It felt like Christmas

Here's my (not so) sob story:

I have a faulty school key and a very low frustration level. I don't have time to wiggle and jiggle and jangle and whatever else you do to a key to make it work! 

My key has always worked in my classroom door (thank heaven), but it is a bit tricky when it comes to getting in the team room. Awesome. My favorite time is when I am all by myself (think weekend) and I can't get into the team room when I need to because my key is special and apparently I am MORE special because I can't get a darn key to work!

When I had an IEP last week and I needed to pick up somethings I had printed in the Special Ed team room, I asked one of the aides to leave the door unlocked for a couple of minutes because I had to go back and print something else. I received an email from my facilitator later that day saying that we are never allowed to leave the team room unlocked when no one is there. (This was not an angry email, just a gentle reminder of something I already knew, but had momentarily forgotten.) I sent back a somewhat whiny email about how my key doesn't work and is there any way I could get it fixed...

Well what do you know - it worked! My facilitator put in a work order and today during our team meeting, some custodial guys came and cut me a new key! Thankfully our secretary knew where to find me, so she sent those wonderful men right to my facilitator's office and I accompanied them to the team room where I showed them the problem/my specialness with attempting to open that blasted door! 

They cut me a new key right then and there! One of the guys just took out a box and set up shop on our team room table. So cool! I've never seen a key made other than in a machine that just cuts it without you seeing it. This guy had a portable key cutter - it was cool. 

Then I explained sob story #2: The door handle to my classroom door is broken. When I told our head custodian about it, he had someone come and look at it. A man came and looked at it and took it apart, but apparently the handle is so old that it can't be fixed - it needs a new one. Well, after that man put the handle back together, my door stopped locking! Awesome. First the handle was just sticking, but now I  can't lock my door. It's cool though - I ONLY HAVE COMPUTERS AND IPADS and all sorts of technology type things that children/shady individuals might want. Not to mention I have an entire cupboard full of candy. (That's what I'm really worried about.)

I mentioned my broken key to these saintly custodians and we went down to my classroom to take a look at it. They tried and tried and had to admit that my door handle was very much broken. BUT we found a way to work around it (it involves a lot of jiggling while turning the key in the lock). Fortunately, they are now 100% on board for getting me a knew door handle as soon as possible. 

Did I tell you that today felt like Christmas?! I was literally beaming. You would think I had just won a huge award or been given the coolest praise something-or-other! But no - it was just a new key and the possibility of a new door handle that would lock. 

I am easily gratified. :)

-Ms. Damron-

7th period favorites

I love my 7th period. I dreaded last year's 7th period, but this year, I love my 7th period. My students aren't perfect, and I don't even know if I help them as much as I do my other classes, but I love the students. They are so much fun. Plus, I'm a little bit more lenient (okay - a LOT more lenient) because it's the end of the day and I'm tired and a little bit giggly at times.

There are two 8th grade boys in my 7th period that I adore. I will miss them when the move on to high school. They both have an English teacher that demands a lot, and neither of these boys likes to write. Or will write even despite their disdain for writing.

While looking at their grades, I noticed that one of the boys had a 0 on a huge project. When we went to the teacher and received instructions, I learned that this past Friday (4/12), was THE LAST DAY EVER that the assignment could be turned in because the student teacher was leaving and that was her project.

Awesome. That meant we had A LOT  of work to do.

The two boys stayed after school on Thursday to work on their projects and I left the room a couple of times and came back to little structures they had created here and there. The final time I left and came back, this was their creation:

They were quite proud of their creation and wanted me to notice the flag made out of tissue paper and markers, and the gold fish that were idolized on the upside down table.
I wish I could show you a picture of their confident faces (because of course I made them get in a picture), because they are all smiles and happiness.

Staying after school with me is just so much fun. haha

-Ms. Damron-

Feel good moment

The Monday after Spring Break (4/8), I had my Resource Learning students watch a science movie and fill out a corresponding worksheet. We went through the steps of filling out a worksheet and discussed what you do if you don't get all the answers. What a great study skills lesson/FANTASTIC lesson for after Spring Break.

One of my students in 1st period was struggling with getting the answers and was a bit anxious about it. During the break, I heard another student say, "That's what I used to do until I took this class and learned how to do things better."

I loved hearing that! The student who made that comment used to spend HOURS on homework and night and was always overwhelmed. According to his parents (and what he's said), he's doing much better now and knows how to organize and prioritize so that he's not as stressed.

That was definitely a feel good moment.

-Ms. Damron-

"Dude! They're special ED!"

Bahahaha

This was the funniest moment.

In my 7th period a couple of weeks ago, one of my students said, "Oh my gosh! Will next door just be quiet?! If they won't, we should go over there and beat them until they are quiet!"

**Quick background - one of the rooms next door is the severe/profound special ed classroom and 7th period they have singing time, so it's usually a little more noisy than usual.**

As soon as this student said that, one of my other students (who actually attends some of those classes because he is so low in reading) turned around and very passionately said,

"DUDE! They're SPECIAL ED!"

