Y'all Don't Understand Life

on·o·mat·o·poe·ia

ˌänəˌmatəˈpēə,-ˌmätə-/

noun

the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle ).

I love this lesson. I love it because it reminds me how creative and fun my students can be at the ripe age of 12 and 13. It reminds me that, despite all that media and peer pressure that seems to force them to grow up faster than we did at this age, they are still kids; and I love it.

 

I stood at the front of the room, making sure I had plenty of space, in order to ask the kids if they knew about such cartoons as "DUNNA NUNNA NUNNA NUNNA DUNNA NUNNA NUNNA NUNNA, BATMAAAAN! POW! BANG! BOOM! (insert air punches here)!" I got a lot of "what the heck?" looks from the kids, but I was not phased by this as I get it on a daily basis because I frequently make a fool of myself...for their benefit. Ask any child in my classroom if they know how to spell the word onomatopoeia. Guaranteed you'll get a "yes!" because of my teaching strategies. You're welcome, kids. You're welcome, world.

 

I gave them a list of nouns such as bacon, rattlesnake, rain, and a baby crying; they had to come up with an onomatopoeia for each sound. When we reached the word rain, we talked about how there are different types of rain, so obviously there are different sounds we could record on paper. One of the choices was shhhhhh. Here is the  student "conversation" that followed that response:

 

S1: Shhhh, ooh... it's like a mountain.

S2: How is it like a mountain???

S1: (attempting to explain)

S2: No, it's not! (whole class agrees by adding their own comments)

S1: Whatever, y'all don't understand LIFE!

 

These are the types of things being debated in 7th grade classrooms today.

WHAT'S the Conflict??

Honestly, there isn't a story to preface this photo. His answer for "conflict" didn't make any sense to me either. There is NO explanation for what you're about to see. Listen, I understand, at times, these may truly be a conflict for people in life, it just wasn't a conflict in the story he was reading. I don't know what else this word could be...

Punishments

I have a particularly special class for my last period of the day. They are FULL of personality &, at times, it's difficult to concentrate on academics because of distractions around the classroom. That's the nice way of saying it. ;)

I implemented a new "Bingo" system with this class that allowed each student the opportunity to earn stickers on their Bingo boards. If they had a full row by the end of the week, they were allowed to join the other "full row" students for some free time outside for the last 15 minutes of class on Friday. This has been working out very well for this class.

Before we decided on this "Bingo" idea, I wanted to get the students' feedback on what they thought might be going wrong in the classroom & what some solutions might be to create a more productive learning environment. After some interesting suggestions, I quickly realized there are some kids who LOVE to think of punishments. One student couldn't stop suggesting different punishments, which entailed embarrassing/humiliating students infront of the class (to teach them a lesson). One student who sits quietly under the radar most days in class, rolled his eyes & responded under his breath, "Man, he's on fire..."

Another student, after much thought, muttered loud enough for the people around him (& me, thank goodness) to hear him say, "You should just give us spankings." A friend of his next to him said, "SPANKINGS??" The student looked up & squealed, "Spankings. You don't get spankings?!" Ahh yes, folks. These are the children of our future... I love them & their way of thinking...

Inconveniently Late in the Year

Well, I'm disappointed to report that it's been more than a year since I've written my last post.

Last summer, I felt like God was encouraging me to make a move to another school, so it was bittersweet when I applied for a new job as an ELA teacher & was offered a position at Gorzycki Middle School, leaving my Kealing kids in 78702. The good news is, my Kealing kids still email me, so I still feel connected, & they are doing so well! Gorzycki has been such a positive change for me. I feel I have learned so much from my coteachers & admin about classroom management, teaching style, & expectations for student-centered learning. I have also learned so much from my 7th graders here at Gorzycki too.

Unfortunately, I haven't been dedicated to recording the ridiculous things they've said or done, & therefore have missed out on posting the classic stories on this blog. Knowing this, I want to make sure it doesn't continue very much longer. I have made a promise to myself to begin collecting the quotes, events, & stories about my awkward little teens on a weekly basis so I will be able to post these memories from my first few years at Gorzycki.

Here's to the witty nuggets that have made my first year at Gorzycki an unforgettable experience!

Valentine's Day

My students are amazing! On Valentine's Day I received a few really special gifts.
What would Valentine's Day be without a snuggly bear with 2 Fruit Rollups? Or a series of "I (heart) U" chocolate bars with a Sponge Bob Squarepants theme? ;)


















Not only are her complete sentences perfect, but she made this pen for me. You can't see it well, but she enscribed "Ms. Schwarzlose" in the design. It is so cute!!





2/16/12:
And last, but certainly not least, I was given a card first thing this morning from one of my 1st year students. I love the little details about this card. The heart on the right says, "Happy one (crossed out) TWO day after Valentine day."