Welcome Tokuharu HS from Japan. Thanks for coming into my 6th period class and checking out how the American school system works. Perhaps you’ll have some good stories to tell.
After all, you got to point and laugh at me when I stood up. I know, I’m taller and wider than most people you’ve seen. It was especially fun when you kept snickering anytime you got close to me, for it was probably based on our height differences. Good times–I hope you can chuckle at the picture we all took together as a memory of our brief time together.
Too bad you didn’t stick around. You could have seen me teach my students. We talked about their upcoming narrative essays, where there were some really good questions asked about theme. You see, I’m big on theme. I don’t think you should write something unless you have something to say, and that’s sometimes hard to get across to sophomores (and most people). But I think the students who had questions may have understood my answers and will, hopefully, apply it to their upcoming papers.
You also missed the battle of teaching poetry. We read two poems, both being really short. It was hard getting students focused, though, because I had to battle hunger, fatigue, hormones, cell phones, a sunny day, small bladders, chatter, turned backs, lowered heads, headphones, Rubik’s cubes, swiveling chairs, selfies, and Snapchat pictures.
Every day is different in school, that’s for sure. I had leftover pizza yesterday. After my students told me they hadn’t eaten, I let them have this pizza. They stayed after school, heated it in the microwave, and thanked me for the food. I left school wishing I could feed them every day.
But that was yesterday.