Fun times in 8th grade!!!

The crazy things 8th graders do every day to make me smile... or frustrated:)

1. They ask EVERY DAY “what are we doing today?” even when it is on the board in the gym EVERY DAY!

2. They also always ask ‘’why do we have to dress out for PE?”

3. They like to pull their gym shorts up to their arm pits and run around crazy laughing soooo hard the whole time.

4. There is always someone in every class who challenges me to a duel in every unit we have had and they practice like crazy trying to get good enough to beat me.

5. I have many wonderers… I laugh because sometimes they are wondering around the gym or health room when I start talking. I ask them to pay attention and it is like they were off in another land for a short time. They look around and it is almost like they wonder “where was I going and why am I over here”. It is too funny…

6. The girls like to put a pony tail in the boy’s hair. It always looks like a horn on the top of their head.

7. When someone doesn’t bring a pencil to health class there is always someone who will help them out. I don’t give them pencils so they know they are in trouble if they don’t have their materials. They have team points and their team won’t get all their points if everyone doesn’t have their pencil. It is a mad house right before the bell to hurry and get a pencil. I get a smile out of the intense focus to find a pencil:)

8. They think if they have their I-pod in one ear only, I won’t notice they have it:)

9. I can tell they are texting even if I can’t see their cell phone. They are masters at texting in their sweatshirt pocket without even having to look at it. It is a crazy skill:) There is a certain position they are in when they are texting so I always know!!!!

10. I had kids who thought it was soooo funny to sing me this really really annoying song every day. I was getting frustrated, but I didn’t want to get mad about it. I was watching TV one night and the band aid commercial came on. It is “ I am stuck on band aid brand cause band aid’s stuck on me”… so I sing it to them every day!!! It kills them, but I laugh so hard every time. They plug their ears and say LA LA LA LA LA to not have to hear it. I gave them a taste of their own medicine… we have had fun with it:)

11. When I ask a question I have kids who raise their hand and wave it frantically because they know the answer. If I call on someone else other than them, I hear an AHHH from them because they wanted to answer it. It is so funny because they think I can’t see their hand waving frantically, but really I am pretending not to because they like to answer every question like that. I love the enthusiasm, but need to let others answer too:) It makes me smile and laugh inside a lot!!

12. I made up the “air high five”. It isn’t cool to high five in junior high for some reason, but I have them doing the air high five and they love it. They do it in class when someone does a good job, etc and from down the hall and across the gym/room… it is great!! You will all have to try the air high five out… you will like it too!!:)

13. I have a group of basketball girls who love to find awesome meaningful or insightful quotes. When I am working after school they slide a new one under the door written very pretty and colorful for me to read. We have a board going with all the neat quotes they love.

14. The basketball girls are in to coloring their hair crazy… what is even funnier is they talked their moms into putting a single streak of the same color in their hair to support them for games. One mom had to do a streak of pink because that is what her daughter chose. I think it is cute, although I don’t think I could do it…The girls love it… almost more than basketball!!! lol

15. I charge them 25 cents for each ping pong ball they abuse. I am teaching table tennis right now and we love it, but I am going through a lot of ping pong balls!!! They either are dented or cracked. They think my price is a rip off, but I say “Then don’t abuse the ping pong balls.” :)

16. I have equipment managers in each class hour. 2nd and 3rd hour are in charge of helping me set up the 15 table tennis tables in the morning before school. 6th-8th hour equipment managers are in charge of helping after school. They take their jobs very seriously. I love it when they feel soooo bad when they forget to come help. They like responsibility and love to be in charge of something.

17. Whenever I let them know they will get to have a partner in an activity, without a doubt, I will not regain focus until partners are determined. It is so funny!!!! I have learned to let them sit by their partner first and then I give them instructions :)

18. They always ask to go get a drink or go to the bathroom, but I never let them. I always tell them “do that during passing period”. They all know my answer and I tell them the same one every time. They just have to make sure that is still my answer:)

19. They love to show me their artwork after school. I also have one boy who is writing a story who brings it to me whenever he gets more written. He loves to show me his drawings too. I have a lot of talented artists!!

20. I showed them my “stupid human trick” at the beginning of the year (when I talk in my mouth). I told them every one has one and by the end of the year we will find everyone’s trick. It is cute because when they figure out what they can do they make sure to let me know and demonstrate in class. I see them at lunch recess trying to help each other figure out what they can do. I have anything from voice impersonations, to weird clicking of the tongue, to headstands, etc.

21. They never forget things I want them to forget… and they never remember things I want them to remember:)

22. I have had many heart to heart talks with kids individually in the hallway. It is neat once you have gained their trust how they open up to you and really share what is going on. They know all I really want to do is help, not judge them. Lots of times my discipline issues aren’t because they want to be bad. There is usually always something else going on.

23. They love to DORK STAMP eachother! A dork stamp is where you take your palm and slap it on somone else's forhead and say"dork stamp." They laugh really hard every time and it seems to never get old:)

24. This is the funniest one!!!! I have a student who sells food and pencils from his locker for a profit. It is so funny. He made 5 bucks off one dognut one day. He has unreasonable prices, but kids pay him becuase they want whatever he has to sell soooo bad:) I went to watch the boys in their wrestiling tournament and I was talking with this student's mom. I told her how funny her son was beucase he sold all kinds of stuff from his locker. She asked what I saw him selling and I told her. She said "So that is why he needs food and pencils all the time. He is making a profit off of the things I am buying him!" We had a good laugh together. I didn't mean to get him busted...oops... his buisness has slowed way down:)

** I have read through this several times and laugh sooo hard every time!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do:)