Let’s be honest, the real reason I like teaching is my ridiculous interactions with the kids. A few highlights from the last week:
-S having a conversation with the characters in the book “Muppetts Go to Manhattan” during Drop Everything and Read time: “No Miss Piggy, don’t eat that.” and “Kermit, what are you doing in Manhattan?” And the other students just sat and watched him, transfixed. This conversation with the book went on for about 10 minutes. I was seriously almost crying I was laughing so hard, partly because the dialogue was hilarious and partly because of the serious and somber mood from the rest of the class.
-I was anonymously nominated for “Most Inspirational Teacher”. I’m not bragging–only 4 students submitted my name, and one of those who did listed the reason as “because my boyfriend’s in her class.” Brilliant.
-The students told me they’d heard Third Ward, the neighborhood our school is in, would be swallowed up by Midtown (and renamed as such). I joked that the name change would bring all the white people (Midtown has become one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in town). The entire class screamed “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Being the resident white person in the room, I feigned shock and offense. G, representing the class, let me know “MISS, you’re not white. You’re an honorary Mexican!”
- And to keep going with the identity theme, Student Council told me I was hood. This is kind of a big deal.
-Lastly, I am officially the teacher that sings (poorly, but I sign nonetheless). And by default, my class is composed of the students that sing (math songs, duh). And every week I get new converts from students in other classes that I tutor, and to hear these once-reluctant kids singing my fractions song while quizzing is fabulous.
Oh yeah, and the kids took the TAKS today. Yuck.
