Treehouse Man & Some Casts

This is a crazy time of year for me because it is the end of school and the start of camp. At my school, I have to completely pack up my room. As a department chair, I am preparing two "training" sessions. I'm also finishing report cards, preparing lessons, going to camp meetings and, of course, I got summoned to jury duty (I'm all for being a good citizen, but seriously?). I was smart enough to bring journals to grade as I sat in that ridiculous waiting area. Here are two entries that made me smile. Although sometimes I think these writing pieces are only funny to me because I know the children and can imagine them actually saying these things, but I hope some readers out there enjoy them (let me know with a comment :)). I especially like this student's style because it totally matches the way he actually speaks and tells stories.

"A treehouse! A treehouse! Sure, my dad has built us stuff before, but nothing like this! He even did this all by himself! You know what that means, no help! My mom wouldn't even help him. He even might add a slide someday. Don't get me wrong and all. I'm usually not this hyper, but in my opinion this is something to hype about. I mean, not everyone has a dad who will take this own time to build his kids a tree house. I might be scared of heights but I'm going to forget about that fear when I'm in that treehouse. I might even forget my fear entirely. You know, I'm thinking of renaming my dad: The Treehouse Man!"

"My name is Mike, and I've had twelve casts! Now, I know what you are thinking. What on earth does this kid do in his free time?! Well, the answer to that is : falling off monkey bars, tripping over tree roots and a whole lot of toe-walking. Casts 1,2,3: When I was three, I was trying to do a trick that goes like this: step 1: get on the monkey bars, step 2:swing really high off the monkey bars, step 3: land on your feet! I screwed up on#3. That little incident landed me in the hospital with three casts at one time! Cast 4: Everyone loves camp, and so do I. But, I used to like it more. If you are wondering why I don't like camp so much, here's my story: my friend Seth and I were playing a game called "Steal The Counselors Hat". Apparently, karma decided then to visit me. While I was running from my counselor, I tripped on a tree root and smashed my arm into the ground, leaving my arm in yet another cast. Cast 5,6,7,8,9,10,11 &12: ever since I was in kindergarten I would walk on my toes. No harm you say? Think again, reader! Your hamstrings get super tight. These casts on my legs were the only other choice besides surgery. My advice is to avoid all of these things."

It's almost Moving Up! I'm going to miss these little guys.

A computer just for video games

I took a personal day yesterday, and it turns out if was a good day to do it. The rain storm took out the power at school, and we were barely functional today. From what I hear the school was ridiculous on Monday. Coming back to school today was stressful because of some commuting hassles. I was further annoyed when I realized the copies, emails and smartboard presentations were not going to happen. One thing was able to totally change my mood, and it wasn't the electricity coming on (although we eventually got some power). One of the boys came up to me and said, "Welcome back, Ms. F! I missed you." That boy might have just been being polite, but it really helped me.

On a more ridiculous note, one of the boys in my class told me that he can't type his report at home because he isn't allowed to use the computers at his house. I was surprised to hear it, and at conferences last week, I was sure to ask his parents about it. His parents were like, "what?! You mean that less than a year old computer in his room. Of course, he can use it." We decided that we were going to team up to keep a closer eye on his stories. He gave me a different story about the computer today that "it is really only for video games, and that (his) dad doesn't like it if he uses it for anything else." So, I told him that we were going to make a phone call together and he can ask his dad permission right now if he can use his computer for his assignment. Looking a totally uncomfortable, we dialed his dad's cell phone and spoke together on speaker phone. We had this conversation:

Me: Hi, Mr. ______ this is Ms. F. I'm standing here with Jacob and his handwritten copy of his report.
Dad: Hey, buddy, why isn't the report typed like Ms. F asked ?
Jay: Hey (quiet voice then silence)
Dad: That's your explanation? Hey?
Jay: I didn't type it.
Dad: I hear that. Why?
He is just standing there stiff..no sound coming out of his mouth...
Me: Mr. _________, Jay shared that he is under the impression that he's not allowed to use his computer unless it is for video games.
Dad: Seriously? Come on, Jay
Jay: I was just..
Dad (cuts him off): Buddy, just stop...whatever you were just, you aren't anymore...got it?
Jay: okay
Dad: You are going to type the paper tonight...on your computer... that's not just for video games

Honestly...did he think I would fall for a computer just for video games...come on!

The clincher...as we are ending the conversation, this happens:

Dad: So, we are all clear about what is going to happen and what is going to be in Ms. F's hands tomorrow morning.
Jay: Yeah, and Dad..
Dad: Yeah
Jay: Can I go to Joey's after-school for a playdate?

Oy! Even I could tell, it's not a good time to ask this..yikes!

See, this is why I work with kids

For awhile now, this situation has stuck in my mind as to why working with adults would drive me crazy. I just get the feeling that they should know better. Kids, we'll at least they have the fact that they're young and naive as an excuse. Anyway, picture this:

I was looking for research books for my kids in the library. That's right, my kids are rockin' they're first research report with the help of yours truly. As I was searching the shelves, a little kindergarten class was checking out books. Watching them, in and of itself, is pure entertainment. There is a boy in this class that has a sister in my class. I recognized his mother walking into the library. As soon as she stepped foot in the library, the little boy ran to her: "Mommy!" His little unsuspecting friend ran over to her too. He tapped her and said, "are you Adam's mommy?" With an annoyed expression, she turned to this little boy and said, "kid, what do you think? I just walk into random classes and kiss random kids. I mean, come on!" If he were a little older, he probably would have walked away hurt and maybe started crying. He may have felt hurt, but he certainly didn't look it. He had the best response I think he could have had. He paused a minute and said, "so, are you Adam's mommy? I don't know." Thank goodness Adam finally stepped in and said, "Yes, this is my mommy."

Here's my question: would it have killed her to just say yes the first time? Furthermore, she may not walk up to random kindergartners and kiss them, but she will snap at random kindergartners? I was so annoyed with her just watching that. I feel like she should know better. Honestly! Kudos to that little boy for hanging in there and giving it right back to her. What would she have done if her five year old didn't take control of the situation?