the color of you...

Hi! It's been awhile. I have been not well these past days/a little over a week. Thank goodness I have a dream class because I am truly beat. I felt badly for them because I started having to leave work in the middle of the day. One day, I was in so much pain from this that I ended up pulling a random teacher from the hallway to watch my kids and I drove myself to the ER. I'm thankful I did, but I felt badly for my students. Anyway, I felt like I needed to provide an explanation for them about midweek. I sat the kids down on our class rug, and I started to explain that I have something going on. I didn't want them to worry, but I just wanted them to know what it was so they wouldn't let their imaginations get the better of them. One of my boys, with some social skill issues, decides to join the conversation my contributing this:

"Oh wow! Ms. F, you're looking horrible lately, so I'm not surprised. My mom won't be either because when she dropped me off this morning she said you were looking skinny and tired. Besides, the color of you ( he was trying to say I looked pale) is not how it usually is. I've seen you look bad, but ...."

I stopped him by saying, "OOOOOOkay, thanks for sharing your opinion. Does anyone have a question, not a comment, but a question about what I just shared with you?"

Clocks

There have been so many times over the past week or so that I thought "that's one for the blog!" Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance or the energy to even write. The thing is that I feel like I am running on a treadmill that keeps speeding up. I put a stop to it for a little though, and I'm thrilled to go to Boston to do some visiting. Here's something funny that happened today:

I had this feeling that I lot of the kids in my class can't read an analog clock. The truth is that they aren't really required to do it that much anymore. All of the electronic devices in homes, in cars, on portable devices and even in our school are digital. Either way, call me old fashion, but I feel like reading an analog clock is still a valuable skill (even if it means that they just use it during a power outage). So, acting on my feeling, I did random poll of the class asking anyone who still have trouble reading non-digital clocks. This is what one girl said to me:

Me: Raise your hand if you feel you still need more practice reading clocks.
(more than half the class raised its hand).
Girl: Ms. F, I don't think we should waste our time with those circle clocks.
Me: Why not?
Girl: Well, I've practiced this before and every time the circle CLOCK isn't right.
Me: What do you mean the circle clock isn't right?
Girl: See, let me see your watch.
(Show her my watch)
Girl: Our classroom clock says 1:48 and your watch says...(long pause-she started counting by fives on her fingers :)..says 12:58.
Me: It does..let me see that...Sweetheart, the watch is right but you're reading it wrong.
Girl: So, the circle clocks do work?
Me: Yes, they were even around before the digital ones
Girl: Wow! that must have been so hard

I just love this little girl!