The events leading up to this event are a little sketchy and may or may not have taken place during writing workshop.   However, it involves several pig erasers in my student, Al’s possession.  Said erasers were nameless at the time of the slice.

Another student and I suggested the pigs be called Bacon, Hot Dog, and Pork Chop. Al did not find this entertaining.

He continued to brainstorm names, accepting Pork Chop – not because it’s a food, but because it’s just a good sounding name.  He still needed two more…

“Ohhhh!!! Spiderpig!!!”  Al shouted.

And then the low chatter of students raised and then transformed into the singing of Spiderpig – as a class, they sang.  Al danced to a beat (not the beat), eyes closed,  basking in the voices of his classmate’s singing.

“Spider pig, Spider pig.  Does whatever a….”  it didn’t last long, they weren’t all very confident with the words…  But the memory of the impromptu song will last much longer.

After deciding he would write about this for the last slice of March, he said of this event:  “One day the blogs are going to get old and everyone is going to forget it, but I’m never going to forget it.”

Excitement filled the gym.  It was our girl’s 4th/5th grade basketball game and the girls were up by several baskets.

One of my students on the team passed by where I was sitting with some fifth grade boys on her way back from the drinking fountain.

“Sally.”  Sally paused and turned to face Billy.  “Sally, did you play in the game yet?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Did you score any points?”

“Not in this game.”

“Did you score points in any of your other games?” he asked, starting to smirk.

She nodded, starting to look impatient with his line of questioning.

“How many points?”

“I don’t know.”

“Probably only like two.”

“How many points did you score this year?”

“I wasn’t on the team,” he replied.

“Exactly.”

And she walked away, back to win their second game as a team.  BOOM!  I was so proud of her!  She didn’t let him get to her and she stood up for herself.  You go girl!

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

We’ve had Milo for almost a year.  He follows me everywhere.  I go to the kitchen and he goes to the kitchen.  I go upstairs and he goes upstairs.  I go to the bathroom and I shut the door so I am alone.  Troy refers to him as my sidekick.    And then the other morning…

I got up and he stayed in bed!

I went in the shower and he stayed in bed.

I went downstairs to make coffee and he stayed in bed.

I had to actually call him downstairs to eat his breakfast so I could take him out before going to work.  Not just once, but two times!  I had to call my shadow two times before I could his his collar jingling and he headed down the stairs. Sleepy head!

No sub for PE…

So the sub is me!

What shall we do?

Basketball?

Scooters you say?

Okay!

She entered the room like a dizzy flamingo, moving from one friend to the other, sharing her exciting news about being in the closet.

“I was in the closet!”  she tells one friend.

“I like confined spaces!”she whispers excitedly to another.

Yes, she was in fact in the book closet recording her argument writing as a podcast.  My goal was a quiet place that would allow only her voice to be heard, but the closet served as more than just a quality recording booth.  It also provided her with an experience she wants to remember forever and an overheard quote that led me to today’s slice of life.  Not to mention – this narrated video of her experience!  A-mazing!!

♥♥♥♥♥

I have a very special, talented group of kids this year and I love each and every one of them.  You can read their argument podcasts here.  Special thank yous are required to two of them today:

Thank you to ThisDoesExists  (aka my dizzy flamingo) for her story, video, and enthusiasm for confined spaces!

AND

Thank you to BabyKate9 for her “dizzy flamingo” simile!

I had a different plan.

I had written a throwback slice

in my notebook earlier in the day.

I opened my computer

to the ding of emails.

But not just any emails!

Emails that tell me my students are slicing

and leaving their permalinks

on our class blog!

On the weekend!

#proudteacher  #timetoreadandcomment

Rock vs. Paper.  Paper vs. Scissors.  Scissors vs. Rock.  We know the answers to these battles.  But, do you know Key vs. Paper Bracelet?   I do!  And it’s not what you would expect…

We had just finished our hour of jumping at Mega-trampoline and we were heading out.  That horrible, itchy, too tight bracelet was driving me nuts.  I needed it off!  But those things don’t come off easily, so I used what I had – my car key.

It worked, my wrist was free from the itchy bond.

“Wait – what’s this?”  Troy said as he bent down to pick up something off the ground.

He handed me a shiny piece of of metal…it was the end of my car key.

The paper bracelet won!