Student-isms

I love the way the world looks through the eyes of a child. Everything is new and different. Most kids still have an innocence about them that allows them to see things in a whole different way. For starters I love when my students bring me presents. Over the years I have gotten quite a random assortment of interesting gifts. This year I would have to say has been the best.

Example #1:
A random jumble of clothespins, pipe cleaners, googly eyes and to top it all off...a cinnamon stick thrown in for good measure. Because what pile of random stuff isn't complete without a cinnamon stick?

Example #2:
I opened the door one morning to find myself staring straight into the sparkling, foam eyes of a giant wooden penguin complete with scarf. The student proudly props the penguin up against my desk and turns to me with a look that tells me he expects applause, a hug or possibly both. I asked him where he got this treasure from and he said...and I quote, "My mom and I pulled it out of the dumpster in front of our house and she thought you might like it." How this mom guessed that I always wanted a giant, wooden, dumpster penguin I'll never know, but I thank her.

Then the icing on the cake was when he looks at the penguin and says, "Some of it was broken and then I dropped it getting off the bus, so more of it broke." Not to worry though. He carefully deposited all the broken pieces on my desk and then with a flourish handed me a bottle of.....
Wood glue.
Excellent.

Example #3:
It was Monday. I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when out of nowhere this little gem appears in front of my face.
Now, I don't know about you....but I was unsure how to react to the situation. I mean clearly this child had taken the time to not only find toothpicks and an orange, but to cleverly arrange the toothpicks within the orange. He hands it to me and says, "I made you a pineapple." I told him that pineapple was my favorite fruit. The best part was that he had carried this delightful treasure in his backpack the whole way to school and since all the juice had leaked into his backpack there was none left to make my desk sticky. Win-win.

I love teaching 1st grade because they kids are old enough to tie their shoes and sneeze into a Kleenex (well at least most are), but they are still young enough that there is none of the attitude that comes once they hit 3rd grade (at least most of the time). However, I had not yet encountered note passing in 1st grade. My kindergarten students were working hard at making a puppet of a duck. Coloring, gluing, trying not to cut hair or clothes with the scissors...all the joys of being 5. Being the mean teacher that I am I made my 1st graders work on boring stuff like reading and writing. Well I look over and I see one 1st grader ever-so-subtlety throw a piece of paper 2 rows over to another student. I go over, pick up the paper and give the girl my teacher look. Then I open the note, start laughing and have to retract the teacher look.
Poor 1st graders. :-) Don't worry. I made it up to them by making them take a timed test....
....and then they made duck puppets.
I love being a teacher!