- Gum will not harm you if you swallow it. Although the body does not digest it, it is still able to run its course. BUT if you swallow a lot of gum, it could lead to constipation and intestinal blockage. One of my 7th graders is worried she's going to die.
- Elvis Presley sang "Blue Suede Shoes" and dances funny. I told the kids that the song "Air Force One" is like modern-day "Blue Suede Shoes" because it made people want to buy that kind of shoe. One kid had heard of that song...which is probably a good thing, because it is not a song that I promote - and I told my kids that. So then I gave them the example of Air Jordans. Better? Yes, I think so.
- There is a new form of a Kindle called the Nook. (These are kind of like ipods for books) I am excited about them, and I think my kids thought they sounded kind of cool.
nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp?cm_mmc=Google-_-Nook%20-%20Nook%20-%20Exact-_-Nook-_-nook&cm_mmca1=10851528&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Nook_-_Nook_-_Exact&utm_creative=Nook+3484215924&iq_id=10851528&H000000012
- There are also new ear buds that are being marketed. They have bananas, paw prints, and screws on them - it makes them look like they are coming out of your ears. Weirdness.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/21/solid-alliances-new-earbuds-are-crazy-ugly/
- You can buy an application to turn the iPhone into an instrument.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhCJq7EAJJA
- No one in my class had ever heard the Zelda theme song before.
- My students were making the international symbol for "retard" in my classroom today. (Smacking your hand sideways across your chest) I told them that I did not want to see that in my classroom. They were all in awe that I actually knew what that meant.
But they can't get those things past me. I'm so on top of things all the time......
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fridays.....
Wow, so yesterday was DEFINITELY a Friday. The kids were.......energetic yesterday. I suppose that's a good way to put it. The afternoon was definitely worse than the morning.
We had flag football intramurals over lunch, so I don't know if that got them all crazy or what it was. Perhaps it was the mushy chicken alfredo at lunch?
Anyways, so our afternoon always starts with DOL (Daily Oral Language), which the kids ALWAYS complain about and ALWAYS ask if they actually have to do it. I tell them that it's called Daily Oral Language for a reason - we do it DAILY. So they had four sentences to copy down and correct. Four. Then they went up to the Smart Board to make the corrections. This usually takes about ten minutes. Well, yesterday it ended up taking about 25 minutes. I think they now view DOL time as "Ask Miss Van Egdom questions" time. I'm starting to wonder if they are trying to make it last as long as possible.....hmmmm....
So after DOL we started science. I had a few demonstrations focusing on states of matter and phase changes. I was going to take two beakers of water - one hot, one cold - and put food coloring in them to see how quickly or slowly they diffuse. Well, I took one of the beakers and put it in the fridge in the morning so it would be cold enough for our experiment. Well, I go to get the beaker, and I realize that I accidentally put it in the freezer. So I have a beaker full of ice which is now cracked. Perfect. I then grabbed another beaker and got cold water from the sink. I am such a fast thinker.
Then we had a little fun with balloons. Our science book says if you take a balloon outside on a cold day, it will shrink. So I gave every 7th and 8th grader their own balloon (bad idea #2). We headed outside and pretty much nothing happened. The balloons were maybe a little more squishy than they were before. I let the kids play with the balloons for about 5 minutes, which they were pretty excited about. But it didn't help that they started playing with their balloons in front of the 1st/2nd grade room window. Oh, their poor teacher.
We headed back to the room and I made all the students put their balloons in their lockers. I threw my balloon behind my desk and ran to the teachers' lounge to make copies while the kids were working on their art project. I come back to a noisy room and everyone looks at me when I enter.
"What happened?"
"Well, we popped your balloon."
"And how exactly did that happen?"
"Well, it was like going through the air and Devin's pencil hit it."
"Hmmm, but as I recall, I put the balloon behind my desk before I left the room. How did it get all the way over here?"
"Ummm......well, my eraser flew across the room, so I had to go get it."
"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard!"
Laughter ensues.
So yeah, that's my class on Friday afternoons. Needless to say, I'm glad it's the weekend.
We had flag football intramurals over lunch, so I don't know if that got them all crazy or what it was. Perhaps it was the mushy chicken alfredo at lunch?
