...short answer tests...

Recently I gave a test that included a short answer portion.

Before administering the test, I talked to students about how text language is never appropriate for an answer on an assignment.  One example I often see is idk.  We talked about how I don't know is NEVER an appropriate answer, and certainly not in text language form.  In fact, I told them that if they didn't know an answer, they could at least write something amusing so that it made me smile rather than get frustrated that they didn't prepare.  A few years ago I had a student do something like that...They were supposed to write the Six Steps in Good Note-Taking.  Instead she wrote out directions to making Ramen noodles.  Creative.  She even included pictures.  See, that's the kind of wrong answer that makes me smile when grading.

One of my students this year took this suggestion to heart.  Here are a couple of his answers when he couldn't think of the actual answers:

1.  Close the lid tightly.
2.  Skydiving giraffes

See, you didn't even need to see the question to know that these were ridiculous.  But it sure beats an empty line, or even worse, idk.

...the end of the world...

Today was the last day of regular classes before finishing up the semester with final exams.

Students were basically spending most of the class studying...so we had some time for "stalling."

You never know what might be said when conversations go off on tangents...

Student:  I was thinking last night, Friday can't be the end of the world.

Me:  Oh really, why is that?

Student:  Because if this Jesus guy is real, he won't want to end the world before his birthday!  Then he would miss it!

Me:  Ok, good point.  So maybe not until December 26th?

Student:  Well, no, because he will want time to enjoy his presents!

Me:  Hmmmm....maybe next year, but then I guess we will run into the same problem...

Conclusion:  The world will never end.  Seemed logical to the class...

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At the end of class I was asking students if they had any questions about their study guides....That same student spoke up.

Student:  Can I make a confession?

Me:  Yes.

As soon as I said it, I realized maybe it wasn't wise to so readily encourage a student to make a public confession about who-knows-what...

She got out of her seat and walked to the front of the classroom.

Student:  I have a confession.  Last year, when we were given those free toothbrushes...
(many nods and uh-huhs from the crowd acknowledging they remembered that day)
...well...
(she covers her face with embarrassment, then continues)
...I took mine to the bathroom and scrubbed the toilet with it.  I mean, I got down in there.  Then I gave it to Josh Anderson (name was changed to protect the innocent victim).

The class reacted with a mixture of disgust, shock, amusement, and more.

It turns out that Josh's cousin is in this class.  I wonder if we will get a report sometime as to whether or not he used the toothbrush that cleaned a toilet bowl before he owned it.  But the bigger question I have is, why did my student think of this random act from the past after an hour of studying, & feel the need to confess it to her peers?  Some things will always remain a mystery to me.

...boys will be boys...

This is what happens when you work in a hallway full of men.

...rough start...

One of the best perks about the school where I work is that we have a full-time staff member whose office is the copy room.  She spends her day making copies requested by the teachers in the building (among various other duties).  Without her, I would never leave the building.

All semester, whenever I've submitted a copy request, I've asked for the same quantity.  Well, recently I have noticed that my last class seems to run short on assignments, handouts, etc.  This is quite mysterious since my rosters haven't changed.  I don't understand it, but it has become a recurring problem.

This morning I remembered to be a little proactive...Before school started, I made my way to the copy room to make a few extra copies of an assignment for today so I wouldn't run into any problems during my last class.

The Copy Lady (as we reverently call her) was busy receiving money for students' lunch accounts.  The copy machine was printing something that I figured a teacher had sent to from their computer.  (Yeah, we've got one of those high-tech copy machines that function like a wireless printer.)  I put my original in the machine, punched 8, then hit start.  The machine spit out my copies.  I picked them up, walked over the paper-cutter & cut them in half.  (Don't worry, that was intentional.)  Then I punched holes in the papers so students can easily keep them in their binders.

As I approached the door, through the sea of students making sure they could eat today, another teacher had walked in.  I saw him approach the copy machine with a puzzled look on his face.  I heard him mumble something about how he often prints documents to this printer, but when he gets there, he can't find them.  I walked out the door.

Then I remembered the papers that were printing when I came in.

I walked back into the copy room.

Me:  Uhhhhh...I may have accidentally taken your copies...and cut them...and hole punched them...

I checked.  Yep.  There they were:  unfamiliar pages, cut in half, with holes in them.

Me:  I'm so sorry!  I just grabbed the papers off the machine and didn't even look at them before I slashed them!

Other Teacher:  (laughing)  Well, I guess they won't get a study guide!

Shoot.  What a rough way to start the day...And I thought I was so on top of things...

...12-12-12...

Here's a conversation I was a part of yesterday:

Someone in the classroom asked what the date was.

Student:  Miss O'Brien, do you know what tomorrow is?!?!?

Me:  The 12th.  So, 12-12-12.

Student:  Yeah!  It's so cool!  It's the only time it will ever be that!  And at 12:12, I'm going to be so excited!

Me:  Are you going to celebrate?

Student:  Yeah!

Me:  Are you going to sing a song?

Student:  Yeah, it goes like this:  12-12-12, 12-12-12...

Me:  Well, you might want to work on those lyrics, you have a full day to come up with something...

Unfortunately...well, maybe fortunately...I will not see that student at 12:12 on 12-12-12.  I guess I will be missing a pretty big celebration.  Maybe I'll hear about it from someone...

...paperclips...

I have a student who is very talkative.  Not the uber-irritating kind of talkative though.  He is very congenial, and always has a smile plastered on his face.  But he just doesn't stop talking.

The last time I created a seating chart, I put him near my desk.  I guess my thinking was if he is going to be talkative, at least he will be near me so I can monitor it more closely.

Well, this may have backfired.  Now he just wants to talk to me ALL THE TIME.  He may even have a secret mission to try to be my new best friend.  (By the way, it isn't working.)

My classes were taking a test this week.  Afterwards they were supposed to be working on a packet that required the use of their books.  Of course Mr. Congenial didn't have his book with him.  Naturally, he tried to use his time after the test to engage in conversation with me.  As nice as it is to have a student interested in my life, it is disruptive while other students are still working on their assessment.

So, I needed to find a way to occupy his mind and keep him from talking.  Impulsively I handed him my jar of colored paperclips.

Here, please sort these by color.

This meaningless, tedious task was enthusiastically received.  He never even questioned why I would have him do such a thing.  (Of course, he doesn't know that I have 6 little jars in my desk drawer with thumbtacks, separated by color.)  He went right to work, making piles of red, blue, purple, and more.

Now, my desire was to give him some independent work.  Sorting paperclips should keep him busy and away from the temptation to socialize.  Well...it turns out that sorting paperclips seems like a pretty cool task...or maybe it was just because it was this particular student who was doing it.  Who knows.  Regardless of the reason for the attraction, over the next several minutes he unintentionally lured at least three other students to his desk who wanted to join the fun.

So much for keeping him from being a distraction.

Today I overheard him telling another student (who is not in any of my classes) about how I let him play with paperclips.  I guess you never know what it might take to win over a student.

...cover ups...

My students were taking a test, and working on a packet afterwards while they waited for their classmates to finish.

A girl was on her way back to her desk and all of a sudden she was on the ground.

As she stood up, she exclaimed, Who put that air right there?  She gave the air in question a look of indignation.

That's one way to cover up an embarrassing moment...