On condoms, chickens and fighting with girls...

Another day with the 8th grade...

I came in at the wrong time on this conversation during the girls' class:
"Lifestyles make you get pregnant."

Let's be honest. I could barely tell you what a condom was when I was in 8th grade, let alone name different brands...


The 8th grade boys were in rare form on Friday. I came into class to find HT Girl in an argument with Easter Island Boy. I finally got her to leave and go to her own class, and the rest of the boys started giving advice to EI Boy.
"You can't fight girls."
"They travel in packs!"
"It's like Nicaragua trying to fight America!"
"Unless she has a really big sister who can swallow you whole..."


This was closely followed by an unrelated conversation at which point "I Didn't Kiss Her!" Boy from this past summer was confused about the difference between a turkey, chicken and rooster. I had to explain that hens and roosters were chickens and turkeys were turkeys. His reply:
"Okay, but isn't there a special breed of chickens that lays eggs without...you know...fornicating..."

HAH!

8th grade rocks :)

Okay, it's been awhile in coming, but I am finally feeling good about teaching this group of 8th graders. It's just taken a lot longer than usual for us to get comfortable with each other and to figure out how we can be productive AND have fun.

It's the girls who are cracking me up this year (usually this job falls to the boys). Here are a few from today:
Girl Who Needs a Horse Tranquilizer (to be known henceforth at HT Girl b/c I'm sick of typing out that whole name) called me over to ask me something (who knows what...maybe if she could cut her shirt, or set her hair on fire, or light a fart...all of which are things that she DID ask me today...). Anyway, when I got there, another girl interrupted her.
HT Girl: Excuse me! This is an R and B conversation!
Me: R and B?
HT Girl: I mean, this is an A and B conversation, so you can C your way out!

Come to think of it, she must have been asking me for something, because another girl chimed in with, "Please Miss Book! I will lick your toe!"

Yes, because THAT will make me do whatever you want...

What are you looking for?

I have the 8th grade girls right now...they are journaling (or, well, they're supposed to be...). I just looked up and Girl Who Needs a Horse Tranquilizer was shoving her hand frantially down the front of her shirt, "I can't find my mint!"

Hehehe...it just made me laugh...

And they just finally got quiet, and she made a pterodactyl noise and was like, "Did you hear that monkey?"

They are quite the group...

This just in: Miss Book is educated AND she works at a real school!

Well shoot, it's been like a month and a half! I think it's high time for an update :)

So...the school year officially (as in classes) started this past Monday in what is a perfect snapshot of what life can be like at our lovely school--
copy machine: out of toner
schedules: not printed out for students
oh, and the schedules the teachers had in their email inboxes were sans room numbers (which is a big deal since, though we have "home base" classrooms, we don't necessarily teach all of our classes in these rooms...)

But, somehow it all worked out. Going with the flow is what we do best :)


Let's start off the year with a few quotes, shall we?

I got a phone call this evening around six from a co-worker's phone. It was Mr. Gas-Ex, now a senior in my physics course. He had a question about the homework, and after I explained it to him, his response and way of saying goodbye took the following form:
"gotchoo, big baby, I gotchoo." Click.

Maybe my ears deceived me...but I really don't think so...



Remember Obsessed with Charmed?? He was one of my 8th graders two years ago, left to go to another school for 9th grade, and now is back for 10th. He walked into my classroom yesterday where I was sitting alone at my computer.
"Ms. Book, you look educated today."

As opposed to the other six days of the week when I look like a moron? Gee, thanks. :)
(Just as an update, he claims to have moved on from Charmed to bigger and better things. I'll let you know when I find out what those things are...)



Last week during student orientation, I was explaining the new block schedule to my 11th grade advisees. One response I got,
"So you guys are trying to be like a real school now?"

Hmmm...all I can hear in my head is Pinocchio squeaking "I'm a real boy!"