notes from the notebook

I keep a little notebook handy to jot down anecdotal notes during the school day... but I also use it to record funny things my kids say. Here are some gems from the past month.

Accessorizing

The girl who came to me in September speaking only Spanish has developed quite an English vocabulary over the past few months (as everyone had assured me she would). Yesterday I was getting ready for dismissal and debating whether or not I needed my scarf. My darling saw me holding the scarf and said, "Oh, Miss M... If you put that on, you're gonna be so pretty!"

I laughed. "And what if I don't wear it? Will I be ugly?"

"Nah," she replied. "Just a little bit."

Honest to a fault, these kids.

Music

During literacy centers, some of my kids were exploring Starfall, and found a biography of Scott Joplin which featured some of his music. The following conversation ensued:

Student Three: "Is he really old?"

Student Two: "No, he's dead! He lived a long time ago. He was born in like the 1960s."

Student Three: "I was born in the 60s."

Student Two: "No you weren't! No one was!"

Student Three: "Miss M was!"

My head turned when I heard that. "What? I was born in the 60s??"

Student One: "No! She was born in 1977!"

The weird thing? She's right. I must have mentioned it once, but I don't remember when. You gotta love the selective memories these kids have. They don't remember to do their homework, but they know what year I was born.

History

One of our recent sight words was city. When I introduced it, I took the opportunity to review the names of our city and state. One of my little guys said, "Miss M, I know how our state got its name."

"Really?" I said. "How?"

"William Penn," he replied.

"Yup, you're right," I said. "The Penn in Pennsylvania came from his name."

He nodded. "And his wife was named Vania."

Wow. I never knew that. :)