Christmas break is over. *wails of sadness and tears* Ok, back to reality. Last week was the end to our 2 week vacation. The 1st week back was not a fun one for me but I made it through. My kids came back full force ready for something. Too bad that something wasn't learning. I almost had to retrain them on how to act. It didn't take long and they were back to the little angels I know and love.
With a new calendar year comes new attitudes and New Year's resolutions. A few of my kids said their resolutions were to be better students, not talk so much, get their work done, and not get on my nerves. Sixth and seventh periods were the classes that promised to be better in the new year. I tried to believe them, I really did. Their resolutions lasted all of 5 minutes. They tried. Bless their hearts.
Sixth period seemed to have gotten a lot worse over the break. I had to get real honest with them Thursday at the end of class. They didn't appreciate it but I didn't care. They had pushed the very last button and I was done. At the end of my speech, I told them I expected better attitudes come Monday or it was going to be some consequences and repercussion in Room 300. God must have known that they didn't have it together yet so He gave us a "snow day" with no snow. Today, they were much better. I said a quick prayer before they came in the room and while they were completing their assignments I kept repeating that they were my favorite class. When I talked to them, I called them my favorite class and told them what I expected of them. They were really confused. At least they were quietly confused so it worked for me.
Last week we got a new coworker in the English department. She's in a tough spot because #1 she's a new teacher, #2 she's inheriting someone else's kids, and #3 she's got a tough group of kids. The kids made it very clear that they were not going to make this easy for her and I don't think they have. She was trying to get her bluff in with them last week when one kid raised his hand:
Kid: "Listen lady, the only teacher that spook me was Miss G, so don't try and come play Miss Hard."
The new teacher was at a loss for words. I'm sure she hates me now. Thanks guys.
Monday was supposed to be Parent/Teacher Day but because of the, um, snow it was canceled. I can expect lots of conferences coming up soon. Yay...
This morning I rewarded my kids with breakfast because they met the goal I set for them. They had to maintain a C average for the 1st semester. Now you may think that's an easy goal, it's a C. Yeah, you don't know these kids. The 1st nine weeks they had a 65 and that's with help from me. The majority of the class was failing and were content with it. I had to remind them almost daily of their goal in order for them to achieve it. They finished the 1st semester with a 71. I was proud. You can tell that these kids are not used to people giving them stuff. They tried to pay me for their breakfast. I was like this is a reward for reaching your goal. They insisted on paying me. I had to make them keep their money. It's sad that they don't know how to be rewarded without thinking that they have to pay for it. Hopefully they will learn something from this.
I'm going to try and do a better job of updating my blog. I either don't have time to update it or I forget everything that happened that day. My kids are funny everyday but I can't remember everything. I try not to entertain their foolishness but sometimes I can't help it. I have to laugh. Anyway, I'm going to bed.
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