I apologize, students, for my lack of enthusiasm that is sure to show as the week progresses.

I try to remain even tempered as a teacher.  No matter what’s on my mind outside of work I make sure to be calm in front of my classes.  If I’m upset (not of their doing) they do not know.  If I’m super happy then I try to contain myself.  For the remainder of this week, with all my might, I will do my best to act like a teacher who is totally focused and is not only thinking about going home for the holidays.

Maybe I shouldn’t have started my countdown so early…I cannot wait…8 more days!!!

1. Allowing the Halloween spirit infiltrate my lesson.

It was Friday, a review and quiz day. Rather than using my default green background on the keynote, I used orange. And rather than merely putting up review questions on the board that our class could try and discuss, I interspersed screen shots of scary movies…

Take, for example:

I let the image sit on the screen for a mere 3 or 4 seconds, acting as if I was unaware, before I moved onto the next slide. Got a few students with it. Lovely.

2. Harnessing the power of the projector to enhance the effects of one scary story.

More specifically, my FAVORITE scary story. I started the quiz ten minutes earlier than normal, so that I could finish class with a 10 minute story. Shut off the lights, shut the blinds, and lit a candle to set the ambiance. I set the projector to off with my remote (meaning, I could instantly turn it back on with remote). Even the most misbehaving of students gave full attention as I went through the tale. Seconds after I hit the story’s climax, in a completely dark room, I let this image unsuspectingly pop onto the screen:

My projector covers the entire height of the whiteboard. This image was huge. And this time, I got em’ ALL. Students screamed. I’m talking, legit screaming… the type you hear at the scariest moments of the scariest of scary movies. Well, it wasn’t THAT amazing, but it definitely brought a smile to this teachers face. It definitely beat showing a video and passing out candy like other colleagues had done.

3. My costume.

My roommate awoke and sent a groggy ‘good morning’ my way. “Like my costume?” I asked with enthusiasm. “Uhhh, you’re just you… but with a backwards cap on.” Most of my non-teacher friends wouldn’t understand, but this could possibly be my FAV costume of all time – and all I did was dress as myself. You see, as a teacher, you’re on display EVERY DAY. Students grow accustomed to your look, your style. They notice any sort change… a new pair of shoes, a new tie, new hairstyle, etc. I ALWAYS wear glasses to school. On this day, I took em off and wore what any of my male students would wear on a typical day. Baggy jeans, t-shirt, a’s cap, nike’s, a hoodie halfway zipped with the string tied. To complete the outfit, I threw on a black jansport, and some unconnected ipod headphones.

Got EVERYONE! Teachers, staff, students… I encountered more scenarios I can count on my fingers where folks REALLY DID mistake me as a student.

One student’s depiction:

I know it’s a week late, but Happy Halloween! Find ways to make this job fun! It’s there!

Speaking of Halloween…I think I may have found my costume for this year.

Student 1: No offense Miss S., but you really remind me of Velma from the Scooby Doo movie. You know, the really nerdy one who always wears an orange sweater?

Me: …Thanks…

Student 2: Shut up! Don’t say that to her!

Student 1: What?! She’s not mad!

Wow. What a character to be compared to. The sad thing is…he is so right.

Unfortunately, the New York City Department of Education FORBIDS dressing up on Halloween. So I’m just going to come in subtly dressed as Sarah Palin, AND I’m going to pass out candy. I wonder if anyone will notice the costume part.

Are you going to be festive this Friday and dress up for Halloween at school and pass out candy?

This is my first holiday during a school day. What other fun things can I do in class instead of teach a boring lesson on author’s purpose?

Today I took on the role of chaperone as ~40 of our high school seniors left the south Bronx to go apple picking. Yes, apple picking. Apparently it’s an east coast thing…

While planning for the trip my students all decided that they did not want to pay more than $10 to go apple picking. Upon arrival at the orchard they were each given a bag with a carrying capacity of 6 decent sized apples (lame, i know). The orchard lady wanted to charge $20 each to get a larger bag… So, being the resourceful south Bronx youth that they are, my students brought out their backpacks, bags and big sweaters and picked all the apples they could carry. Ethical? Not so much. Funny? Entirely. Did I condone it? Let’s just say the orchard isn’t empty, so no big deal. As one can imagine plucking fruit from a tree isn’t so easy for someone of my stature. Thankfully my students were generous enough to help a teacher out and I came home with half a bushel of hand picked apples.

