Phew! What a day! Got to school and had a nice time looking at pictures of my friend's honeymoon in Turkey. Hurried off to class and gave my fourth graders their math test. It actually went fairly well. Because their comprehension of the test questions has improved, the class stays relatively quiet for the first 10 minutes, and then the questions start flying in. We had a new student in class today - not sure why since school ends in a few days - I ran the class as usual, but seeing the look on her face, I was concerned that my strictness scared her. Hopefully I will have a few days to get to know her and improve first impressions.
At the break, I went next door to the other fourth grade class and made sure they stayed in the room for their break. They weren't pleased and four of the boys decided it would be a good idea to charge at Miss Helen to try to break free. Since most of them are nearly as big as me (and one of them definitely heavier), it was not a fair fight; I'm afraid it also bordered on the ridiculous. Thankfully other teachers made the "escapees" come back. The fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity (and my body is now feeling the pains of being a human barrier).
I had my third grade art class right after and had a fairly good time with them since I promised a "Miss Helen's last day with you / student birthday" party tomorrow if they behaved. I put up five stars on the board and told them that if I had erased all of them by the end of class, the party would be cancelled. By the end I had erased three of the stars. Each lost star prompted the kids to get after each other (which works far more effectively to improve behavior than anything Miss Helen might say.)
From 11 to 11:45 I graded tests so that I would have the final phase grades ready to turn in this afternoon. At 11:45 I dashed back up to the fourth grade classroom to follow through with the punishment laid out yesterday. The other teacher had to teach classes during that time, so I felt responsible to make sure they lost both breaks (inconsistency is far too common here). The kids weren't happy to see me again, especially as it meant they wouldn't get their normal assortment of chips, candy and soda. Apart from the four boys who tried to charge me again, the rest of the class settled down after a few minutes and I "made them a deal." I knew I had to give them their math test and that it would be easier if they went to the garden after finishing the test (so that they wouldn't hang around to cheat or talk), but I didn't want to give them garden time without making them understand why they had lost their break time. I told them that if they wrote apology letters to the other teacher I would let them take their test early and then release them to the garden at the end of my class. The entire class took the deal (the four boys caught on pretty quick) and pretty soon I had a whole stack of apology letters. The test went well, especially since the kids had "simmered down" [memory lane: that was a favorite phrase with one of my high school teachers]. I made each one sit quietly for 5-10 minutes after they finished, then let them go to the garden. (The other teacher was very pleased to get the apology letters...)
Immediately after that class I subbed for one of the teachers who didn't come to school today. I thought I would be teaching a third grade class and had planned to continue with their art lesson. As it turned out, I had the first "rowdy" session again. Two of the boys had already been put "in charge." So I told them to continue "being responsible" while I graded tests. The ironic thing - the boys who had been chosen are some of the worst boys in my class. It was nice to see them have to deal with misbehaving students and get frustrated with "all the noise, Miss!" :) I think we had a bonding moment because of it... Periodically I would look to see which names were written on the board under "good" and let them go to the garden. Funny how the same students that are going to the principal or losing their breaks in my class were the same students that stayed until the last when being evaluated by their peers! I pointed this out to them and asked them to examine why that would be the case.
Finally had a break at 1:45. By then my head was hurting and I was ready to go home. Stayed until 2:30 though so I could talk to the kids, which is always rewarding. Had a nice time with them, then walked home the long way so I could exchange money to pay the rent. Got home and tried to nap, but oppressed with discouraging thoughts. Asked the Lord for help to look to Him for my encouragement instead of burying my head in distractions. God blessed me with a Skype call to Mom and she encouraged me to hunker down behind the shield of faith. I needed that reminder as it is easy for me to grab the negative thought, analyze it, and try to "fix the problem." The fiery darts ceased to hit their mark as I flew to "the Rock that is higher than I. For [He] has been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."
May 16th:
Had a really FUN day with my classes! I'd asked Mom to pray that the enemy would be restrained, that distractions would be minimized, and that I'd be able to give my kids 110% - God answers prayer!
I played "Math Bingo" with them to review some of the terms we've learned this year. I had them divide up into four teams (which was good math review, since there was a remainder and one of the teams had to have an extra player) then let them go to the garden to find real-life examples of "acute angles," "parallel lines," "symmetry," etc. Once the "rowdy" class caught on, they enjoyed it immensely. They were clamoring all over me to show me their real-life math term and have them sign off on the matching BINGO square.
The 10:15 class got their party and they were really excited. They brought cake and snacks to share, and we played "Heads Up, 7 Up." The neighboring class heard all our fun and the teacher asked if they could come over. (This is the same teacher who saw me get upset with this group of kids the other day. He is not a very good role model, being immature in his interaction with the kids, so I saw this as an opportunity to be a good example. Asked the Lord for wisdom...) We all had fun playing and it was an enjoyable time.
My next art class got upset that they weren't having a party, but settled down once I explained that on our last day together we would also have a party if they could keep their five stars. They did a great job (until the very end) and I enjoyed taking pictures of them with their sketchbooks. They were the only class to finish their "God Sees Me" books!
Feeling really refreshed by the time the half hour break came around (and so thankful I didn't have to keep any of the classes for the break.) The second math class enjoyed BINGO as well, though some of the kids didn't participate. I actually had 8th graders come up and want to join in, so I gave them their own BINGO card and they had a blast! We caused such a stir that one of the other teachers asked me if I had BINGO cards for vocabulary words ... I told him I would email the template to him so he could create his own.
One more break that went by quickly, then my last 3rd grade art class for the day. I ended up letting them go to the garden since tomorrow is my last day with them and I'm not sure we'll be able to have a party. I have to go to the Residency Office and get my visa extended (and we never know how long that might take).
Left school, then got a text from "Julee" saying she couldn't go to the orphanage, so I called T to let her know. I will definitely try to say goodbye before they leave to their "villages" for the summer. Used the time to make two "grocery" runs, then Stacy and I went over to John and Mary's for dinner. We laughed and talked for a long time afterwards. It was a refreshing time. I also got some nice cuddles from Henry (don't get jealous, Eithen)!
