Overheard at School

As you know, school children go on at least one fieldtrip per year. One year our first grade went to the Zoo. The next day I asked my kiddos what they liked most about the trip. This is the one answer I will never forget. One little girl said, "I liked them big, pink chickens." She then displayed the picture she had drawn of the flamingos.

Overheard at School

I must admit that my desk at school is never very neat, but here at the end I have several extra stacks: the end of the year benchmark tests, last minute graded papers to be put in the computer, certificates to be prepared for awards day, a water bottle and a coffee cup, the meal worms in their plastic box, a birds nest in a ziplock bag, various notes from parents, the office and other teachers, two inventory sheets for the central office, various pens, pencils and markers, and...... Well, I could go on but I think you get the idea.

One of my students was standing by me as I checked her paper at my desk and said, "You know Mrs. Brock, if I was a teacher I think my desk would be neat." This is the one I nominated for GT this year.

Overheard at School

All the children know I don't allow name calling in any form. So with a very sad face one of my kiddos came to say he had been called a name. Well, I asked, what did she call you? With a tremor in his voice, lip trembling, tears threatening, and a thick, slow east Texas accent, he said (I'm going to try to spell this with an accent,)

"Wahdamelon hey-ed."

Yes, he had been called Watermelon Head. I never heard this before and will never hear it again, I suspect.

Overheard at School - Mother's Day Edition

Well, I guess this wasn't exactly overheard. I will be sharing some writing, second grade writing. As part of their Mother's Day gift I had the class write a note to their mom. Teachers never miss a good opportunity to have the kiddos write. Below you will find 5 excerpts from those loving Mother's Day missifs. Please note that I will use the spelling and punctuation fron each note.

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(From a boy)
1. Mom, You are pretty mom. like blue bonnets

(I still have pictures of bluebonnets up from the Texas unit)


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(from a girl)
2. "Dear. Mom"
You're so prety with your new hair cut. I love U mom your so nice and your fun. but on the phone you talk to much.

(We've been studying quotation marks, can you tell?)

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(from a girl)
3. I love you mom I love you a lot just like a puppy


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(from a boy)
4. Mom
I love you from the sun to the last planet in space and back

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(from a boy)
5. Mom you are nice and cute as a rose. I like the way you dress. You dress better than me. You look like the sun that gets me up every day.

Overheard at School

I had to laugh out loud with this child last Thursday. We were walking back to the building from recess and he came up to me with a big smile. He continued to grin while he told me, "It was a great day today!" I was smiling by now and asked, " Why is that?" Still grinning from ear to ear he says, "Three girls were chasing me on the playground." He was such a happy little camper.

It wasn't so much the words as the combination of the grin and the enthusiasm with which he spoke mixed with those words that made this funny. Priceless.

Overheard at School

During Work Station time I over heard two of my students discussing the large world map. Specifically they were talking about North and South America and the fact that they were different colors on the map. One then said, "Wouldn't it be funny if there was a East and West America?"

Overheard at School

Finally!! It is time for us to adopt a new math program!! We've had the same one for 10 years. Over the last few weeks we have been listening to presentations by several publishing houses about their wonderful programs. I really liked the Harcourt Program we saw today, but the presenter tickled me with with his earnestness and enthusiasm. At one point he said, in an attempt to empress us with the web based components of the series,

"The online test, where you can take the test online, is online." Bless his heart.

Overheard at School

All the second grade teachers are going to follow the Iditorod this year. I have been showing my class pictures and discussing it in general. One afternoon I stayed late and made a map of the trail so they could keep track of the the musher and his dogs that they draw. I ordered several things from the official Iditarod site. I told the kids what I got. I ordered an official program and an official map. They ooohed and aaaahed. I ordered a story book by a musher that relates the story of her first run. My class can't wait to hear it! From another site I told the I also ordered a dog bootie so they could see a real one. Well. I looked out over a sea of shocked faces and a wave of noise crossed the room. Variously I heard "EWWWWWW" and "a DOG bootie??" and "A dog BOOTIE??" Little boys snickered. I know I showed them a picture of this form of foot protection a couple of days ago.

