help your kids!

"Miss G, I feel like Li'l Wayne"

We had volleyball practice tonight and the girls surprised me with cake, ice cream, and a gift card.  Yay!  The whole process of surprising me wasn't as easy as they thought.  They picked the 2 goofiest girls on the team to keep me out of the gym and of course they didn't do their job.  It was funny though.  I pretended I was surprised anyway.  The cake was huge with all of their names on it.  My manager was obviously feeling musical today because she told me felt like Li'l Wayne.  He has a song with a line that goes something like, "it ain't my birthday but my name still on the cake."  LOL. I rolled my eyes. 

Friday, my 6th period pissed me off to the highest level of pisstivity if that's even a word.  They have a test coming up and I was trying to review them for it.  Did they want to review? No.  Did they even pretend? No.  They sat there and had their own little conversations and told jokes all while I was trying to review.  So I politely sat at my desk for the remainder of class.  I gave them the "You're in high school and grades count toward graduation, blah, blah, blah speech" and told them I was done.  Are they going to pass their test next week? No.  Are they going to be sad because they made bad grades? Yes.  Some kids just have to learn the hard way. 

Tomorrow is my birthday! Woop! Woop!  My favorite administrator gave me desks for my classroom for my birthday.  No more raggedy tables! Yay!  And I have enough desks for the gajillion kids I have.  Now we can move around in the room without tripping over stuff or people.  I'm really excited.

There won't be a post tomorrow because I'm taking the day off.  See ya Tuesday!

Progress Report Day

Today was a sad day in Room 300 for a lot of my kids. Today was DUM DUM DUM! Progress report day. My 3rd period was the most distraught. They pouted the whole class period because they had C averages. They even asked to do extra credit and actually did it! That's why I love that class so much. That and the fact that it's my smallest class. We can do more stuff in that class.

Guess who got 2 new students in both of her largest classes? ME! I don't have anymore chairs to put the new kids. I was told that I was getting desks but 33 desks is a lot of desks to squeeze in one classroom. My 3rd period only has 20 kids. Why not put the kids there? Or in 4th period with 24? Why in my largest most vocal classes? I think the counselors have it out for me. And I can say that because they read my blog;). My kids warned me about one of the girls. They said she was gangsta. Great... Just what I need... Another thug.

We've been in school for 4 weeks and my kids have already begun to pick up on my moods and adjust their behavior. My morning got off to a crazy start. Murphy's Law was definitely in action. I dropped my breakfast on the floor, almost fell down the stairs, my car wouldn't crank, I was late, didn't get my copies made because I was rushing, etc. Needless to say I was a little flustered this morning when I got to school. My kids came in and did the usual "good morning Miss Griffin" and asking a million questions. When they noticed I wasn't my chipper self they backed off and asked if I was sick. I explained that I was having a morning and they said they were sorry and left me alone. They were quiet and patient while I got myself together. I'm glad I have good kids. If I didn't I'd still be running crazy now.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Room 300 but I have to tell somebody. I'm in grad school working on my Masters. The lady next to me, who has to be over 40, has bushy armpits. She should know better! Ok, sorry.

A lot of the kids I teach are also athletes. I think it's great that they participate in extracurricular activites. However, I don't think it's great when they SMELL like they participate in extracurricular activites. Man when 9th graders stink, they STINK. I've almost banned them from bringing their cleats and other equipment and clothes in my room. I can't stand that mildew smell. It violates my nose.

Tomorrow is Friday which means it's the weekend! Woop! Woop!

"Miss G, you fat!"

Today, during 4th period, one of my kids felt the need to tell me that I was fat.  I knew my shirt was a little fitted but dang.  I'm glad I don't have a self esteem issue.  You can't have self esteem issues if you're a teacher.  Kids are super honest and will tell you any and everything wrong with you.  My kids are good at it because I'm the same way with them.  It's funny how students sometimes pick up on a teacher's habits, ticks, and tendencies.  I've been told my kids act like me.  I don't know if that's good or bad...

Last week I saw one of my former students as she was trying to re enroll in school.  This child had some issues.  I mean serious diagnosed issues.  They finally figured out what was wrong with her and got her some help.  Anyway, I saw her and she spoke but I didn't even recognize her.  She looked sane.  When she was in my class she looked like a wild child.  I was actually happy to see her because I liked her and all her personalities.  I was sad disappointed when she got in trouble and couldn't come back to school.  I had just talked to her about controlling herself and we had worked on a signal to let me know when she was losing control and everything.  My Friday was ruined when she got in trouble.  I'm glad to see her looking like somebody and getting it together.

My girls lost their game tonight 3 games to 2.  We just couldn't pull it out in game 5.  It was a disappointing loss because it was a district game.  The good news is that everybody in our district is 1-0 in the district so we still have a chance to make it to the district championship.  We're just going to have to practice hard and play harder.

Today has been a day.  Everything was rushed and I'm feeling it now.  It's time for bed.  Have a good night!

"Coach, I'm tired. Can I get a sub?"

Two years ago, one of the 9th grade basketball players made that statement to his coach during a scrimmage game against the 9th grade girls team.  Yeah, he didn't make it the whole year.  That's not the point.  The point is I feel the same way.  I need a sub.  I don't know what I was thinking trying to teach, coach, and go back to school.  Wait, I know.  I wasn't thinking, I was just doing.  It's ok though.  I'll make it.

Friday, one of my homeroom boys thought it'd be a good idea to come into the room and blow kisses at me.  Really kid?  By the time I got done fussing and going over the sexual harassment speech, he was flying back to his seat.  I told the football coach that he needed to talk to his team about appropriate behaviors with teachers.  This morning the kid came in the room in a tizzy because I told on him.  I bet he'll think twice about blowing kisses at the teacher. 

