Defining "party" and "a lot of money" :)

The kids are always confused when I tell them I have roommates, since that's a word they associate with college. I explained it to them a few days ago, so today one of the 8th grade boys was asking me about it.

him: So do you and your roommates have parties?
me: Yeah, we have parties.
him: Do you have the crazy parties with the cups all over the place and the couch and the TV on the front porch and a chair hanging out of the window?
me: Hah, no, we have...adult parties.
him: Adult parties? Like, do you eat crumpets and caviar? Do you drink tea like this? [he proceeds to hold up his pinky finger and sip from an imaginary cup of tea.]

At this point Mr. John came into the room...
8th grader: Mr John! Do you want to come to my party I'm having with my three roommates? We're eating caviar and you have to wear a suit...
Mr John: No.
8th grader: Why not?
Mr John: Because you're black.
The kid kept trying to describe his "party" but I think John caught him off guard because he just ended up stuttering and not making any sense...hahaha :)

This kid (I really need a name for him b/c I know these stories are just going to continue) was also the one who came into class today talking about money.
"Kids and adults think different about money. Like, kids think $100 is a LOT of money, but to adults it's really not that much. Isn't that right, Miss Book?"
Funny...I remember thinking the exact same thing when I was his age :) I told him something about how I still thought $100 was a lot of money, but "a lot" was sort of relative...
Him: Well, I bet you make at least...$12,000 a year!

Thank the good Lord that it's a bit more than that...I would like to pay off these loans before I'm 80... :)

Messages from students...

I believe that in the past I've shared messages I've received from students. This one was in my inbox this morning, from one of this past year's advisees (the one who made me want to cut myself...remember her?):

Ms.Book, I miss you

That one makes me happy :)

While I'm on this topic, here's one I received from Bus Pass Boy near the end of the school year...

Subject line:
IV GOT A REALLY GOOD QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Body of email (keep in mind, I'm just cutting and pasting...these emails looked just like this in my inbox):

MS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

IF WE GOT A LOT OF 9V BATTERIES AND HOOKED IT UP TO A COMPUTER

PLUG WILL IT LIGHT UP AND WORK!!!!!!!!!

A whole new world...of technology...

My fifty-something boss sat down next to me in the computer lab today and started working on an assignment for his class. Soon he asked me: "How much does a monthly bus pass cost?" Of course, since I don't ride this bus (and up to this past May was still using a college ID to ride for free), I had no idea, so he started asking students--who of course had no idea either since they get theirs for free from the school. Since I was sitting at a computer, I do what I usually do when I don't know the answer to something--I googled it.

10 seconds later:
"$80. A Zone 1 bus pass is $80 per month." I showed him on the website.
Pause while he typed that into his worksheet and I continued my own work.

"Okay, I'll bite...how'd you find that so fast?"
"I just googled 'how much is a bus pass in this city'. It was the first thing to come up."
"Hmmm..."

Two minutes later.
"Well, I tried it. I was looking for what percentage of income should be spent on housing and I typed it into google and it was the first thing that came up!"
"Yep. It's like magic!"

I think I just introduced him to a whole new world...

Now if only I could teach him how to make double sided copies, then we would be set...

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Here's another one of those "signs of the times" incidents from class. They were doing the assignment where I give them a list of stuff and they have to classify it as either "matter" or "not matter".
Slow Talker: This one says "a cell"...do you mean a cell from your body or a cell phone?

-----

Overheard (one student to another):
"Your handwriting is eligible!"

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In today's discussion of matter, we talked a bit about what air actually is...

me: Yes, there is oxygen in the air, but air is actually only about 23% oxygen. What do you think the other 77% is?
two students (in unison): Pollution!!

Well, we may rank right up there in the most polluted cities...but we're not THAT bad!

Looking for words...

I don't often think about how my class sounds to outsiders who don't know what's going on. Yesterday I told one of the 9th graders to stop doing what he was doing and to do what he was supposed to be doing (say that one three times fast! ;) ) I didn't realize how funny it sounded until the Head of School walked in behind me and repeated what I had just said:

" 'Put down the gel and measure your dinosaurs!' There's always something interesting going on in science class..."



I overheard some of the 9th grade boys arguing over the assignment I gave them today, which involved getting data from everyone in their group. One boy was getting exasperated and trying very hard to reprimand the other...
Student 1: You have to be a sports player!
Student 2: We aren't playing a sport!!!
Student 1: I mean you have to be a be a sports team...a team sport...a team player! You have to be a team player!


We had a little bit of a spillage incident the other day, which resulted in Mountain Dew and vinegar and dinosaurs (oh my!) all over the floor. It also resulted in what we like to refer to as "the smell of science" permeating the third floor. One 8th grade boy insisted he knew what the smell was.
student: It smells like weed in here!
me: That's vinegar you're smelling.
student: No, it definitely smells like weed!
me: Well, what did you think I was doing in here during my free periods??

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em...right?