I am a menber of NaBloPoMo '08.

Overheard at School

We have a great music teacher at our school. She is everything a music teacher should be and more. All of my second grade kids love music, it's a fun class. They learn about musical elements, they play musical instruments and play musical games. Lots of musical stuff goes on in that class.

Well, the other day a parent came by the music teacher's class to complain. She really was most upset with our music teacher. She says her child doesn't want to come to music class. The music teacher has them.......................listen to music. Can you imagine?

I know, I know. You're thinking that there has to be more than that to it. No. She has them listen to a portion of a piece of music for about 5 minutes when they first come in. Classical and other important pieces of music. She discusses it briefly. They're only in 2nd grade so this is a very short segment in her lesson plans.

Overheard At School

Yesterday I read the book Song of the Swallows to my class. At one point in the story the word undisturbed was used. I asked my second graders if they knew what undisturbed meant.

My favorite answer, called across the room, was: UNBUGGED. I smiled and said, "That's exactly right." I love these kids.

Overheard at School

Today while reading a paragraph and finding information, the class was to give proof of where in the paragraph to find the answer. While discussing one question a student said,

"There ain't no proof!"

Another student, wanting to give some helpful criticism called out, "There ISN'T no proof."

Notes From Children

I just love getting notes from little kids! This one is from my precious great-niece! She created it at her nannies house where we all were for Christmas. As you can tell, it is now on my refrigerator and it will stay there for awhile (a year?) before it goes into the file cabinet. She is in first grade in the school where I teach and is always so cute when we happen to cross paths.

Rusty now shares ;) my love of notes from youngsters because he recently got a Christmas card from one of my students. I posted it on his blog, but will re -post it here. The little boy created it especially for Rusty, drew and colored bones on the front. So cute.

They all know Rusty because I have him as the wallpaper on my computer at school. I also found a stamp that is of a Yorkie and it looks just like Rusty. I use it everyday on their folders. They have started calling it their "Rusty," as in :

"Do I get a Rusty today?"

"I want my Rusty upside down!"

"I'm making a pattern with my Rustys!"

"I didn't get my Rusty!"

"He doesn't get a Rusty! He was in trouble in PE."

OK, I'm still working on the tattling thing, but you get the drift. They have fun with it.

Overheard at School

Here is another cute quote overheard at school. A mother in the PTO was telling me what her child had said about the planned trip to the nursing home.

He told his mom that second grade was going to the nursing home. She asked him what he was going to do there. He said "I don't know, but I don't think they're going to leave us there. Only old people stay there."

Overheard at School - November 31st

It seems our principal had ordered some items form a company that will remain nameless. The items hadn't arrived at our school when expected so our principal (hereafter referred to as Dr. D) called the contact person to see when these things could be expected. Much to her surprise the contact person told her that they would be shipped out on Monday, November 31st and she could expect them soon thereafter. Needless to say, Dr. D was surprised. She surmised that he was working off a different calendar than she was but would look forward to receiving the order soon.

Overheard At School

This morning as soon as we got to the classroom from Jump Start one of my second grade students said to me, "I'm tired. I want to go to a honeymoon and go to a hotel. I don't want to go to school." Ok, where did that come from? I asked him if he had gone to a wedding over the Thanksgiving break but he hadn't.

A teacher I work with in the same grade level overheard this tidbit as several of her students were chatting during a cooperative group activity today: "My daddy sleeps in his tidy whities." Just the facts, mam. They went right ahead with their activitiy with no further comments.

I'll go ahead and add this quote. It is one of my all time favorites. I was talking to one of my first grade classes about the value of giving their best effort on their work. One of my little girls summed up for the class this way: "The more you don't keep trying, the more you don't do better at it."

I'll be posting other cute, funny remarks as they come up, or as I remember them!