![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Third Grade Day.
Jun. 25th, 2007 03:04 pmAll the teachers are in slow-motion due to being at school last Saturday, myself included.
Today I taught three 3rd grade classes before 11:30. The class topic started
with foods and transitioned into colors/coloring.
I was reminded of one essential fact: ADHD kids love my English classes. Because my/our English teaching style hinges on things like allowing all the children to blurt out answers whenever without raising hands (no scary English spotlight, more room to make mistakes, and more of a chance for the confused kids to listen to the ones who get it), a lot of gesturing and running around (for example we don't make them say the colors, we make them run and find the colors I say) and a variety of interactive activities that just happen to be in English... it is ADHD Nirvana. At the On Paper school there are two boys with Aspergers who are also excelling in English so far.
We've also got a new ADHD kid in the 3rd grade. I'll call him Huggy. He prefers female teachers to male, which is strange for me because the prior (male) problem-children I've encountered have always rushed to our vice-principal and other men in the school. Huggy rushes around me, occasionally stopping to hug me regardless of what I may be teaching, and then gets into the various flash cards I have until the window sills are full of opened and examined card packs. I just have to make sure that he has small tasks to help me with while I teach (holding my flashcards, passing out sheets, helping students who don't understand) or else it gets crazy.
Memorable points of today's classes:
Getting my foot crushed during the hokey-pokey.
Almost getting my skirt pulled down by by a child attempting to scale me. My lighting quick reflexes kept me from exposing my teal underpants, no doubt saving many children from trauma/future fetishes.
Watching My Twin draw a penis expelling urine on the "kappa" he was supposed to be coloring in.
A lot of hugs.
Seeing children color "Kappa" a variety of colors including traditional green, gay-pride rainbow, vibrant orange, and something I can only describe as bruised zombie.
Watching my fellow teacher hold up an eggplant only to hear one student yell out a Japanese slang-word for penis. The teacher repeated the word with questioning inflection, held the eggplant to her crotch, and then we both shook our heads no.
One girl, who has never been abroad but is hella-smart and obsessed with English, sang the theme song to Kim Possible to me. She probably understands about 60% of what I say in class, which is amazing.
My Twin loitering around after class to talk to me and touch my earrings.
When I saw two boys slowly walking back to their homeroom after recess, I reminded them that 3rd period (after recess) would be English class. They cheered and RAN down the hall to get prepped for class.
I wore half a cabbage like a stylish hat.
It's a small miracle that I only average one coffee per day nowadays. I don't know how I do it.
Today I taught three 3rd grade classes before 11:30. The class topic started
with foods and transitioned into colors/coloring.
I was reminded of one essential fact: ADHD kids love my English classes. Because my/our English teaching style hinges on things like allowing all the children to blurt out answers whenever without raising hands (no scary English spotlight, more room to make mistakes, and more of a chance for the confused kids to listen to the ones who get it), a lot of gesturing and running around (for example we don't make them say the colors, we make them run and find the colors I say) and a variety of interactive activities that just happen to be in English... it is ADHD Nirvana. At the On Paper school there are two boys with Aspergers who are also excelling in English so far.
We've also got a new ADHD kid in the 3rd grade. I'll call him Huggy. He prefers female teachers to male, which is strange for me because the prior (male) problem-children I've encountered have always rushed to our vice-principal and other men in the school. Huggy rushes around me, occasionally stopping to hug me regardless of what I may be teaching, and then gets into the various flash cards I have until the window sills are full of opened and examined card packs. I just have to make sure that he has small tasks to help me with while I teach (holding my flashcards, passing out sheets, helping students who don't understand) or else it gets crazy.
Memorable points of today's classes:
Getting my foot crushed during the hokey-pokey.
Almost getting my skirt pulled down by by a child attempting to scale me. My lighting quick reflexes kept me from exposing my teal underpants, no doubt saving many children from trauma/future fetishes.
Watching My Twin draw a penis expelling urine on the "kappa" he was supposed to be coloring in.
A lot of hugs.
Seeing children color "Kappa" a variety of colors including traditional green, gay-pride rainbow, vibrant orange, and something I can only describe as bruised zombie.
Watching my fellow teacher hold up an eggplant only to hear one student yell out a Japanese slang-word for penis. The teacher repeated the word with questioning inflection, held the eggplant to her crotch, and then we both shook our heads no.
One girl, who has never been abroad but is hella-smart and obsessed with English, sang the theme song to Kim Possible to me. She probably understands about 60% of what I say in class, which is amazing.
My Twin loitering around after class to talk to me and touch my earrings.
When I saw two boys slowly walking back to their homeroom after recess, I reminded them that 3rd period (after recess) would be English class. They cheered and RAN down the hall to get prepped for class.
I wore half a cabbage like a stylish hat.
It's a small miracle that I only average one coffee per day nowadays. I don't know how I do it.
