Life as a 5th grader...

One Friday I spent the day with 23 5th graders...I realized from the very moment I walked into the classroom it was a day that was goin to be one to remember. So thru out the day while the students did their projects and papers I maintained a log...here is my day with the 5th graders.

**8:25am Students begin to gather outside classroom to see who the new person is, that will be their teacher...Their whispers are about as loud as my normal voice so I can hear everything..
**8:35am A student realizes my name is on the board and proceeds to inform the ENTIRE 5th grade pod of at least 100 students that my name is Miss God-man...um actually its Miss. Goldmann I reply back.
**8:45am I begin to take attendance that ends in failure since I think only 35% of the class have names like Lisa, Kate, Michael, Jack, and so on.
**9:00am the class sings happy birthday to Addie...only to find out it might be the worse song to sing with 10 year olds...I reply wow that was terrible-glad we have music today...class understands my sense of humor and laughs.
**9:01am Addie begins to pass out her birthday treat...DONUTS...I thank Addie for the sugar high she and her classmates will be on soon...she just gets a big smile on her face that lets me know--"yup I know."
**9:06am it has been brought to my attention that a student is MISSING...its been 21minutes and I have lost a student.....
**9:10am student is still missing...I send another student out to find the missing student who goes by the name of Luke.
**9:15am...yup the sugar has kicked in....
**9:16am Two students now are missing...
**9:20am As I am about to send out another student to find the boys...they walk in..oh course with boyish smiles..I reply look what TROUBLE has just brought into the room...our two missing students...I later find out that this is something Luke does often. esp with sub teachers...I pull him to the side and inform him I am not like regular sub teachers.
**9:30am finally SILENCE...well not really...they are great at talking with lips and no sound..reading each other's lips from across the room...I think to myself wow this is talent...but for the most part they are all working on their projects.
**9:35am silence has now broken...sparked by the missing student Luke, who I have now found out is the class talker, and class clown...I have no choice but to laugh with the rest of the class...the kid is actually pretty darn funny.
**9:37am I have found that the normal teacher Ms. Braunberger has so so not left enough for these kids to do...She gives us over an hour to do such things that only take half that time to complete...no matter how slow I go.
**9:40am on to Language...wonder if they are able to speak another language...or maybe up to learning Michellish...ok I will stick to the lesson plans.
**9:44am I am corrected before I even begin by a future Jeopardy winner...I am positive this girl is way smarter than me....I nickname her Jeopardy and she loves it.
**Jeopardy seem to have all the answers for language...her hand is ALWAYS up...but she is a very mature 5th grader and doesn't speak until called upon until like missing student Luke and so many others.
**10:20am...I heart ART....
**Students are gone from 10:20 til 10:55...
**10:56am where did the time go??
**Just in time to take them to wash hands and go to lunch.
**11:35am they are back....Out of Control and so much energy...I start to realize how hard it must be for them to always sit and not talk...heck I am not sure if I can even do that...
**11:40am MATH...half the class is not done with homework assignment..They are sent to the hall as we correct the papers. During this time I am constantly repeating answers...students are asking over and over...whats #3 whats #5 whats #7 and so on...FINALLY we are done...I go out to the hall to get the students who are not done...I ask who was gone yesterday and who just didn't do their homework...I ask why...James a cute little little 5th grader replies back to me..well to be honest Misssss GoldMANN I just didn't see the point...why do I need to know this??...I thought well I am with you kid BUT I didn't say that...instead said the mature teacher thing to say and said it will fill your mind with knowledge.
**12:02pm LONG DIVISION...um I haven't actually done this since....um I am not even sure..I hand out the worksheet and then go to my desk and try to do the worksheet myself...this is the FIRST time I realize the whole show are you smarter than a 5th grader...and fully know that I may not be...Jeopardy ends up being a huge help to me with answering questions...I found I could do it-but not explain how I did it....
**12:11pm Luke is suppose to be working on his math and instead he is doin something with his shoes...I ask him what he is doing and he says ya kno re-learning how to tie my shoes...what i ask? I am tryin to see if I can tie my shoes in another way then what I usually do...I shake my head and say that sounds amazing BUT do it after you are done with math.
**12:19pm everyone seems to be done with math...BUT ME...good thing I am not tested on this...I go around the classroom to make sure they are actually done and not just pretending...YUP they are all done...and we are suppose to be on math until 1pm...
**12:20pm I ask them what they would like to do and it is voted on to play Questions...so they students start asking me anything and everything you can think of....
What size shoe do you wear? (um 8.5-9) Are there bears in North Dakota? (not that I know of) How about mountains? (do you listen during geography class?) Did you meet Steve Irwin when you were in Australia? (um no...he was killed by a sting ray before I even went over there) Are there shopping malls in North Dakota? (yes we are pretty much just like Montana but with no mountains) How old are you? (how old do I look?---18...aw thank you...then another says older enough to be my grandma...WHAT!) What do you want to be when you grow up?? (I had no answer and couldn't figure out if I was suppose to know now or not...according to these kids its ok if I don't know...i was touched by this.) Where do you live? (on the mountain--a student says like the book my side of the mountain?? no no no I say I don't live inside of a carved out tree.) then out of the blue i am told I am the most amazing person they have ever met and that I am their favorite guess teacher....I say thank you but then say no that comment will not get you out of the spelling test after recess...they laugh...the questions cont. until there is a knock at the door to inform us the Royal Court of Whitefish is here....the studends FREAK OUT!!
**12:50am the entire 5th grade is gathered in the pod wing around 160 students and 8 teachers...Its the Winter Carvinal in Whitefish..which I am still learning about being a new be here...but its an out of control time in the town of Whitefish...They have a royal court of a king, queen, duke, duchess, prince, princess, prime minster, even the people that play the trumpets and the guy that makes the announcement of the Royals...They enter completely dressed like royalty...they are here to bring someone kid into knighthood...his grandfather was a king, and his mom is the now the current duchess...the whole royal blood thing apply to this...unless you are a prince or princess...i didn't realize just how into this whole time the town and people get...
**1:05pm RECESS
**1:30pm Spelling....I am to give a test on words that sound the same but have different meaning....like fair, fare, do, due, dew, sent, sence, cent and so on...I give senteces with each word....it has come to my attention that my ND accent is not helping...and students are so lost...and keeping asking me what was #2 what was #4?? Not all students have to take the test if they got all right on the pre-test...JEOPARDY ends up giving the test for me...what a helper...they have no problem understanding her.
**1:50pm I drop the students off at Music and tell the teacher they esp need to work on the happy birthday song...
**2:30pm...Social Studies...we correct papers and I send Tavia to the hall-she wasn't here yesterday
**3:00pm ..I have assigned the class their homework and they start to work.
**3:02pm...a student asks where is Tavia...I think to myself oh my god I lost another student!! NOPE just forgot to bring her back in from the hall...opps SORRY.
**3:03pm the students are antzy and its friday...I inform them they can stop working and relax and enjoy the last part of the day.
**3:17pm I dismiss the class to get their belongings and such...but not before every student for some reason wants to give me a hug and informs me they hope to have me again...aww...they understand my sense of humor.
**3:20pm bell rings and its a mad house out in the halls...my day as a 5th grader is over.

