It's not hot at all..

We made Mayan Stew (squash, corn, peppers, beans) in the classroom to simulate the ancient Mayan food.  Although the ancient Mayans used chili peppers for spice, I didn't put it in the stew.  Instead, we had chili pepper hot sauce on the side.  I had some adventurous and proud kids in the room who tried the hot sauces.

Boy (with a beet red face and tears streaming down):  "I couldn't feel it at all!  It's not hot!"
Girl:  Gasp, choke, cough, "It's good!"  Gasp, choke, cough, "I want more of it!" Gasp, choke, cough, "Put it in my stew!"  Gasp, choke, cough.
Kids (running to the sink): "WATER!"

So I cried...

To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, our school held a Peace March where we walked around our neighborhood with signs.  I heard one of my students talking to a classmate, "I asked my dad to come but he said he couldn't."  She paused, "so I cried and now he will join us for the march!" 

Emotional blackmail works.

Passing it forward

Some students did not turn their homework.  As a result, I told them they had to make it up in the office while the rest of the class enjoyed a celebration (movie reward for filling up the marble jar with compliments on behavior).  When the first one came up to complain, I told him I already gave them four days to remember and it is not fair to those who turned it in on time.  I need the homework in my hands and I was not giving out any more time extensions.

The next one came up to complain.  This time the first complainer turn to the second and righteously preached "She already gave us four days to remember and it is not fair to those who turned it in on time!".  

Kids grow up

I taught this same group of kids last year and when I blew kisses at them as a compliment to the whole class, they were proud to be complimented.  This year when I did the same, they responded in a collective "EWWWWWWW!"  My son is now 14 and when I want to take photo of him, I get the paparazzi hand.  It's sad to see them grow up sometimes.

Aromatherapy for fieldtrips

We had a field trip today where the buses were late, very late.  It was a big field trip and 90% of the school was going.  As we waited and waited, the children grew louder and louder, and the chaperones grew more and more tense.  One chaperone brought an aromatherapy stick where you dabbed the relaxing fragrance of lavender on the inside of your wrist and breath deeply to invoke a calming state.  The news spread and I looked up to find the parents en mass sniffing deeply of their wrists. 

What do you tell these kids?!

To model a persuasive letter, I wrote an example letter where I'm trying to persuade my husband not to curse so much.  The kids were intrigued and delighted at the insights they are gaining about my family (and were quite engaged during the lesson).  When I recalled this at home, my husband was first wary, and then perturbed.  "I may be too embarrassed to ever see your class now!", he finally managed.

Don't go out of town again!

I am currently teaching a persuasive letter unit.  One of the kids wrote an eloquent and poignant letter trying to persuade her parent not to go out of town.  She expressed her loneliness and feelings of isolation, her desolation from looking at the empty space where her parent would sit.  After she finished reading her letter during our writing share time, the class was quite moved.  And then several kids asked to use some of her phrasing; they want to persuade their parents not to go out of town too!