Hamburger Smoothies, Canadian Attacks, and Obese Angles, Oh My!

It's now the end of week four, and although my kids were off to a slow start when it comes to providing me with blog material, this week has been quite entertaining. I am also discovering that it is VERY true what they say about a full moon! Some very strange things have been occurring out in the mobile village! We are now entering the weeks where the "honeymoon" period has ended, and I am beginning to truly learn who my students are, and they are trying to see the kind of teacher with which they are dealing. This has resulted in some very interesting conversations with my lovelies. What follows are three very different, yet amusing conversations I had with my students this week.

Hamburger smoothie anyone???

As a part of our social studies curriculum, I was instructing the students in identifying the North Carolina State Symbols. As I was sharing some of the common symbols that they are already aware of, I started asking them about the less familiar symbols.

Me: Class, did you know that NC has a state beverage?
Class: Huh???
Me: Yeah, isn't that unusual? What do you think our state beverage is? What beverage would best represent our state?
Student: a hamburger?
Me: (with a puzzled look) Umm. . . as the state beverage?
Student: yea
Me: How do you suppose you would drink a hamburger?
Student B: Umm. . . you could put it in a blender. .. like a hamburger smoothie!
Class: EWWWWW!!!!!


Canada Attacks!

As a continuation of the lesson above, the students were assigned a home project where they were asked to design a symbol that represents their family. They brought their projects to school today and were sharing them with the class. One student was sharing her project in which she used a maple leaf as the overall symbol, and then she filled it with numerous smaller symbols that represent her family. She explained that she used a maple leaf because her family is Canadian. After the presentation, her classmates were allowed to ask questions, and the following occurred:

Student A: So why did you come to America? Did you come to attack us?
Student B: uh, hm, uh. . .what?
Student A: Did you move to America to attack us?
Me: Why would you ask such a question?
Student A: Because in history Canada attacked the US.
Me: Did you come from Mexico to attack America?
Student A: No
Me: Why did you come here?
Student A: To live in a new place.
Me: Then that is why her family came.



Obese Angles

In a study of geometry, we were discussing the difference between parallel and perpendicular lines. I was reviewing that you can identify perpendicular lines by identifying a right angle. We then looked at a hexagon, and we were discussing strategies to determine whether the angles of a hexagon are 90 degree angles. We determined, that indeed they are not. The following occurred:

Me: So, if these are not right angles, what other kind of angle could they be?
Student A: Well, another type of angle is acute.
Me: You're correct. We remember that an acute angle is smaller than a right angle because it's a cute little angle, like a cute little baby. Now, what is the other kind of angle?
Student B: An obese angle!
Me: (literally laughing out loud)
Student B: You know, like a fat angle. Bigger than a right angle.


Gotta love this generation!

Until next time. . . . .