Student Quotes: Year Two, Round One

It's a Monday. And Mondays can be tougher than other days, sometimes, so I hope this post will brighten your day. I'm going into this week with a positive attitude because I had one fantastic weekend. Perfect weather, a lot of volleyball, a lazy Sunday spent watching football, a not-so-lazy Sunday evening spent running 12 miles, and it was just a weekend where I was left feeling revived. So, even though my alarm clock went off nice and early this morning, I have no complaints. Because I love my job and I'm ready to rock out another week. The first week of the second cycle, so here's to hoping my students start out with a bang.

I'll take lots of number 16, and minimal number 17

Anyway, it's no secret that high schoolers are "endlessly entertaining," to take a line from Mr. Teacher's book, and they make going to work every day so worth it. It's hard to ever be in a bad mood (okay, maybe that's taking it a little bit far) when you're interacting with 15-year-olds every day. They make me laugh every day, and I have yet to give up my habit of writing down some of the funnier lines. So, without further ado, here's the first cycle's top 10.

Technically, she's right ...

10. Channel 13 was at school the other day doing a feature on a student who scored a perfect score on both the SAT and the ACT. No big deal, right? Anyway, one of my students comes back from the bathroom and announces to my quiet class of 34 that the news is right down the hall. Another student immediately stands up and starts walking toward the door. When I point him right back toward his seat he attempted to persuade me by saying, "I'm just try'na get famous. Come on, we can sing and dance out there." Sorry, but I think you'll have more success with your Pearl station work.
9. It's the end of the six weeks, so that means my students are on top of me about updating their grades in the gradebook. And I'm typically on top of my grading, however, I tend to be a bit more lackadaisical when it comes to late work. I told a student that I didn't grade the night before because I went out to dinner with some friends. His response? "That's nice; most teachers don't have lives." He's right, you know. We all just sleep at school. It's one big sleepover every single night.
8. We were discussing adverbs one day, and I asked the students, "Instead of slowly, what's another word for how someone ran?" One student confidently shouts out, "Fastly!" Even he couldn't contain his laughter once he realized what he had said.
7. A student was borrowing a book from me, and I have them initial and date next to the title of the book. One of my students came up to me and said, "I borrowed one of your pens, and it wouldn't work." Well, that's because it's wite-out, my dear.
6. New bonus question: How do you spell your teacher's last name?

5. Within the first few weeks of school, there is a lot of student movement. One day, a student is in your class, and the next, they're gone. It's always interesting to hear how students describe a teacher when they don't know his or her name, and I learned that multiple students seem to think I have blonde hair. In that case, I guess I better make a trip to the DPS and change what's listed on my driver's license.
4. We read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games for our summer reading, and while we don't spend as much class time in English 1 walking through the plot and the characters, I am able to do that in my reading class. We were discussing what it says about Katniss that she volunteered as tribute for her younger sister, and if there was anyone they would volunteer for. One darling student announces, "I would volunteer as tribute for you any day, Ms. T." I'm flattered, really.
3. It was probably the second week of school when a student asked for a pencil. I directed him to the front of the room where I have my stash of student-use pencils. Sidenote: My plan to retain all student-use pencils has not panned out the way I'd hoped. Anyway, he then told me that, "I must be a young teacher because the older teachers don't ever give us pencils or anything like that." Noted.
2. I asked a student why she wasn't in class the day prior. Her response? "Well, it was my birthday, so I didn't come to school." Oh, that's how it works! I guess I won't be at school on February 5th.
1. And because no list would be complete without this conversation taking place - I was sitting on a bench doing some grading in the main hallway after volleyball practice just last week. Because I was too worn out to walk up to my room on the third floor. Anyway, one of my students walked by, informing me that he had finished his This I Believe essay. One of his friends stops, stares at me in disbelief, and says, "You're a teacher? Wow! I thought you were a student!" Never heard that one before.

We haven't talked about conclusions quite yet

The newest ocean

And with that, I'm off to school. Have a fabulous Monday! I hope yours is as laughter-filled as mine is sure to be. I believe it was Friday afternoon when a teacher told me, "Life is too short to not do what you love." And I wholeheartedly agree. I love my job, even if I do have to personally escort former students back to their 7th period class sometimes.