Day 43- "Kyle"

Kyle* is prancing around the back of the class with another (female) student's gym pants on over his clothes.  He usually spends study hall bouncing around and doing anything he can to avoid doing homework. Today, however, he has been quite studious.  Not only is he completing all kinds of work, but he has been doing it quietly and without being distracted by his classmates.  Until he puts on the pants...

Me: Kyle, what in the world are you doing?
Kyle: I've been so good all day.  I got almost all of my homework done.
Me: I know, I'm so proud of you!  You've really been doing a great job.  Did you just need some attention now?  Is that what this is?
Kyle: Yeah... yeah, I think you're right.  I feel better.  Back to work.
Me: Maybe this could work out well.  You just get to work every day, and let me know when you need to stop and take a little break for attention.
Kyle: Agreed.  Like my sweatpants?
Me: Love the sweatpants.  Now finish your homework.
Kyle:  Ok.

And he did! 

Thank you, Kyle, you made my day.


*name changed to protect the privacy of my student :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some Stories. About Stories.

Image
  One of my greatest passions and joys is matchmaking between people and the books that will get them reading and speak to their souls. Sharing stories, both real and fictional, is transformative. It’s how we connect to one another. It’s how we travel to places we can’t afford. It’s how we learn about people we’ve yet to meet. It’s how we pass on history. It’s how we explore religion. The universe is made up of atoms and molecules, but it is also built on stories. I don’t believe that there are nonreaders; there are just some people who haven’t met the right book yet. I did not invent this idea, but it is a core philosophy I live by in my classroom and in my life on a daily basis. One of my favorite eligible reader stories was a boy who came into my intervention class with low confidence in his skills and in his ability to grow them and put them to work. He told me on the first day that he was not a reader and would never be one, so I might as well not bother. Ah! I love a good cha...
Read more

Day 83- Applesauce

How to become a kid again in three simple steps. Become a teacher.  Spend your break time conversing with students about whether or not Twilight is good reading (it's not, sorry) and explaining how everything they're learning is important (it is) and discussing how Shaun White's private halfpipe is the sweetest thing to ever exist (it might be).    Start taking a lunchbox to work.  Swing it while you walk, embrace it, love it. Pack applesauce in your lunch every day.  An applesauce a day keeps the old age away.  In the initial lunch packing stages of this semester, I always made sure that I had some kind of little sweet treat included to enjoy at the end of lunch.  Over the past few weeks, little applesauce cups have also become a part of the daily routine, and I enjoy this just as much.  I love how it tastes.  I love the little perfectly portioned cup.  I love that eating it makes me feel good and ...
Read more

Day 196- Summery Dinner

Tonight's menu was a good one!  Our weather here has been so nice this week.  We've only been in the mid 80's, and it has actually been cooling down at night.  We have been taking advantage of this by doing some major grilling and enjoying lots of summer foods.  Today's Specials Chipotle Lime Chicken Southwestern Cornbread Salad grilled bananas grilled pineapple We covered all of the food groups in the most delicious and summery of ways (plus, it was pretty healthy too).  If you have never tried grilled bananas, you really should.  They're so good that it's bananas!  Grilled Bananas Recipe 1. Cut off the ends (leaving peel intact). 2. Grill the bananas until the peels turn a darkish brown color and the insides are soft. 3. Gently slice the peel and scoop out the warm gooey goodness. 4. Eat. 5. Sigh with satisfaction. 6. Repeat steps 4-5 many, many times. It's just as easy as that.  The salad was a whole lot more involved, ...
Read more