Those Kids

So, the kids have been slightly irritating this week. They think they're not doing anything the rest of the year so they don't listen anymore. They don't mean to be disrespectful but they are. It's annoying. However, at the same time they're being disrespectful, they're being cute. Look what they made for me this weekend:

http://hs.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2335338953

Now that the test is over, they're intensely interested in my personal life. They've made it their mission to "friend" me on facebook. Over the last 3 days I've had around 15 friend requests and I've been poked 20 times...hahaha! Jake keeps sending me messages because I won't poke anyone back or accept their friend requests. But, they wanted me to come look over their wall. (They want so badly to see my profile and I'm starting to crack...I just might accept their friend requests after they graduate...I dunno.)

In other news, I'm tired of teaching. Tonight I made good food and am going to eat it.

Ok, so funny story. In the middle of 5th period last Thursday I found on drudgereport.com that Tony Blair finally resigned. We knew it was coming that week but when it came it was so sad. The kids were watching a movie but I knew they'd want to know. So, while they were watching the movie I wrote up on the board, "Tony Blair just resigned. Last day June 27." Immediately there were groans and moans! "No! Tony!" I asked them if they wanted to stop the movie and watch his resignation speech online. Absolute assent so I stopped the movie and we watched Tony's emotional resignation speech. As Blair talked, my students were silent and glued to the video. I couldn't believe it. When the speech was over, my class was silent. I looked at them and one boy said, "Man...It's over. Tony's gone." I seriously think to them, Tony Blair's passing was symbolic. He's been with us all year. I seriously think that when they saw Tony say goodbye, they were thinking...wow...this year is almost over...we're graduating...we're gonna say goodbye. Finally, one student goes, "Ms. Burdick, can we write Tony a class letter?" "Can you write him a letter and invite him to visit our class, now that he doesn't have a job." My favorite was, "Forget writing him a letter to come visit us, let's invite him to be our President! Never mind the whole "citizenship thing," we can ammend the Constitution for Tony!" I loved it. I was so glad that my students identified with our curriculum, even in a superficial way. The last few minutes of class were so solemn! I knew they were going to be sad, which is why I left it until the end of the period, but I had no idea they'd act like that!

Story 1 continued...so I was watching the full speech when 7th period came in and Drew saw the message on the board about Blair and asked if that's what I was watching. He came over to watch it with me at my desk, riveted by Blair's charisma. As the rest of the class entered, they came to see what was going on. Soon I had all 20 of them gathered around my desk glum over Blair and once it was finished, they stayed there! I couldn't get out of my desk because I was mobbed. About 5 of them wandered off towards their seats but the rest stayed and (like I said, they're intensely interested in my personal life) started asking me about things on my desk and about my family and started looking at all the pics on my wall! They asked me about the castles, about why I was drenched pointing at grass (I got to quickly tell the story of falling in the bog), aobut what it was like to travel, about Desmond (the guy who made my celtic ring), and I couldn't start class on time because they kept asking questions. But, we really didn't have to do anything since it was just a movie so we chatted a bit.

Friday 7th period played heads-up-seven-up...oh my gosh...it was so funny. They really are kids.

Reflection: It's tough to manage a classroom without an agenda. I'm not looking forward to when they finally realize that I'm not kidding when I say we're going to do something after watching the movies. I'm so blessed by them at the same time I'm challenged by them. I guess that's the gift God has given me this year. Even though it's been hard, I've been so blessed by my students over and over.

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