What In Tarnation?!?!? In the Classroom

Originally posted: August 22, 2002

Whew, this week is going fast! It seems like Wednesday today! I have had little time to stop moving though. I am starting to get back in the swing of things at school. As a class, we are starting to hit our stride. It takes awhile to get used to each other, especially them to me cause I am not like the teachers that they had last year, but we are getting used to each other. I am ready for school to be out.

Now for the notes on the day:

I was standing next to the door that goes out to the playground at the beginning of recess, receiving hugs from students from last year (there was a whole line of them.) Another student who I didn’t have last year, got so swept up in the moment that he starting giving me a hug… until half-way through the embrace when, I guess he came out of his lemming trance and realized that he didn’t really know me at all and that this situation could be slightly embarrassing for him. So here, we will call him Randy, was in mid-hug with someone who he didn’t really know. So what does he do? Well the only logical thing that one can do in that situation: pat my belly. I was dumbfounded.

I now have a high school student in my class the last two hours of the day. I don’t really want her because she is more in the way than being helpful. Oh well.

{Pressed} (by the way, thanks Pressed) read this at last night’s Loft, turn with me in your Bibles to Education 5:1:

Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and gathering them around him, he taught them saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Then Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?”

And Andrew said, “Are we going to have a test on this?”

Philip mumbled, “I don’t have any paper.”

Bartholomew asked, “Do we have to turn this in?”

John whined, “The other disciples didn’t have to learn this!”

Matthew asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Judas complained, “What does this have to do with anything?”

And James said, “I don’t get it.”

Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus’ lesson plan and inquired of him, “Where are your theological imperatives and long-term objectives in the cognitive domain? Be sure to activate prior knowledge and align it to the curriculum.”

I changed it a bit.

Mr. W, out!

Posted by Christopher at August 22, 2002 06:58 PM

Original comments below.

Comments

Wow a pat on the belly? I am speechless. That kid needs to watch where he is hugging!
Posted by: Pressed on August 22, 2002 07:07 PM

I can sympathize with the belly pat thing. Tonight was my Parent Orientation. Even though I had requested parents not bring their children, several of them did. Most of the kids I met were pretty shy (I guess when you’re 3, most people are strangers). One of my little girls, though, was very social (I seem to recall on her IEP that she was in special ed for social skills…but maybe that was someone else) and had a hard time being patient while I was talking with her mom. So little Tara (name changed) keeps trying to get my attention to so I’ll talk to her. Now, I’m well aware that this little girl is getting frustrated, but her mom has already reprimanded her several times for interrupting, so I decide not to praise her rudeness by talking to her. So I ignore her. She reaches up to pat me…but she’s so tiny (I can’t get over how itty-bitty some of these 3s are!) her little hand reaches up and pats me repeatedly in the crotch. Her mom was embarrassed…I tried to reassure her that nothing is off-limits to a preschooler and that I wasn’t offended. Nonetheless, little Tara was receiving a lecture about “you can’t touch people there” as her mom was leading her out of my classroom…
Posted by: Anna on August 22, 2002 07:54 PM

Yes, i too appreciated the educational rendition of the Bible. Meaningless questions. This too has become my life.

“Mr. Huitt, I didn’t quite catch that the first 32 times. What are we doing again?”

AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

BANG!
Posted by: Le Renard Subtil on August 22, 2002 08:27 PM

Class dismissed!