Crazy Daze of School

Hopefully by the start of next week I will have both the pink sweater and the cable sweater (which is actually more like a jacket) done. This week has been insane.

I got my new homeroom. The kids coming into the 5th grade were a bad combo last year. There are four 5th grade homerooms total, and so far only one of them seems a bit difficult. My homeroom is cute. I always have an awesome homeroom, but I'm looking back at the last three, and I'm starting to think that they're awesome b/c I make the best of what I have. People say I treat the kids like real people. That's what they are to me, like co-workers...or rather employees.

There are a few that are worrysome to me right now - or rather I'm worried about them. We have one french boy that is new to the country and doesn't speak much english. In a predominantly hispanic neighborhood with lacings of arabic, indian, african, and asian, coming across another french kid to translate is hard.

I asked if he spoke any spanish, and he was able to tell me no. My husband suspects he may speak german and that's how he's understanding us to a point.

there's another boy that seems like one of those "i'm a troublemaker b/c i can't pay attention and have no idea what's going on but I'm also a thuggie kid so I must have an attitude" students. He cracked a smile today when I said gabagillion comes after million in the place value chart, so hopefully he'll chill out and try to be patient with himself. kid's like that have a tendancy to get irritable and pissed at themselves and then take it out on you. He looks so much like another boy i had with similar problems. I don't want him to become a deal like I couldn't help the other kid so i gotta help him to make up for it. If a kid wants to be helped it works. The best analogy I've thought of for this kind of situation...b/c some people think that I'm suposed to fix everything and if not it's all my fault b/c I'm the teacher...

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. The best you can do is go to the water yourself, scoop some up, and hold it near him hoping he'll take even just one taste. And then you have to be happy with whatever comes of it.