Anyways, so our afternoon always starts with DOL (Daily Oral Language), which the kids ALWAYS complain about and ALWAYS ask if they actually have to do it. I tell them that it's called Daily Oral Language for a reason - we do it DAILY. So they had four sentences to copy down and correct. Four. Then they went up to the Smart Board to make the corrections. This usually takes about ten minutes. Well, yesterday it ended up taking about 25 minutes. I think they now view DOL time as "Ask Miss Van Egdom questions" time. I'm starting to wonder if they are trying to make it last as long as possible.....hmmmm....
So after DOL we started science. I had a few demonstrations focusing on states of matter and phase changes. I was going to take two beakers of water - one hot, one cold - and put food coloring in them to see how quickly or slowly they diffuse. Well, I took one of the beakers and put it in the fridge in the morning so it would be cold enough for our experiment. Well, I go to get the beaker, and I realize that I accidentally put it in the freezer. So I have a beaker full of ice which is now cracked. Perfect. I then grabbed another beaker and got cold water from the sink. I am such a fast thinker.
Then we had a little fun with balloons. Our science book says if you take a balloon outside on a cold day, it will shrink. So I gave every 7th and 8th grader their own balloon (bad idea #2). We headed outside and pretty much nothing happened. The balloons were maybe a little more squishy than they were before. I let the kids play with the balloons for about 5 minutes, which they were pretty excited about. But it didn't help that they started playing with their balloons in front of the 1st/2nd grade room window. Oh, their poor teacher.
We headed back to the room and I made all the students put their balloons in their lockers. I threw my balloon behind my desk and ran to the teachers' lounge to make copies while the kids were working on their art project. I come back to a noisy room and everyone looks at me when I enter.
"What happened?"
"Well, we popped your balloon."
"And how exactly did that happen?"
"Well, it was like going through the air and Devin's pencil hit it."
"Hmmm, but as I recall, I put the balloon behind my desk before I left the room. How did it get all the way over here?"
"Ummm......well, my eraser flew across the room, so I had to go get it."
"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard!"
Laughter ensues.
So yeah, that's my class on Friday afternoons. Needless to say, I'm glad it's the weekend.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Weather-related????
Does anyone know if there is an actual scientific correlation between weather and the hyperactivity of children? I'm going to bet that there is, whether actual research has been done or not.
My kids today were so crazy hyper and random! Wow. It was exhausting, yet hilarious.
Some of the following questions were asked in my classroom today:
"Did you know that Cain has actual descendents? Like people descended from Cain!"
"How did Methuselah die?" My clever answer: "Of old age." hehe
"But does that mean that Methuselah lived longer than his dad?"
And, these questions were not asked during Bible class. We aren't even studying the Old Testament in Bible class. These questions were asked during DOL - yes, daily oral language.
And then we had to make a decision as a class on what the 7th/8th grade favorite meal would be, and then the cook would make it. Yeah, good thing we had some extra time today. That ended up taking about a half hour. You would've thought that World War III was happening in my classroom with the way that the kids were yelling at each other about mandarin oranges and garlic bread and green beans.
And then one girl yells out, "Kiwis are for African Americans!"
ummm.......what? My jaw pretty much dropped and I have no clue where that came from.
Ahh, such is the life of a junior high teacher.
My kids today were so crazy hyper and random! Wow. It was exhausting, yet hilarious.
Some of the following questions were asked in my classroom today:
"Did you know that Cain has actual descendents? Like people descended from Cain!"
"How did Methuselah die?" My clever answer: "Of old age." hehe
"But does that mean that Methuselah lived longer than his dad?"
And, these questions were not asked during Bible class. We aren't even studying the Old Testament in Bible class. These questions were asked during DOL - yes, daily oral language.
And then we had to make a decision as a class on what the 7th/8th grade favorite meal would be, and then the cook would make it. Yeah, good thing we had some extra time today. That ended up taking about a half hour. You would've thought that World War III was happening in my classroom with the way that the kids were yelling at each other about mandarin oranges and garlic bread and green beans.
And then one girl yells out, "Kiwis are for African Americans!"
ummm.......what? My jaw pretty much dropped and I have no clue where that came from.
Ahh, such is the life of a junior high teacher.
Friday, October 9, 2009
"We have two for-sure adults here..."
So this past Wednesday we went on a field trip to Sioux Falls to tour the Power of Fire house and to do the Fire House. It was a really great experience, and I think the kids really enjoyed it.