The bus ride back was a trip down memory lane. I don’t know how my students have become so educated in jams from my youth (and even before my time!) but they were belting out old songs like nobody’s business. Some surprising serenades included: Too Close by Next, Candy Rain by Soul for Real, and my personal favorite Weak by SWV.

I enjoyed interacting with my students outside of school and seeing them in their own clothes (rather than in uniform). My students can totally be pains, but they really are sweethearts when it comes down to it.

Characters: Me, a (really) short 10th grader W (who looks like he’s an 8th grader), and a young lady I’ll refer to as… young lady.

Preface: As young lady walks to her classroom next door, an audible (sorta angry?) exchange between W and young lady transpires.

Dialogue:

W: Watchu mean call you and let you know!? I don’t even have your number!

Young Lady: Well, I’ll give you my number!

W: Well, alright then!

::Young Lady enters class::

Me: Wussup W, how was lunch?

W: Wussup Mr. G, it was coo….. (says it w/ a bigger-half smile than he usually carries)

I laugh inside.

Unfortunately for me, I did not hear that piece of advice until AFTER I had my long, long hair chopped off this past week. I’ve never had my hair shorter than below my armpits. In fact, until my senior year of high school, my hair was so long it grew past my knees! I could sit in it. I could use it as a blanket when I was cold.

So to get a short cut was a big thing for me. But I had to do it.

TWO REASONS:

1. As a teacher, I just COULD NOT muster up the time and extra effort needed to comb/wash/dry my hair as necessary…and that was gross.
2. 7th and 8th graders would mistake me for a student and HIT ON ME every time I wore the school uniform on Fridays (I don’t know about your school/job, but our “casual Fridays” are days when the staff comes in wearing our kids’ school uniform: a collared shirt with our school seal, and khaki pants). I’d had enough of that.

My hair stylist, when he was finished with his masterpiece said, “I normally don’t say this, but you look so much older!”

Just the look I was going for.

P.S. To recap my students’ reactions when they saw me walk in w/ my new ‘do:

[scream] AHHHHHHHHHH!

Oh my god! It’s like your a different person!

Why did you cut off all your beautiful hair?! I’m so sad!

So, next time you’re considering growing a beard, getting a new piercing, or coloring your hair anywhere in the middle of the school year, consider this: Your kids will FREAK out! It’s great It’s been a week, and I stilll hear, “Oh my god!” everytime I walk down the halls.

“She mad beastin’.”

Finally! I was starting to feel left out

Student 1: “Miss S., you look pretty today!”

Ms. S: “Why? Do I usually look nerdy?”

Student 2: “No, I dunno where you got that.”

Student 3: “She always looks pretty, dumbass. I like your vest Ms. S.”

Ms. S.: “Ladies and gentlemen, we do not use that compound word in my class. BUT…it’s compound words ROLL OUT TIME!”

Student 5: “Bittersweet!”

Student 6: “Basketball!”

Student 7: “Bathroom!”

Student 8: “Sunset!”

Student 9: “Redwood.”

Ms. S.: “Redwood?!”

Student 9: “Yea, it was in our pop quiz yesterday, remember?”

Ms. S.: “OH. Yea.”

I walked out of my school today saying, “Life is wonderful.” Ahh if only every day could be like today

This Wednesday is my first presentation of the year at a small charter school in the Peninsula.  Before I try my new stuff, I’ll probably go with classic material that gets the attention of students and staff alike:

My younger sister and I both graduated from UC Berkeley.  The paths we took to get there were completely different.  She went straight from high school and I transferred from CSM.  By going to a community college first, I saved our parents over $50,000 in tuition.  Who do you think they love more?

Camille, it’s just a bit =P.