I love you Ms. S!

Elementary students are really good for your self-esteem. They are usually full of compliments  (unless you wear sweatpants or take off your glasses), and they love to tell you how great you are...especially if they are doing something that they shouldn't be doing!

I have one in particular who I am convinced thinks that I should be her mom...she also has a hard time sitting still, so I strategically sit her near me during class, thinking that would help.  But I think I'm more of a distraction for her than the rest of the kids!

Today, we were sitting in a circle, learning quarter note and rest rhythms, and she starts petting me, like I'm a new kitten.

Me: What are you doing?  You are supposed to be clapping!

I-wish-you-were-my-mom 1st grader: BUT I LOVE YOU!

Me: ::eyebrow arch:: Well...can you please clap the rhythms?  

Fast forward to 5th grade...I have several interesting characters in 5th grade...but today's group is by far the most...ummmm...vibrant.  The MVP of this class is Permanent-outside-voice (POV) girl.  Sweet, but loud...very loud.

Me: You and your group need to stop shouting, and continue working on your project.  We are inside, not on the playground!

Sweet-natured friend of POV: Yes mom.  

POV: BUT MS. S, WE ARE WORKING! SEE LOOK!

Me (partially deaf now): Great, but your volume is at an 11...I need you at a 3.

Sweet-natured friend of POV: Ok mom.POV: UGH. OK MS. S!    

Did you know that GAB is bag spelled backwards?

So, the most exciting thing about teaching elementary music is recorders right?

SIKE.  But the kids love it, even though they find it extremely hard when they realize that it is an actual instrument, and you have to KNOW stuff to be able to play it!

Well this week is belt testing on "Hot Cross Buns", and it is by far my LEAST favorite song of all time.    Why?  Several reasons:

1) "Guess what Ms. S, I got a recorder from [my brother/sister/dollar store/found it on the corner] and I already taught myself to play Hot Cross Buns!"  (and I'm going to remind you every time you try to teach me something because I know it already!)
2) "BUNS!!!! Bahahahaha! GROSS!"
3) "Wait I only have to use B, A, and G? That spells bag!" 

Well the first day of HCB testing was interesting.  Last week, they all were begging me to take the test so they could get their white belts* and then this week they show up for the test, and freak out saying, "But I couldn't practice because ::insert carefully-thought-out-but-lame excuse here::" 

What I thought UGH.  Excuses...AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!
What I said "Try your best, I'm sure you will do just fine" ::smile:: 

Needless to say, I tested half the class, and 4 people have to re-test next week.  Main reason, they played GAB, instead of BAG.  


*BTW...for those of you wondering, I use a method called Recorder Karate.  I teach the recorder technique in class, and then we test as we learn new notes, and each test song earns them a belt, similar to real karate.  The belts are a piece of colored string that gets tied to their recorder.  It keeps them motivated, and gives us all an end goal...the coveted black belt! 

The art of subtley

How do you teach children finesse? Twice today I had two students make comments that they meant in a harmless way, but came out really interesting... 

I took my glasses off to read something up close, and "say what's on my mind" 2nd grader says, "You look worse without your glasses on". Another kid told him that was rude, to which he responded, "I tell my mom that all the time...she looks worse without her glasses too!". ::shakes head::

Then, later, one of my fifth graders says to me, "You have really thick legs Ms. S, but I think it's because of your pants. When you stand still, they just look bigger than usual". (Today was sweat pants day for Bullying week).

So today I learned that in comparison to how I look on a regular basis, I look "worse" without glasses, and I look fat in sweatpants.

But at least I smell good...according to "invade-your-personal-space" third grader!

Hey mom! My music teacher's a kid too!

In an effort to get my kinders to understand the difference between their singing and speaking voices, we sometimes visit an imaginary place, where everything is sung instead of spoken.  We usually get there by jumping, clapping, wiggling and spinning, and then we "talk" about a predetermined topic...

So today while in our imaginary singing land (it's a music teacher thing)...we were singing about our parents jobs...

Girl 1(in her singing voice): My mom works in a school with kids.

Me (singing voice): That's really cool, just like me!

Girl 2 (in her puzzled speaking voice): But you're just a KID who works in school right?

Me (in my shocked-but-trying-not-to-laugh "sp-inging" voice): I'm a grown up!

Girl 2 (still puzzled): A big grown up kid though, right?

At that point all I could do was laugh! So I guess Ms. S is not a real grown-up, just a big grown-up kid who works at a school!

Best.day.ever. LOL.