Friday was Pep Rally Day and it went well.  The kids have been behaving really well during pep rallies.  It's probably because it's too hot outside to move around a whole lot.  Even with them being first thing in the morning it's still hot. 

Today's life lesson was mind your own business.  A kid in my 5th period class came to me upset because her current boyfriend, who was her ex-boyfriend a couple of weeks ago but she made him her boyfriend again but he tried to cheat on her so she made him the ex-boyfriend again then she took him back and now he's current again, told somebody they go back together and now some kids are picking on her.  And to top it all off her favorite football team loss.  She was distraught.  I mean, it's bad enough to have boyfriend drama but to have your favorite football team lose... Man...  That's crucial.  Anywho, I had to remind the class that business is free which means they could all afford to get some and get out of other people's.  I didn't even address the football team issue.

Seventh period's behavior is slowly getting better.  They actually worked quietly today for longer than a few minutes.  They must have gotten their ADD/ADHD medications adjusted.  A teacher can always tell when the kids get the drugs changed.  They all of a sudden become little angels.  We can also tell when they haven't had it.  They're turds when they don't have it. 

One of my lower functioning SPED students was telling me about her boyfriend today.  It was the funniest, sweetest, most innocent thing ever.  She was so giggly talking about him.  He probably doesn't even know he's her boyfriend.  Speaking of SPED, my Asperger's student is coming out of his shell a little.  He's starting to interact with the other kids more than he used to.  He laughs at their jokes and stuff.  Like the day I was fussing at them for picking on SPED kids, he was in the back of the room cracking up because they were getting fussed at.  I think he was just glad someone was standing up for him and his peers. 

The volleyball team won their game Saturday! That puts us at 2-2.  Woop! Woop!  Tomorrow we have our 2nd district game at home.  When we win that one, we'll be #1 in our district if I'm not mistaken.  I'm excited!

Tomorrow is Professional Development. Yay... I need to get some sleep so I won't yawn during the meetings.  Good night!

"She get it from her momma"

Yesterday, I talked about how I make sure my kids are dressed appropriately and looking decent instead of looking like somebody has thrown them away.  Today, I want to talk to the parents.  This morning, during my planning period, I witnessed a mother that was dressed inappropriately.  I didn't want to stare but it was like a train wreck that I just couldn't turn away from.  Parents, when you go to your child's school please make sure you follow the dress code.  I'm sure there's like a dress code for parents out there somewhere.  Your club dress is never ok to wear to your child's school.  EVER.  Dads you're not exempt from this too.  Your pants should be pulled up and you should look like somebody.  Wife beaters, gym shorts, and socks with sandals are unacceptable, unless you want the teachers and other kids to have a poor impression of you.  If that's the case then just keep doing what you do. 

Tonight we had our 3rd game and the Pirates spanked our booties.  I don't know where my girls were because we just didn't play to the best of our ability.  They basically let three girls beat them.  It was rather disappointing because they just didn't play as well as I know they can.  Hopefully they'll have shaken off whatever it was that had them all discombobulated and we can win Saturday.

My seventh period class was a little too crunk today.  Somebody went the the assistant principal saying that we were too loud and that I needed some help.  He came over asking if I was ok because the class was too loud.  I was fine.  We were playing Parts of Speech Bingo and they were excited.  Who knew learning could be so fun!

Pep rally tomorrow...  Send up those prayers!  LOL

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"That's just too much girl for that little yellow shirt."

One of the many life lessons that I try to teach my kids is about appearance.  I make my boys pull their pants up and tighten those belts.  I make my girls cover their "girls" and encourage them to look like young ladies not trash.  A lot of times I get help from the guys when I'm talking to the girls and vice versa.  This morning I obviously was slipping because I let a young lady walk by my room without me correcting her on her attire.  One of my guys was on it though.  He came running in the room all flabbergasted and I asked him what the problem was.  He asked me if I saw the girl in the yellow shirt walk by my room.  I replied that I hadn't and asked why.  He told me that I needed to talk to her about how to dress because "that was just too much girl for that yellow shirt."  He was upset that she wore that yellow shirt.  It's funny how my guys are always so hard on how the girls dress.  They fuss about it like I do.  I remember a kid my first year teaching telling me about a girl that had all her "clearage" out and he couldn't concentrate on his work.  I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him to repeat himself.  He said the girl had her clearage out while pointing at his chest.  Then it dawned on me that he meant CLEAVAGE.  These kids are silly.

The first of the month siren thingy went off during 4th period seeing as how it's the first of the month.  As usual with any noise, or anything different for that matter, my kids ask a thousand questions.  Most of them knew what was going on and the others just needed their memories jarred then they remembered.  After they established that it was the tornado sirens being tested like they do the first of every month at noon, they went back to work.  Well, all but one went back to work.  He was still confused about the whole tornado siren situation.  He thought that... y'all ready for this?  Ok, he thought that an ambulance drove around the first of every month with the siren on.  LOL!  And he was serious...  Poor baby...

Tomorrow the volleyball team is playing the Pirates.  The Pirates are going down and not with cupcakes!  Ok, that was an inside joke.  I don't remember which one of my classes was in on that. 

Oh snap! I forgot to get treats for our Bingo game tomorrow.  Well foot.  We're playing Parts of Speech Bingo tomorrow as a review.  Guess I'll get up early in the morning so I can stop at the grocery store.  I have a strong feeling that that's not going to happen.  I'll give it a whirl though.

Three words: THREE DAY WEEKEND.
Four words: FOUR DAY WORK WEEK.
Five words: I AM SO SUPER EXCITED.