So I took a look at my blog today and I had to laugh. Things haven't been updated in forever. (Before I go any further though, I've got to add, HOW AMAZING IS MICHAEL PHELPS!!?? It's been so hard to have the same excitement watching the Olympics since he's no longer on. Especially with all the track and field disappointments and the frustrating judging of gymnastics! Anyway...that's for another post Olympics posting...) One of the biggest changes since my last post is that I am no longer the computer teacher here at school, but instead one of two 6th grade Science teachers we have here at YMS. As part of our requirement to NCLB, all 6th grade teachers also teach one class of reading. I'm very excited about this and have thoroughly enjoyed the first week and a half of school. It should be a very exciting year.
For the first time in my teaching career, I am teaching the same class four different times. This brings about some good things and some bad things.
Good thing: I have 132 6th grade students (yes, for me this really is a good thing, though very challenging to get all those names down!!)
Bad thing: By the time I go to teach the same thing for the fourth straight hour I not only want to shoot myself, but I feel slightly crazy because I feel I've repeated myself way too much. In fact, I got so confused last week I began to tell the kids something I had told them just 20 minutes earlier. They looked at me funny, and one said, "you've already told us this Mr. Wallace." Luckily I think they were more concerened about my mental health than being upset.
Funny stories of the first week:
On the first day of school there was a boy who was obviously lost. I was standing in the hallway talking to our assisstant principal when the student came up and said, "I can't find Mr. Wallace's classroom." I said, "Who!? I've never heard of that guy before." Our Asst. Principal said, "I know him, he's that jerk in room 214." To which I said, "Oh yeah, that guy. Well buddy, you just need to go the last room on the right in this hallway. Good luck!" 30 seconds later I walked into the class. I wish I could post the picture of what his face looked like when he saw me!
I was doing roll call, and told the students to tell me a nickname they have because I knew that their parents usually used their full name during registration. "For an example," I said, "my parents always registered me as 'Andrew,' but I like to be called 'Andy.' So let me know if you go by a different name." Usually these 6th graders are so nervous and scared they don't even tell me they go by a different name until about week 3 (I don't know if it's just me, my height, my appearance, or what, but it's true). So I'm going down the list and I call out a boy's name who's sitting in the opposite corner of the room from my desk. He replies, "Yeah, you can call me 'Backpack.'" "Backpack!?, " I ask to be sure I heard him correctly. "Yeah," he chimes, "call me 'Backpack.'" Without hesitation I say, "I'm not sure I could do that without singing your name like Dora the Explorer (so I sing) 'Backpack! Backpack!" (if you haven't seen the show this may not make sense, sorry) The class looks at him and immediately laughs at him, to which he immediately sees his error in trying to be the funny guy and says, "Nevermind!" Unfortunately for him, he may have cemented that nickname that people mock you with through the rest of your high school days...like several of mine: Corndogs (courtesy of Tom Borchers) and Dick Wallass. Just lovely. Luckily we can grow out of those things and they are never mentioned again. Unless of course a person were to do something brave/stupid like put it up on their blog, but who would do something like that?? ...!
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