Haaaaaaaa! Finally! After doing two Java updates, what a pain, I can now once again blog!

So here is what has happened since November 2nd, which is the last time I actually posted.

The quarter ended on November 8th. After making the kids write thousands of times "I will pay attention" etc,etc, I realized how stupid that actually was. So I changed up on them. I decided to make them truly responsible for their own education. My " higher standard kids", the ones who I could count on to pay attention began to get bored. They are used to being the leaders of the class, answering all the questions and getting all the attention. I made them stop trying to be the center of attention and allow the other kids to step forward. I think maybe I over did it because thy turned into totally crazy, "I am not gonna do anything" type of kids. One of them actually stopped doing any work at all, or so it seemed but the rest of that story later. As far as the other kids, my one who is always busy thinking about "...flowers, trees, birds, rainbows and my little pony", and would insist on asking a question about them during a time when we are actually talking about any and everything but that, I have found his true genius, One day I said to him " You know, you are a very deep thinker. I like that. I don't have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is what you think about. If you could change the things you think about, you are going to be amazing!" Of course, his little feelings got hurt, he went into a pout and the other kids laughed. But who had the last laugh???? He did! So, I told the kids they had to write, among other assignments, a 5-7 page paper on three different countries, and do a presentation in class. My flowers and my little pony kid comes in one day and says: " Miss Fern...I made this thingy, do you have some place to put it?" Now I am always getting on him about saying thingy, because he will raise his hand and start talking about a "thingy" and I am looking at him like "what"? So I was giving him my best " What? You are really getting on my nerves with that "thingy" thing, when he comes up to my desk and whips out this tower he made at home and explains to me it is a replica of something or other in Canada, and he made it to use in his presentation! Ya coulda sold me for a nickel I wouldn't  have known the difference! I sat back in my chair, and having lost that above mentioned look, got a great big smile on my face and just wanted to hug him, but instead I said " great use of critical thinking! You are now one of my higher standard kids!? The rest of the students burst into spontaneous applause and it was a glorious moment indeed! So of course, I told the rest of the class that the more interesting they make their projects, the better the grade. Honey, those children have been cutting and pasting and creating and there is so much creative and critical thinking going on that they actually worked in silence for about two hours today! I told them" This is nice. I like when you guys are happy and busy, it feels good in here right now!" I was, and am, so proud of them.

They have decided I am hilarious! I can be fussing at them and really you guys, when I get my fuss on, I am formidable...at least I think I am! Huh! I will be just a fussin, " ..and if you guys don't sit down...and if you don't stop standing around looking....." you know how we grown ups , right? I will look around and all my kids are looking at me with the biggest grins on their faces!!!! " I will say " What is so funny? " And they say " Miss Fern, your hilarious! WE like the way you fuss at us!" Ok, the first time they said that, I was like " WTF???!!!" But now, what the heck, I laugh too!

My kids are really crazy as well! In the cafeteria at breakfast, my kids will deliberately do the wrong thing, so I can go off and make the high school students laugh! And it only took me about three weeks to figure that out!!!!1( gettin old sucks! Not quite as sharp had I used to be!) That's all for now...more tomorrow!!!