Student #1 immediately sobered up and said, "Oh my gosh! I didn't know! I thought it was THAT class!" (and he pointed to the other classroom).

It was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. I wanted to say, "What do you think you are?!" But I didn't want to burst their bubble. And it was cute to see one of the students stand up for the severe/profound kids.

It's just so funny because I have told my students over and over that I teach Special Ed. They are in a Special Ed class. But of course, they must forget sometimes.

I was cracking up. I tried to cover my face with the clipboard I was holding, but I don't think I was very sneaky. It was pretty funny though!

-Ms. Damron-

"She's giving me THE LOOK!"

In 2nd period a few days ago, I was helping a student with something and I overheard another student teasing a student saying, "Billy! Where's your binder? Do you know where it is?!"

I didn't quite know what was going on, but I knew something fishy was going on, so I just looked directly at that student and this was the reaction I got:

"She's giving me THE LOOK!"

He pulled out that student's binder from between the desks, then went on a rant for a good 60 seconds about my "look."

He was saying things like,

"Did you see the look she gave me?!"

"She gave me THE LOOK!"

Then he topped it off with, "You would be a great mom. You would just give your kids the LOOK and they would do whatever you wanted them to do."

It was SO FUNNY.

Later that same period, one of my students said, "You will make a great mom because you've already had so much experience with teenagers!"

When I mentioned that comment to my assistant principal and one of the counselors, they laughed and said that it might not make me a better mom because I will know what's coming and just want to kill them! (I don't remember exactly what they said, but that's close enough.)

Gotta love my students!

-Ms. Damron-

Middle School Boys' backpacks

The title should be scary enough! Oh my goodness. Boys in middle school have some NASTY backpacks!

I went through two backpacks today. It is hard for me to understand how in the world a person can just shove papers into a backpack without caring what happens once those papers are inside the backpack. The term "black hole" really does apply to some cases.

The first backpack was pretty scary. There was a stack of paper and folders and garbage at least 4-5 inches tall. At LEAST. We didn't get the chance to go through the whole thing, but tomorrow that project will be completed.

I got to go through another backpack 4th period. Again, the bell rang before we could finish, but this backpack was in serious need of help, and we were about half way done, so I told the student to come back after lunch and we would finish the job.

The student came back and we went through the rest of his papers. About 1/3 of the papers were almost unrecognizable because they were crushed and smashed and had pencil smudgings and were just dirty. Yuck. But, we did organize all the papers into subjects. We didn't quite finish math because there were an awful lot of math papers in there. We will have to finish that tomorrow.

This student didn't have any binders or folders though. Everything was just shoved into his backpack. I have a few 1/2 inch binders that I use for purposes just like this one: a student needs a binder and most likely does not have the support/finances at home to have binders.

So we got a couple of binders, three-hole punched some papers, and then put them in those binders.

The student joked that his backpack seemed so light - almost like nothing was inside it! I told him that considering how many papers we took out, it made sense!

After he had gone to his next class, I realized that he had left a couple of notebooks behind. I ran over to his class and gave him his notebooks. He was sitting in the front row, and on his desk was his newly organized binder.

I don't mean to get all mushy on you, but some of these kids don't have the support and resources that you and I are/have been blessed with. They don't have parents at home who ask about school and help them with their homework. Their parents also don't have money to buy school supplies. I was so touched that he had his binder out. This kid can be a punk (he NEVER stops talking), but he has a place in my heart.

I love my job and I LOVE the opportunity to help my students. :)

-Ms. Damron-

Sad moment

Before 3rd period started, I noticed that one of my students was looking...sad...about to cry actually. I asked her if everything was okay and when she sat down in her chair, she started crying. I knelt beside her and asked if she wanted to talk about it. Originally she said no, but I offered to talk to her during journal time, and she agreed.

Once I got everyone started on their journal entry, I walked this student to a nearby bench outside my classroom and the poor girl broke down and said that her hamster died last night. (I really hope you didn't just laugh, because that would be mean!)

______

Here's the thing about this girl - I don't know all of her background story, but I get the feeling that it isn't perfect. (No one's is, but hers seems particularly difficult.) She is from Mexico and I think she came up here with her siblings to live with her aunt/uncle? Her parents may have joined her...I'm not sure on the details.

She's actually quite the bully though and can be rude to other kids. (When a student is a bully, you know there is something more going on than what you see at school.) BUT, she has a love for animals, particularly her hamster. She always talks about her pet hamster and even printed out a picture of a hamster on a get well card she made for someone who works at our school. Ironically, we are writing persuasive papers in my class and her topic is: convincing parents to buy a wonderful pet. EEK. 

______

Back to the present situation though...

She was really distressed, so I told her that she could take it easy today and we wouldn't work on her paper. Fortunately by the end of class she seemed okay, and I saw her laughing in the halls later that day. 

I hope she can get a new hamster! I remember pets dying when I was younger. It can be rough!

-Ms. Damron-