I have lots of students that are, to put it kindly, less than brilliant. But I also have a handful of students that are actually very intelligent. Somewhere in the middle of the entire brilliant to not-so-brilliant pack, there are a few students who love to argue with anyone and everyone about anything and everything. In fact, I'm quite confident they have literally (or just figuratively) argued with a wall. It's like they can't help it. They have to argue and they have to win.
Holmes is one of those students. He is in my 6th class, which is filled with Study Hall kids (socialites, nappers, and gamers) and FLVS students (Overacheivers and slackers). For most of the year, 6th period met in the Library, but then we got moved to the HS Computer Lab. This excited my gamers and slackers because the Library has cameras and the HS Lab doesn't. They felt the freedom to invent new brands of shenanigans and tom-foolery because there were no longer cameras to keep them accountable.
I told them that it shouldn't matter whether or not there were cameras. They should do what they are supposed to do regardless of whether or not they are under video surveilance. So after a brief argument with Holmes about why integrity matters, he decided to go play Solataire instead of doing his work, which he was behind in. I told him to stop.
He came over to my desk and I explained that I wasn't going to get rebuked by my bosses because he had a hankering for Solitaire. He understood my predicament and said, "Okay. If someone important walks up those stairs, I want you to say the following words: 'The duck flies at midnight'."
First of all...No. I'm not saying The duck flies at midnight. It's just not happening.
Secondly, what a horrible code phrase. It's not something people just might happen to say in a normal classroom setting , therefore, it's really conspicuous when all of a sudden you hear a teacher say "The duck flies at midnight" while addressing a student or in this case, nobody at all.
So...No, I will not say "The duck flies at midnight" and no, you cannot play Solitaire when you're supposed to be working on your TCC homework. I feel like that's basic. Or rather, elementary.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Rebellious Children in Deuteronomy
It's been a long time since the last blog post, so to restart this thing, I'm going to open with one of the funniest quotes that I've heard this year.
As most of you know, Mr. Xanders is no longer the glorified babysitter for 7th period study hall/ FLVS. He is now the 7th grade Bible teacher in 7th period, and his kids are just a joy to teach! Nod your head now if you understood that "subtle" sarcasm (Gabrielle Gardner: your head need not move.) Anyway, one of his students was talking in class incessantly one afternoon. Now, as we all know, Nate's motto is "stop talking" so you can see how this never ending babble would be a problem. Of course, he told this student to stop talking. It didn't work. So, he told this student again, repeatedly to stop talking. When it didn't happen though, he wrote said student a detention. The student was given the opportunity to get the detention repealed if this student would simply write the week's Bible verse 15 times. The student, apparently failing to comprehend this task, wrote the Bible verse only 9 times, and so, the detention remained.
About a day later, Mr. Xanders received an e-mail from the parent of this student questioning why he had written her child up. In simplistic terms, Nate proceeded to respond the e-mail explaining that 9 is not equal to 15. To make sure that the e-mail didn't come across to harsh, he had Connie proofread it. She suggested that he add a Bible verse after his name to make him seem caring. He then suggested to himself that he use, "That quote in Deuteronomy about rebellious children" which I found to be Deuteronomy 21:20-21a, which reads:
"and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones."
He then said, after laughing about his thought for a while:
"That would be the greatest thing ever to be fired for. 'Your child should be stoned. XOXO -- Nate.'"
Now, personally, I think that if he had included that reference, the parent of the child would have gotten the idea. The verse was not included, and the student is probably still talking, but the quote was indeed wall worthy.
As most of you know, Mr. Xanders is no longer the glorified babysitter for 7th period study hall/ FLVS. He is now the 7th grade Bible teacher in 7th period, and his kids are just a joy to teach! Nod your head now if you understood that "subtle" sarcasm (Gabrielle Gardner: your head need not move.) Anyway, one of his students was talking in class incessantly one afternoon. Now, as we all know, Nate's motto is "stop talking" so you can see how this never ending babble would be a problem. Of course, he told this student to stop talking. It didn't work. So, he told this student again, repeatedly to stop talking. When it didn't happen though, he wrote said student a detention. The student was given the opportunity to get the detention repealed if this student would simply write the week's Bible verse 15 times. The student, apparently failing to comprehend this task, wrote the Bible verse only 9 times, and so, the detention remained.
About a day later, Mr. Xanders received an e-mail from the parent of this student questioning why he had written her child up. In simplistic terms, Nate proceeded to respond the e-mail explaining that 9 is not equal to 15. To make sure that the e-mail didn't come across to harsh, he had Connie proofread it. She suggested that he add a Bible verse after his name to make him seem caring. He then suggested to himself that he use, "That quote in Deuteronomy about rebellious children" which I found to be Deuteronomy 21:20-21a, which reads:
"and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones."
He then said, after laughing about his thought for a while:
"That would be the greatest thing ever to be fired for. 'Your child should be stoned. XOXO -- Nate.'"
Now, personally, I think that if he had included that reference, the parent of the child would have gotten the idea. The verse was not included, and the student is probably still talking, but the quote was indeed wall worthy.
Friday, April 1, 2011
It's been too long...
What up Wall Worthy Gangsters?
(This is the part where you make your hands into Ws and then throw them in the air to represent. Or at least that's what I'm told by my cool kids.)
It's been too long since I posted a blog. But fear not! More soon!
This will have to tide you over until then: Click me!
