VAMPIRE TEETH

If you have never seen the Max and Ruby episode called  "Max's Halloween", it is a cute story about how Ruby wants Max to dress like a Prince for Halloween, but he wants to be a Vampire instead.  He just wouldn't part with his Vampire Teeth!  Today I felt like I was IN that episode!



      

I have a cute first grade boy that showed up to class today wearing green glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth.  I told him he looked great, and asked him to put the teeth in his backpack until recess at the end of the day.  I watched him put the teeth away. Yet every time I looked at him throughout the day, he was wearing the teeth.  I would watch him put them back in his backpack, and then find him wearing them again later.  (normally I would have collected the teeth and given them back at the end of the day, but for one thing, I didn't want to touch them, and for another thing, due to a sub shortage, I had 32 children in my room instead of my usual 20.  It was a pick-your-battle kind of day.)   He just cracked me up all day with those teeth- just like Max from Max and Ruby, when I least expected it, he would smile at me with those crazy teeth!  He has special needs, so I just couldn't get upset with him, and it did bring some humor into a crazy day!  And at least he wasn't backflipping off his chair or the bathroom sink today!  Maybe the teeth should come back another day!


         

FLOOR TIME

I have such an interesting mix of students this year, I just never know what each day will bring.  Today started out quite interesting!  I took a toy away from a newer student in the first 30 minutes of class when she refused my repeated requests to put the toy away.  Her response?  To lay on the floor right where I was teaching!  I asked and then told her to get up, but she refused.  So, I looked down at her, then looked at my unusually attentive first graders, and continued right on teaching reading!  They were all so engaged in the lesson!  (well, except the one on the floor, whom I had to step over to continue teaching.)  I'm not sure if they were so engaged because it was an exciting lesson (it was a good story about life on a ranch, and who doesn't like to learn about cows!), or if they were waiting to see what was going to happen with the girl on the floor, but either way, they were learning!  After about 15 minutes, there was a break in the lesson, so I decided to call the office.  At that moment, the girl got up, walked straight to her desk, got her reading book out and started reading without saying a word!  Huh!


I have another new student who is unable to stay in his seat, (or do any grade level work for that matter), so today while I was giving directions to the entire class, he did a BACKFLIP out of his chair.  I think that's the first time I have ever seen a student do a backflip out of their chair before.  It's something different every day in my classroom!

This week has been a little easier because my Na Na note boy, also known as the boy who leaves trails of feces all over my classroom, has moved.  I really cared about that boy, but I am relieved not to have to worry about feces all over my classroom anymore.  Maybe now I can get another bean bag chair!  The other one had to be thrown away....gross!  (and no, he was NOT a Special Needs student!)

                                          Good-bye bean bag chair!
                                          Sorry I couldn't clean you!


So, I really do have an interesting mix of students, all thrown into a 1st/2nd combo class.  It's an interesting, crazy, and sometimes exhausting ride, but despite all the drama that goes with this class, I really do care for them all!  But I am really looking forward to summer!