Not Boring

I am continually amazed by my students. They are so funny, and stupid, and inappropriate and brave. It definitely makes for days that are not boring. Here are some of the gems from this week:

1. One of my AVID students came in on tuesday very upset. She had done an extra credit assignment in chemistry. They had to research a new discovery in the field of chemistry and write a short paper on it. She came in outraged because she received no credit. She gave it to me to look at and I started busting up. She had researched an new element called Govermentium. This element was not made up of the normal protons, nuetrons, and electrons, but made of nuetrons, assistant nuetrons, morons and peons. Every four years the element goes through a reorganization when the nuetrons morons and peons switch places (something like that). THere was a bunch more but I can't remember. She looked at me and a light bulb went off. "Mrs. Pompey, there are no morons and peons in chemistry are there?" My response, "Nope, not in chemistry."

2. When analyzing a poem by Langston Hughes we were identifying things like similes, metaphors, alliteration, and I wanted them to tell me the name of the device Dialect. I gave them the definition and one boy shouted out dialogue. I said no, but they were close. A few random students shouted words that started with dia- and then with the utmost confidence a boy stood up and shouted "diaphram!" I think I was the only one in class that giggled at that.

3. The most innapropriate story this week. During 2nd period there are announcements over the loud speaker and one announced that next week at lunch there would be a "Best pick up line contest" (I know, right). So this sparked an impromtu contest in my class. "Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven" and such. THEN one boy in my class said "Mrs. Pompey, do you work at subway?" "huh?" my response. AND then he said, "Because you gave me a foot long!" OMG. are you serious. What would you do in that situation? After throwing up in my mouth a little bit, I continued with the lesson, and spoke to him after class. So crazy.

4. Finally, from this weeks original student poetry I found out that two of my students have lost parents to cancer, 3 have been abused, one was taken from her mother for undetermined reasons, one was attacked in a park, one has a sibling in the hospital, and two are not happy on the planet right now. These were just from the students who shared.

It wasn't a boring week.