Now some may think I am a teacher that gets walked on, some may think I am a teacher that lets students do whatever...But the truth is I am not...I have an understanding with kids, I let them know what I aspect from them...and I always try to treat the students with the same respect I want them to give me...I understand how impossible it is to sit in a desk for 8 hours and always be told to be quiet, get to work, don't laugh don't talk don't move...when was the last time any of us have tried to do that? So maybe I let them get away with doing a little more of that than they are use to...I laugh at their jokes, their stories...and smile and shake my head when everyone knows they should know better...I don't see the point of being a boss...of being a mean teacher that demands and wants then gives nothing in return....kids are kids...and they have a right to sometimes act their age...So know that even when my day sounds like it was nothing but fun, craziness and sillyness...the students always get their work done and I tend to never have any problems...I am the only sub teacher in the Whitefish School system that has not sent a kid to the office or had to write someone up...I was approached about this at the start of the week by the person who calls and hires me...she wanted to know if I just put up with alot of crap or if I actually don't have any problems....I can honestly say I don't have any problems...maybe its because I laugh and smile or give the kids a break every now and then...or maybe its the fact I take the time to understand and or relate to the students...I remember what it was like being one...but I think my biggest key is the fact I give them the same respect I am looking for them to give...It just goes to show you...treating people how you want to be treated does in fact work.