Student Quotes III

I love my students. I really, really do. When they walk in and say, "Hi, Miss," or ask me how I'm doing or tell me to have a good weekend, and ask me about my personal life, I love it. I feel like I'm someone important to them. And maybe I'm just another adult who tells them what to do on a regular basis, but because they make my days so much brighter, I can only hope that I do the same for them. That being said, I know I have my moments. Because teaching is hard and interacting with 100+ 15-year-olds on a daily basis is challenging. Just take a moment to think back to what you were like at 14 and 15. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. 

M*A*S*H Memorial

You're welcome for that. And just the other night I was thinking back to my own teachers. How they, my calculus and physics teachers in particular, gave up their quiet morning time to help struggling students like myself. Okay, struggling might be too strong of a word, but AP Calculus and AP Physics did not come easy to me. I really had to work for the grades that I got. And as someone who now teaches, and who purposely gets to school more than an hour before the bell rings so that I can have a moment to myself and get my things together and make copies and scarf down breakfast, I can't help but be grateful for all of that time they gave up to help me. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, so many of my teachers have made such a difference in my life, and even when my students frustrate the ever-living heck out of me, I can't help but think back to my teachers. And though I was maybe, a different student than the students I'm working with, at the end of the day they're still kids, just like I was.

But even with all of that being said, they still say the darndest things, and as usual, I make sure to take the time to write them down. So, here's another rendition of Student Quotes.

Wise beyond his years

It wasn't

10. This isn't a quote, persay, but the other week I had to pull two students out into the hall and talk to them about how their excessive flirting was becoming a distraction to the rest of the class. I didn't use those exact words, but honestly, I kind of hope their flirting turns into something. Young love developing in my very classroom. Well, not my classroom, but you catch my drift.
9. I think I've mentioned this before, but in my reading classes, I give my kids 15 minutes of silent reading time, during which they can read any book they please. One of my kids was staring at his cell phone, so I asked him to please get a book. His response?
"I am reading a book ...
Facebook."
Okay, you got me on that one!
8. On my birthday, the following conversation ensued:
Student: "Miss, you're only 23? Why are you a teacher?"
Me: "I have to work!"
Student: "But you should be a bartender or something!"
Yeah, because that will pay the bills (actually...). Okay, I know I don't have any bills. But still.
7.  Many of these quotes came from my birthday, of which the kids took full advantage. A student asked me, "Miss, what year were you born? 1889?"
Excuse me, sir, but who is your math teacher?
6. A kid learned it was my birthday, whips out his cell phone and says, "Hold up Miss, I'm gonna order some mariachis for you."
5. This one came a couple of days before my birthday, when a student informed me that he was going to bring me strippers for my birthday. Just in case you were wondering, it didn't happen.
4. Every Friday in reading, I give my kids a combination vocabulary, spelling, reading comprehension, and revising and editing quiz. It's pretty standard that my students have Chick-Fil-A in my 1st period, as Bellaire sells Chick-Fil-A breakfast on Friday mornings. One of my students got some of his breakfast on his quiz, proceeded to lick it off, and then hand it in to me. Thanks.
3. In a reference to my last Student Quotes post, one of my sweet students in 7th period struts out the door, calling out over his shoulder, "Alright Ms. T, stay gucci!"
2. One of my students from last semester comes and visits me every morning before 1st period. It's become a ritual, and I get a little sad on those mornings when he's running late for school and doesn't stop by. One morning he says to me, "Miss, you know how I know a girl is desperate? She hits you up on Facebook." Noted. I wonder if it's the same for guys?
1. I've also mentioned that I have some students twice a day. I wasn't sure how I would like that, but I really do. I almost feel protective over these students, and they are some of my most well-behaved students. So, one student was there for 1st period, but he was missing from 7th. The next morning, when I asked him where he had been, he told me he was at the park because his dog died. When I started to express my condolences he laughs and says, "Nah, Miss, I'm just playin'. I went to the doctor." Kids these days. 

One of my students gave me a Valentine's Day present

And one more for good measure. Today I was talking about singular indefinite pronouns, and I just about blew my students' minds when I told them that everyone, neither, and either are singular indefinite pronouns, and therefore the pronoun his (or her), as opposed to their, would be paired with it. One of my students blurted out, "But you're wrong! That don't make sense!" You're right. It don't, but that's just the way it goes.

And I'm not sure I ever talked about where this idea came from. As an English teacher, I must give credit where credit is due. In order to protect his identity, one of my teachers had (and still has) a Twitter account under the alias of @MrTeacher. If you don't follow it, you should. He tweets the hilarious and nonsensical things his students say, and it was my high school goal to make his Twitter. I made it once upon a time, talking about Snuggies, of all things. Remind me to tell you about Snuggie Day in another post. But that opened my eyes to how hilarious high schoolers really are. Thus, Student Quotes was born.