Getting Serious

Today I did a reading-with-expression game in my book club where they kids draw a sentence at random, read it silently, state how they think the speaker would feel and then read the sentence aloud expressing an emotion I draw from a cup of tongue depressors. As in, Hyper! Sad! Angry! Worried! Excited! or even Robot or Little Kid. Good reading should sound like talking, not like a machine, so we practiced using our posture, face and voice to convey the emotion behind the message.

They dissolved into laughter when we tried counting to five like an angry adult versus like a two year old. It was pretty fun, I'll admit.

Sentences ranged from "My brother threw my phone in the toilet" and "I missed the birthday party" to "We are having pizza!" and "Stop it!" Little kid was by far their favorite. I had one student from my classroom who didn't want to participate in the book club which is a grouping from the other classes as well as our own. She did rock our socks off in the class version, though, stating, "I'm okay doing it with the Cupcakes." And the child can do one heck of an expressive angry count. She said she pretended her little sister was in trouble and then did an Oscar-worthy  maniacal laugh.

I enjoyed all that.

Now fun's over, people. We must carry on like adults now.

I have a couple of crucial parent meetings tomorrow. These are opportunities to determine the best educational path for individual students.

In other words, I have removed the blue nail polish I had on.

Shit just go real, people.

My nails are a pearlescent peach that whispers "Trust me. I'm a teacher." Not "I like to pretend I'm seventeen".  Speaking of which, is Pinterest just like one huge endless magazine designed to make us feel wholly inadequate? I get the idea of sharing timesavers, recipes and lesson plans. Even the hairstyles I get. It's just that it's sort of a show-offy format. Like, oh look at my immaculately organized kitchen, you hapless troll.

\hapless troll grumbles incoherently/