Angel

I titled this one angel because someone touched my life today. Someone who I barely know (to the point of just recognizing her name) sent me an incredibly encouraging message. So to her, I have to say thank you. That message meant more to me than I can even say. At a time when I am struggling so deeply with self-worth and self-esteem, your comment touched me deeply and was truly appreciated. Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope I do not disappoint in the future! :) Thanks again!

On to school stuff.
There has been lots of requests for more information about my experiment. I am trying to keep it purposely vague incase this guys knows me or has found my blog or something, but I will once again cave into the pressure.

So the experiment for Tuesday was to go sit next to him and see what hilarity followed. He seemed a little bit more than shocked that I just plunked right down next to him. So we take this quiz. Now, when it is time to pass the quizzes forward instead of passing it to the person right in front of him, he decides to put it on my desk and scoot it ridiculously close to where my body is. So I pick it up, smile and say "Thank you" and proceed to pass the papers forward. About a minute and a half later. He asks me a question concerning the answers on one of the quizzes, and just so you don't think this is normal let me explain the situation. We are allowed to use the readings to answer the questions on the quiz. The answer to the question he asked me about happened to be in the first paragraph of the reading he was holding in his hand. So obviously he and I both knew the answer. I simply say, "Three, I think." He says "Thanks" and turns back to his notebook. I begin to giggle at this time. Thinking that we have now progressed from weird social behavior to actual words. You might think I am making too much out of these few words, but I'm telling you, they will be the beginning of the opening of the flood gates.

Now I am still working on how to ask an open ended question for tomorrow that would not seem to out of the ordinary, in order to further the experiment. I am taking suggestions until about 12:30 PM tomorrow, so leave some comments.

So today at the schools we had a number of crazy activities:
1. My prof made us pretend we were second graders as she taught us about the hurricanes for way too long. This example lasted twenty minutes. Twenty solid minutes of condescension.

2. I broke up a verbal fight today between two students. All the while being observed by their regular teacher. I felt very inadequate at the time, but I think I might have handled it pretty well.

3. I had to test kids on their pronunciation of letters. I had to write the symbols if they got the long or short vowel sounds. I had to circle the letters if they made the wrong sound. (Background knowledge: I know nothing about phonics. I don't know the symbols and apparently don't know all the sounds that the letters make). So I had one student who could not tell me the sound a "y" makes. I sat there trying to come up with the answer, but there are too many possibilities. (ex. tye and pony) So feeling oh so embarrassed. I admitted to the child that I didn't know either. Then as if that wasn't humiliating enough, I had to turn in this test with my made up symbols into the aide and explain to her that I had made up symbols and clarify what each of them meant. Ridiculous. I'm so not cut out to be a teacher.

Now, I must get to my homework. I have put off the reading long enough.