There were some crazy things in the Power of Fire house. It's a real trailer house that actually caught fire and now has been preserved. You can see where the fire started and how the smoke damaged the house. You could see the outline of teddy bears that were sitting against the wall. The phone was completely charred and melted, while a paper decoration was fine right below it. You could see the ketchup bottle had started to melt and was leaning towards the source of the fire. Neat stuff!
The funniest part of the day though, was probably where the leader of our tour could not figure out if I was a student or not. During his presentation he kept saying things like, "The two adults in here know that....." or, "If you ask the two adults....." Well, there were three of us. The principal, the 3rd/4th grade teacher, and me. So basically, that's telling me that I look like an 8th grader. Awesome. My kids kind of snickered a little when they realized that he didn't know that I was a teacher.
Later, the man said to me, "So......you are........"
"The seventh and eighth grade teacher," I replied.
"Oh, yeah, I thought you looked a littl to old to be one of the students, but I wasn't really sure."
Wow, really? Oh, well. At least I'll look like I'm 30 when I'm actually 40, right? Ok, maybe not.
There were some crazy things in the Power of Fire house. It's a real trailer house that actually caught fire and now has been preserved. You can see where the fire started and how the smoke damaged the house. You could see the outline of teddy bears that were sitting against the wall. The phone was completely charred and melted, while a paper decoration was fine right below it. You could see the ketchup bottle had started to melt and was leaning towards the source of the fire. Neat stuff!
The funniest part of the day though, was probably where the leader of our tour could not figure out if I was a student or not. During his presentation he kept saying things like, "The two adults in here know that....." or, "If you ask the two adults....." Well, there were three of us. The principal, the 3rd/4th grade teacher, and me. So basically, that's telling me that I look like an 8th grader. Awesome. My kids kind of snickered a little when they realized that he didn't know that I was a teacher.
Later, the man said to me, "So......you are........"
"The seventh and eighth grade teacher," I replied.
"Oh, yeah, I thought you looked a littl to old to be one of the students, but I wasn't really sure."
Wow, really? Oh, well. At least I'll look like I'm 30 when I'm actually 40, right? Ok, maybe not.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Real Thing
Wow.
The last time I wrote on this blog, I was a pretend teacher, or, as some call it, a student teacher. Living the life of a student teacher, my cooperating teacher gave me tips on what to plan, gave me pages and pages of lessons she had done in the past, and gave me encouraging advice. The kids loved me because I was someone other than their actual teacher. I was responsible, but if anything went wrong or got out of control I could depend on my cooperating teacher to bail me out.
Fast forward to the present.
Now, I am in my third week of teaching. Real life teaching. I am a real teacher. Crazy how fast the summer went. I am pleased to say that I am surviving. I come home quite exhausted every night, but supper is usually waiting for me when I get home. (Thanks, Mom.)
Yes, that's right. I am a 22-year-old college graduate living with my parents. Now before you go judging me for being a mooch, my parents thought that it would be a good idea for several reasons:
1. I will be able to pay off my college loans much quicker.
2. I will be able to pay my parents back for all my college tuition much quicker.
3. I will be able to keep my mom company, because she doesn't do too well when her kids are gone.
There are also several reasons why I think that it's a good idea to live with my parents:
1. Free food.
2. I'm living in Sioux Falls, and not Inwood. There is the commute every day, but still, I'm living in Sioux Falls, and not Inwood.
3. I get to sleep in my water bed.
4. I am saving lots of money.
5. Quite a few friends still live around here - also with their parents. It's a little weird that, as college graduates, we're still hanging out at our parents' houses. Oh well.
Such is life.
And then there's the teaching. But hopefully I'll get into that in my next blog. I really will try to keep up with this whole blog thing. I kind of slacked off in my second half of student teaching.
Off to put some grades in the gradebook.
***Note to those thinking about becoming a teacher: If you don't like to take work home, don't become a teacher.
The last time I wrote on this blog, I was a pretend teacher, or, as some call it, a student teacher. Living the life of a student teacher, my cooperating teacher gave me tips on what to plan, gave me pages and pages of lessons she had done in the past, and gave me encouraging advice. The kids loved me because I was someone other than their actual teacher. I was responsible, but if anything went wrong or got out of control I could depend on my cooperating teacher to bail me out.
