The View from the Classroom

Just had to write about something my 17 year old son did the other night…

He had been out to dinner with his girlfriend and my mother-in-law.  Afterwards, with cash in hand (grandmas always give in, don’t they?) he and his girlfriend stopped by Target to buy a game for the X-Box 360 he recently acquired for his birthday through the generosity of his parents.  While there, he witnessed a big guy in a trenchcoat helping himself to some items with no intention of paying for them.  I guess the store employees got wise to the situation and the big guy took off running.  A store employee took off after him.  My son, thinking there was no way in hell the employee was going to catch the guy, stuck his foot out and tripped the shoplifter.  Needless to say, they got the guy.

My first thought upon my son telling me all of this, was "dude…that guy could have had a gun or something…you could have been hurt…", you know, typical "mom" thoughts.  Honestly, though, I’m proud of what he did.  He saw something wrong going on and made a decision to help.

Anyway…hope you have a WONDERFUL Sunday!  I’m off to take my Personal Trainer Certification test.  Wish me luck!!

I teach middle school, also known as the land of the chemically imbalanced, hormonally goofy 11 to 14 year-olds and people often wonder why I chose such a path.  Truth is, it keeps me young.  My days are NEVER the same and middle-schoolers will say anything.  Just yesterday I was thoroughly amused at one comment from a male student.  Let me set the stage…

I was teaching a lesson on rational numbers (for those of you mathematically challenged people, you need not know what they are to continue reading).  My kids were working on an activity with a partner and one pair (a boy and a girl) finished quickly.  So, I checked their work and asked them to be my graders, to walk around checking others’ work, helping as needed.  I was also still checking work…

Me (to a male student):  Have I checked your paper?

Student:  No.

Me:  Well, let me do that.

Student:  I want the chick to do it. (pointing at the girl grader)

Me:  (Laughing a little) I’m a chick.

Student:  You’re a manly chick.

Me:  (Grinning) A manly chick?  What do you mean?

Student:  You have muscles.

Me:  (Still grinning, starting to laugh) What, a chick can’t have muscles?

Student:  I’ve never seen a chick with muscles.

Me:  So that makes it wrong?

Student:  It’s just weird.

Me:  You mean different?

Student:  Yeah, different.

I went back to grading and some of the students continued to discuss my muscles, something that continues to amuse me.  Honestly, I’m just glad I can expose them to something most of them have never seen before.  And, who knows?  Maybe one of my girl students will decide to follow in my footsteps and hit the weights as she gets older.  Now THAT would be cool!