Ahhh... Thursdays.

So it would seem that either I'm viewing things differently, OR this is getting a tad bit easier. Though I still have to constantly quiet the class (which, of course, is annoying), it's getting better. I'm not as upset anymore, and the class now seems to understand that if they're wasting time by talking, they are the ones who ultimately pay the price with extra homework and lost free time. It's helping.

I forgot to mention the awesomeness of yesterday: I had one kid run out of the classroom (I was informed on the first day of school that he sometimes runs away), and I had another who sat in the hallyway for half the day because he was so frustrated. (He put himself out there, and neither I nor his former teacher could get him to move.) Today, I had yet ANOTHER student just fail to cope and put his head down for 45 minutes. What is UP with these boys just shutting down? I have 4 in my class right now who either freak out, cry, run out of the room, or just don't respond to me when they're stressed. It's very frustrating. I did, however, talk with each of them individually during the day, so hopefully that'll help even a little. My "runner" is one of the sweetest kids in the class; he said he was just annoyed with the girl sitting next to him. Hmm... might there be better ways to deal with that than running, dear friend?

Anyway, today was pretty good overall. We had a LOT to get done, and we actually got through our schedule (that's a first!!). One kid who is usually disruptive (but who I still like and think to be very intelligent) got observed today to see if he needs special services. The woman who observed him sat in the back of the room, near another student. The boy she was actually observing didn't know, I think, that he was the one she was watching. (I'm assuming this was her plan.) For some reason, though, her presence made him act up even more! He has a GIANT pencil, and he was playing with it. I asked him a question, and he gestured toward the board with the pencil, which sent the eraser winging at my head. Awesome. I just moved and calmly told him to pick it up. I took his pencil, and that was that. The observer wrote this down frantically. By the time she left (after maybe 20 minutes), she had several pages written.

Today in math, we began decimals, fractions, and their place values. Joy. These kids don't even understand REGULAR place value (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.), so today was a blast. Not. I think, though, that once we did enough examples, most of them got it. Their homework tomorrow will tell for sure.

We also had our "reading buddies," where we pair with one of the first grade classes. At one point, the first grade teacher had to go to the bathroom, so she left me to the combination. It soon dawned on me that I was the only adult in a room full of 40 kids. Eek. However, it was fine, and I returned the favor by going to the bathroom when she came back!

Also, it occurred to me today: I like my class. I like the students. Sometimes they're little buttheads, but I like them. There isn't one kid in my class (even the disruptive, rude ones) who I don't like. This was a wonderful feeling. I have to keep reminding myself to separate behavior from person. This is much harder for me to do for adults, but with children, it's pretty simple. I realize that, at this point in their life, they are pretty much just mini versions of their parents, starting to come into their own. It's a cool age, really.

Finally, the day wrapped up nicely. When the class finished their relatively quiet independent study time (!), I gave them extra recess at the very end of the day. They packed up their stuff, stacked their chairs, and cleaned up the floor. We went outside for 18 minutes until school was over. When the busses were announced, I blew my whistle. I had instructed the class (prior to that) to line up in their normal spot. They did it!! It was such a nice way to end the day that I might just make it routine. Score. After school, one of my students (her 3 brothers and sisters in tow) brought in her pet... pig. He's cute, but it was so weird! Again, where am I?

Hokay, I'm leaving again before dark!! Woo hoo! Fridays are usually hectic, so my goal is to have it as calm as possible. Regardless of how the days are, though, they always go so fast! OK, I'm really leaving!