Recycling Bin Food Drive and Fresh Meat

It's been quite a while since I last posted, and in that time I had to say goodbye to last year's crew and welcome a new group of lovelies into my classroom! This year's group is very different than the last, but part of the excitement and enjoyment of being a teacher is getting to learn all the unique, challenging, and often entertaining personalities of a new group of students. I'm still a bit uncertain as to the level of "material" that this group will provide for my blog, but in just two short days, they have revealed that although some understand sarcasm, the majority of them are still very literal. However, this is part of the reason I love to teach this grade level. So many of them enter fourth grade very literal, and as the year progresses, they develop an understanding of sarcasm, in some form or fashion. As I close this entry, I will share with you a conversation that occurred at the very end of last school year, and then a few discussions I've had in the past two days. Enjoy!

Recycling Bin Food Drive
The first graders at school were hosting a food drive for the Food Bank of North Carolina. There was a competition between classes to see who could donate the most food. I, being the lover of competition that I am, decided to put forth a challenge among my own students. The first morning of the competition, students are arriving with their bags of cans. As one of my students shows me the 10 cans she has brought to donate, this conversation ensues:

Me: Wow! How generous of you! I am so proud. I'll write down your number on the chart and then you can take them to the bins at the front of the school.
Male Student 1: Oh, well. . . I have like over 20 cans in my recycling bin at home. I'll just bring those in to donate tomorrow so I can have the most.
Me: (puzzled look on my face, as I am not the greatest at keeping my feelings from being revealed in my facial expression) Ummmmm. . . .
Male Student 2: Uhhhh. . . you can't give hungry people empty food cans!!!


First Day of School - What do we know about Ms. Holloman
As a part of tradition, I always have my former students write letters to my new students telling them anything they feel is important to know about fourth grade and/or Ms. Holloman. On the first day of school, my new lovelies read the letter, and then using facts from the letter, sibling experience, and exaggerated rumors, the students fill out a chart listing what they "think" they know about me. Here are some of the responses:

"Ummm. . . you can't STAND unorganization"
"You're really strict, challenging, and organized. . . but you're the best teacher in the world"
"You apparently have a scanner on the door to see if we did our homework, eyes in the back of your head, and some kind of laser you can use to turn us into potato chips"
"Nuh uh. . . do you really have eyes in the back of your head??? Where would they be?"
"Ummm. . . so. . . they didn't tell me this in the letter. . . the kid only talked about himself. . . but I think you're kinda pretty"


Shopping for New Clothes
This conversation actually happened today. A student arrived for the first time in my classroom (keep in mind that YESTERDAY was the first day of school):

Student: "Hi Ms. Holloman! I'm here!"
Me: "Well hey sweetheart! I'm glad you're here today. We missed you yesterday, where were you?
Student: "Oh, I had to go shopping for new clothes for fourth grade."
Me: "But where were you yesterday?"
Student: "I was at the mall, shopping for clothes for fourth grade."


Here goes nothing. . . until the next episode!