Category: Stories of Seventh Grade
A New Part of Speech
Today, we were working on dependent and independent clauses. The bonus question on the warm up was: When you use a dependent clause as a “sentence,” that mistake is called a ________ . The answer we are looking for is “fragment.” Ok, so… One of the things I like to do is give hints about […]
Continue Reading...A New Language
When we come back from Christmas break, every year it’s the same thing: a combination of “it’s like we were never gone” and “I can’t remember where I sit.” Literally. This year was no exception. At least six or eight of them wandered around trying to trigger memories of seating familiarity, and a couple finally just gave […]
Continue Reading...Ouch Indeed
This is a flashback to last spring. I had intended to post this right after it happened, but you know how things can get a little hectic in junior high in the spring. I was an astronaut for awhile there. But I remembered this one yesterday while I was telling the family the cereal killer story. […]
Continue Reading...Juice Bar?
Just another hole in the Swiss cheese that is my seventh graders’ knowledge of the world… Right before spring break, our school does its annual big fund-raiser. We do a 3-mile run. But we totally circumvent the whole pledge-a-certain-amount-per-mile-or-per-lap thing. We just ask for cash straight up. No gathering pledges and telling everyone that yes, you […]
Continue Reading...Eight Things
I am lagging in so many areas lately, so don’t take it personally that this blog is one of them. Here’s the latest… 1. I had been thinking that this year’s crew was too nice and gentle and friendly to offer much comedy relief/material, but I was wrong. They are still seventh graders after all. […]
Continue Reading...Just the Right Balance
As I have said, I think that so far this is the politest bunch…EVER. I know there is (almost) always a honeymoon period, but this feels like more than that. Half of them still say, “Thank you Mr. Coward” as they leave the class, and most of those actually mean it. I have the cutest […]
Continue Reading...No Soup for You
Most classes finished MAUS I today. Most all of them are riveted. I’ve had three tell me they went out and bought both books for themselves. (We’re making do with class sets of each chapter that my aide and I have xeroxed from my old books.) Half of them aren’t listening to the instructions for […]
Continue Reading...Received! I Meant Received!
D’oh. Too much skating and too many naps make Jack a dull boy, it would seem. And by Jack I mean me. First day back for us after a blissful two weeks, and everybody in Homie Base has lots to share. It heartens me that so few of the stories were mere bragging about gifts. […]
Continue Reading...The CC Button
Today we were working on one of the few things I still use from the giant collection of “material” that came with our hopelessly dated anthology text. (First sentence, and I’m already at an aside: There’s a road that connects to a highway in the great California Central Valley–the birthplace of most of the nation’s […]
Continue Reading...A Picture is Worth a Thousand Questions
Last week the management didn’t exactly think out the assembly times, and so on the day of the show we ended up with one period that was significantly longer than the others. Like about 25 or 30 minutes longer. We have to do all our assemblies twice because we can’t fit all of the kids into our […]
Continue Reading...Flashback to 2008 – Friendliest Class Ever
Back in 2008, I had what I like to call my friendly class. They were actually the friendliest class ever. And they really looooved The Outsiders. It was during the discussions about the book that they really came into their own as the friendly and sensitive class. Now, every year about this time, I have […]
Continue Reading...Way to Ruin the Mood
We’re up to chapter 14 in Tom Sawyer. The boys are on the island, grooving on the freedom and nature and the tastiness of the food. I ask how many campers we have in the audience, and I get at least half. Some are very enthusiastic. “I would love to be on that island.” Then […]
Continue Reading...Heavy Mental
I’m supposed to be getting ready for my trip to Vegas. My dad is turning 75, and he’s taking his four sons to Vegas. (Yes, I know; my poor mom.) We’re going to a place that lets you operate those big excavators for a few hours, and dig holes and drive around and such. I’m […]
Continue Reading...“What about the butterflies?”
On the second day of Christmas… I had been crabby for the first half of the week for many and various reasons: a “mama bear,” a moron or two, a faculty meeting, the brrrnesss of the weather lately–30 degrees on my bike to school every day this week…really? Really? I thought this was California… But […]
Continue Reading...Traies?
I know I have been a little sporadic lately in the posting department. I’ve been playing around A LOT with my new Nook Color, and only some of that has been reading. I don’t know if you’ve seen anywhere that the hacker community has really taken a hankerin’ to this groovy little device. They’ve made […]
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