what a day...

A kid in my class had his medication late today...which meant he was walking up to the overhead and talking into the fan...letting the hot air blow his hair side to side...walkign around the class and going through kids' desks (while they're sitting there trying to pay attention) and finally he settled down and started reading a book. 

Simultaneously, another kid of mine got upset that he didn't get picked to take the attendance down to the office, so he wandered around the class, did his art during social studies, drew on the chalkboard, and just plain walked out of the classroom into other people's class...yeah, I got fed up with him fast. 

Also funny was the kid who publicly announced that he still fit into the costume he wore 4  years ago because there was still plenty of room at his crotch....sigh...no sense of embarassment...I quickly kept the conversation moving along and asked another student about their weekend.

so for hallowe'en this year, I dressed up as a stack of post-it notes...basically a big cardboard box covered in yellow paper....my students?  We had a Batman, Superman, Pumpkin......and Jesus.  yes...Jesus.  Basically the kid put on a beard and sash and went around treating people nicely, spoke without contractions and holding out his arm referring to the invisible guy beside him as God.  He asked me for to go to get a drink from the water fountain and I told him "No...go make your own water."  Funny thing was...he then bent down to the ground, gathered up some air and pretended to drink from his hand.  Then he asked me again to go to the water fountain.  I accused him of blasphemy and then let him go. 

So...many teachers and students are still sick...some teachers are starting the rumour that I'm the one that started the illness...which of course I'm denying...unless you count the part where I'm licking all the keyboards and expectorating phlegm on the doorknobs....yeah, but otherwise, I'm not to blame. 

Hallowe'en weekend...hm...should I assign homework? 

I got back today from having taken 2 days off for being sick...homework's shoddily done, if at all, and once again a whole slew of staff and kids are away with some sort of flu bug.  I think I'm over it.  Still some coughing...but generally done.  And looking back at the posts of prior years, I've noticed that usually around this time, I've taken a day off or two either because I'm sick or because I've just needed a bit of time to unwind.  Maybe there's something around this time of year? 

Pretty run of the mill day...kid squawking like a chicken in class, kid runnign around showing off his work to everyone, the usual explosion in gym class from the kid who doesn't like it when he's out from dodgeball...he's the flipping out on the chin up bar...picking up benches and dropping them....oh..but the day was capped with one of my kids punching another and calling him a -itch.  Yeah, that was a pretty exciting end...as I led him to the office, he was pinching my hand trying to make me let go...oh well, better pinching than biting...especially with h1n1 in the air. 

A bug is going around the school...no, not the ones we teach...but the fever, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, phlegmy, body aching, tired, freezing, too hot, I'm feeling disoriented bug.  It totally did a number on the staff and students...every class had at least half their kids missing today.  oh...the grade 6 gifted class was fully present...maybe their immune system is stronger cuz they were carriers of it?  Today was therefore lots of just study, finish homework, watch a movie, play a game time.  One of the kids (mine, go figure) who was feeling fine, yelled out that this was the best day ever.  I made sure to cough all over him and lick all his pencils. 

Separate story was that I had one of the kids write an apology letter to another teacher for the way he behaved in class.  Here was his title: "I am innocent in a strange world" What a joker...he was playing with his food and contatiners at lunchtime and even made the lunchroom supervisor laugh...to which she then replied to me, "I see why all the girls like him."  He's gonna get a Class Clown title in high school...

so all my special ed reports are done...woo hoo!  it took a lot of papers and hours and time and cursing and swearing...but they're done...passed them off to the principal for editing...and then they'll go home tomorrow...

i think with that huge burden lifted off, i can look more lightly at the things that happened...

for example, today, i had the usual non-compliance from various kids...the same old kid who was depressed and sulking in the corner...only one of my kids made weird noises in class...and another kid stayed under the table for only 10 minutes! (because i asked him to pay attention and put his pencil down)...the usual crier when we asked him to do something he didn't want to do...and noone got hurt today!  (unlike last week where a kid decided to grab some tape while his friend was cutting it with scissors...anyway, that kid ended up with 3 stitches...but that's on him)

a couple former students came back to visit and say hi...i finally got to go to the gym and shoot some hoops, run around a bit and just start moving again (i haven't been able to lately cuz i've been tied to the computer typing all those reports)

anyway...enough for now...more tomorrow...for sure....