Excerpts from 6th Grade

I have learned, in my past few weeks (almost 8) of teaching, that sixth graders are just not near as funny as second graders. They have a lot more of other things than second graders like; attitude, chattiness, disrespect, sarcasm, knowledge etc. ;) But their knowledge is already so great that the amount of funny things coming out of their mouths are a lot less. But we have a few and last week was one that I was laughing at for quite some time. I am not sure if anyone else is going to think it is funny...but you probably should just tell me you laughed to humor me...ok? OK, thanks.

So we threw a baby shower for Mrs. I (my cooperating teacher) last week. She is due in about 3 weeks. Crazy right? I know. The class moms put it all together and it meant that I did not have to plan the day from 2:00-3:00, love things like that. They played typical baby shower games that the kids just loved. The melted candy bar in the diaper one, where you have to smell it and look at it to determine what it is. The game is gross, I am not sure why it is played. But the kid's faces were totally worth it. We played where you cut a piece of string however long you think will go around the mothers belly etc. It was a super fun time, not to mention I got a Capri Sun and grapes-- Love class parties!

At the end of the shower, I was getting the kids ready to go to P.E. and band. When Mrs. I said, "Class, the next science rotation unit we are starting is on sound. I just want to put a thought in your mind about bear cub." (That is what she calls her child)
She continues to ask the class why they think that the sounds bear cub is currently making inside her, can not be heard by people. A lot of different solutions were thrown out there and eventually one student said, "I don't think bear cub is making any noises." followed by, "Yeah, because he is connected to you. So if he were making any noises they would be coming out of Mrs. I's mouth."

I almost died. Mostly because the image of my cooperating teacher all of a sudden letting out a wail of a cry in the middle of trying to teach a lesson, is pretty much the funniest mental picture. I assured my student, that just because bear cub is connected to Mrs. I, does not mean that he has control over the sounds that come out of her mouth...or anywhere else for that matter. It made for a real good laugh and I enjoyed it.


P.S. Babies actually CAN cry in the womb! I just researched it. Cool!

What funny things have you heard kids say lately? They keep life entertaining, that is for sure! 

I fail...

So, I am REAL sorry if anyone actually got their hopes up about me posting weekly. I am AWFUL at that apparently! BUUUT, I am still alive! :) Teaching has not killed me yet!

I have learned so much about myself these last few weeks. Teaching has never been something that has been hard for me. School (any grade), Relief Society, Sunday School, individual skills etc. I do get nervous sometimes, but I never have a hard time with it. I am at ease in front of people and can typically put together and deliver a nice lesson. Until my student teaching started. Having 33 sixth graders (100 if you count all the sixth graders I teach) has been the biggest challenge of my teaching 'career'. I have had to rely A LOT on my Heavenly Father, as weird as that may sound, and to not think I can do it all on my own. I need his help every day...mostly to ensure that I do not harm a select few of my sixth graders I teach. ;) I pray for guidance to know HOW to teach them, I pray to have his spirit with me to be able to deliver the lesson objective like they need to learn it. It has been pretty amazing the difference when I ask for the Lord's help vs when I don't. Basically, this teaching stuff is hard. Anyone who has tried it knows exactly what I am talking about. You have really good days and you definitely have REALLY bad days. It comes down to how much you love it. Do you live for those moments when they finally understand something and you see that light go on? I do. I am literally pouring everything I have into these students because that is how much it means to me. And that, I realized, has to be enough some days, because that is all you've got.

I have two weeks left at Wasatch and they are going to be crazy. I am the full time teacher, teaching all 7 hours that my kids are in school. So between that, trying to work some hours, lesson planning, Teacher Work Sampling, eating, sleeping, relief society presiding, exercising and trying to maintain some sort of social life...I am just a little bit busy. But who isn't these days right? I feel that from everyone.

I promise that I have done some things, besides teaching, that I have actually documented in the last 6 weeks...and I have intentions of letting you in on all of them :) But for now, if you want a brief synopsis and a picture story of what has been going on, feel free to visit my sister's blog. Now that she has blogged for the first time in almost a year, it is pretty much my life updated as well.

Love you all and until next time..... Miss Haynie