Fast forward to the present.
Now, I am in my third week of teaching. Real life teaching. I am a real teacher. Crazy how fast the summer went. I am pleased to say that I am surviving. I come home quite exhausted every night, but supper is usually waiting for me when I get home. (Thanks, Mom.)
Yes, that's right. I am a 22-year-old college graduate living with my parents. Now before you go judging me for being a mooch, my parents thought that it would be a good idea for several reasons:
1. I will be able to pay off my college loans much quicker.
2. I will be able to pay my parents back for all my college tuition much quicker.
3. I will be able to keep my mom company, because she doesn't do too well when her kids are gone.
There are also several reasons why I think that it's a good idea to live with my parents:
1. Free food.
2. I'm living in Sioux Falls, and not Inwood. There is the commute every day, but still, I'm living in Sioux Falls, and not Inwood.
3. I get to sleep in my water bed.
4. I am saving lots of money.
5. Quite a few friends still live around here - also with their parents. It's a little weird that, as college graduates, we're still hanging out at our parents' houses. Oh well.
Such is life.
And then there's the teaching. But hopefully I'll get into that in my next blog. I really will try to keep up with this whole blog thing. I kind of slacked off in my second half of student teaching.
Off to put some grades in the gradebook.
***Note to those thinking about becoming a teacher: If you don't like to take work home, don't become a teacher.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Round 2
So I haven't really done very well at this whole blogging thing yet this session. I'm way busier than my first session already, and it's only the second week! So tiring!
So I'm at Sioux Center Christian in 6th grade. They are definitely different than my third graders. Not quite as cute, and not quite as nice. Sixth graders have attitude. There are some kids who are just so much fun, and even though they're talkative, they're really nice kids. And then there's some kids who just get on your nerves! But I'm learning. I'm getting to know the kids better which is fun.
I'm doing my unit this session. Making Children's Picture Books. It's actually quite fun. There are piles and piles of picture books all around the classroom right now to serve as models for the students. We've been reading several of them, and I have definitely found a newfound love for Chris Van Allsburg. Amazing man! (He's the guy who wrote Polar Express, Jumanji, Wretched Stone, The Z Was Zapped, etc.) I also love books by William Steig! I think the kids are enjoying reading the books too, even though they try to read the shortest ones and get away with the least amount of work possible. Hmmmm
Anyways, I'll try to keep up with this whole blogging thing, but I have a feeling I'm going to be ridiculously busy coming up here pretty soon.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Grand Finale
It's over. Done. I'm currently sitting on my water bed in Sioux Falls, dreaming of the warm Florida weather that I've left behind. Remind me again why I came back?
I miss my Florida friends! Sooooo soooo much! Can I please forget this whole Sioux Center thing and go back to Florida?
Ok, sorry. Done complaining. So my last week at Lake Worth Christian was quite interesting. The week started off with my teacher being sick for two days, so I was in full control. This last week was my week of having full control anyways, so it wasn't really a big deal. It is really interesting though to see how the kids act differently when their actual teacher isn't in the room. Definitely a little more talkative.
It was heartbreaking telling the kids that it would be my last week. So sad! I had become so attached to them, and they'd become attached to me. But, the week went well, and I expected the class had a little something planned for Friday - my last day. Third graders aren't very good at keeping secrets - especially about parties. They would come up and ask me what my favorite kind of cake was, and try to be all sneaky about it. Oh my.
So Friday came, and what do you know, they threw me a party! They all went around the room and said why they thought I would make a great teacher. We had brownies, ring pops, and Capri Suns. And they gave me a framed picture of me with the class. Also, a bunch of the kids made me cards, which of course were adorable. One card, written by one of my cutest, sweetest little girls, brought tears to my eyes. It made me really realize why I want to be a teacher.
It said:
Dear Miss Van,
I will miss you a lot and I have high hopes for you.
I will miss you a lot and I have high hopes for you.
I will never forget you. You were a great teacher and I'm
sure any school will be greatful to have you there.
You made everything different in third grade and something
happened. You made it exciting and I hope all of your friends
like hearing about us. You changed third grade.
You changed me.
I will miss you very very much and I hope I will see you
again one day. I loved you being here and I will really miss you.
Love your best pal.
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