Buzz

Tonight I had a student who would not pay attention unless I called him Buzz, as in Buzz Light-year. He also called me Space Ranger, which I deemed ok for the night, as he was the only one (out of 4) that came to class. He is obsessed with Toy Story, so I used this to my advantage.

He was working, but very distracted when I asked him how Buzz did his work. He said, "Buzz is a spaceman, he flies from planet to planet with lightning speed"-his face was completely serious. I then replied, "if you are really Buzz, then shouldn't you be able to work with lightning speed?" I was hoping it would focus him, and it did. He was done with the worksheet in no time and got to move on to the more fun activities (which are a must for this student, because he needs the extra practice with letter sounds and blends-the focus of the fun activities).

Teaching children is never dull :)

Broken Brain

Today at Kumon one of my students was just guessing at the sentences, instead of reading them. When I reassured him that he knew the words and if he looked at them he could read it he replied with, "but Mrs. Brandi, my brain is broken!". When I asked him why it was broken he said he had been thinking so hard to do all the homework (he had neglected to do it for some time and had twice as much as normal) that it broke and now he "just can't think anymore".

It took all my effort not to smile in front of him. I understand the 'broken brain' feeling. It happened often when I was in college. When I had been studying or writing a paper for so long that my head hurt. You know that feeling. So I composed myself and looked into this darling little preschooler's eyes and said, "I can help you fix it". "You can?" he said with much doubt. "Yes, we just need to change your batteries" His face lit up. We stood up, wiggled a little then sat back down.

He got right to work reading his sentences. Right before he left he turned to me and said, "Mrs. Brandi, does my brain take double A batteries or triple A batteries?" I told him I wasn't sure because we didn't have to take them out. He smiled and left.

Oh, the joys of the little moments!

Kids and Their Comments

Just wanted to share some of the joys of working with first grade children. One is that they are blatantly honest. If I forget to ask a question during morning opening, they tell me.

They don't mean it in a rude manner, they are just so routine based that it throws them off to have one question out of place. In my three weeks working with first graders I have had kids hitting each other, name calling, and poking each other with scissors, all very interesting experiences. I have also had some adorable moments. Today I recorded some of the things my 6 and 7 year old's said:

(right after fall decorations were put up) "We have a new student, it's a pumpkin"

"My mommy is about to get married. She is still finding a guy, though."

(comment to me concerning his page where he was writing his numbers to 100) "The numbers were counting just fine and now they are jumping all over the place. Miss Speerly, what is wrong?"

Student 1: Are fairies real?
Student 2: No
Student 1: God used fairies to make nature.
Student 2: You don't know that for real, you still have to learn it.
Student 1: Some people never seen fairies, so they don't know. Why did I see pixie dust when I was playing outside?
Student 2: I don't think it was a fairy, they only like nighttime.

They say the funniest things :)