Introducing

I have a hard time narrowing down my favorite class. However, given several factors, this class puts up a good fight! Thee little guys are my Elementary 3 class and they are FANTASTIC. Though a little rowdy at times, they just melt my heart! I took over this class in the Meysen, which is more of a story telling, song singing, poem learning curriculum. Unfortunately, we've moved into a regular desk-ed classroom where we have to work out a ridiculously boring reading comprehension book. They're growing up.

But we make do- and we have fun while we do it! Let me introduce them to you!

henny. My sweet Henny is a quiet one, but her chuckle is contagious! She is not smiling in this picture, however she rocks a smile that will melt the roughest of hearts! She loves two things that i find particularly cute. The first: when i ask her how she is doing, she always answers with a shy, “I’m fine.” So consistent that the other students finish her sentence before she is able to. Second thing she likes to do is wear my jewelry. If i am wearing bracelets one day, she will come over, take them off my wrist, and wear them during class. In the beginning before we moved into a classroom with desks, I would sit with them on the carpet an read them stories. She would come over, and sit as close as she could to me. Often times rubbing her cheek against my sweaters. I think she has a rough family life-- i'm praying she feels the love of Jesus in me (or my sweater!)

sonic. My little Sonic! His “real” English name is Gerald, but he likes to be called Sonic. You know, “the hedgehog” he once told me. I joke that if he were 15 years older I’d marry him and if her were an orphan i’d adopt him. He’s that stinkin’ cute. First, in one of my first classes I taught him the world “pretty”, which he later used to call me “Miss Pretty Teacher”. Sold. Favorite student award now taken. Everyday before class, he makes his way to my desk. Where we play two games. One, he’ll poke his head around the corner, i’ll notice him, make a funny face, he’ll laugh, and run back to class. The second is as i make my way to class i’ll pretend to chase them, they get all scared, scream, “SARAH TEACHER” and run back to class. He hides in the corner until i “find him”. It makes me smile! When he tries to tell me a story, most of the time horribly complicated, in which he cannot think of the English words, he becomes a charades master. It usually ends with him on the floor somehow, making sounds akin to Evan in Bruce Almighty. Without fail- he brightens my day! Except yesterday he asked me, "Teacher, expand?" pointing to his stomach and suggesting a pregnant belly of sort. Translated: "Teacher, are you getting fat?" I chuckled and said... "Oh Sonic!" The things they ask you. (I'm hoping it was my loose fitting sweater.) : )

kevin. Oh Kevin! Kevin is smart! I am constantly impressed by his ability to understand and comprehend what i’m saying, at such a young age! And like Henny, his favorite thing to do is to see how often he can tell me “I don’t know!” Oh, he knows, but i play along for kicks. “Kevin, how are you?” ... “I don’t know.” “Kevin, what’s your name?”... “I don’t know!” It continues. He laughs. I laugh. All is well. One thing he does know is what his “dream” is. Yesterday i was teaching them jobs and the question, “What is your job?”. Focusing on the “I am a...” and “He/She is a...” you know, a good ESL lesson. Anyway, i had a picture vocab worksheet of different jobs. After finishing the worksheet he chimed in, “Teacher, what is your dream?” Translated- “Teacher, what do you want to be when you grow up?” They’re smart i tell you! I answered and reversed the question, “Kevin, what do you want to be when you grow up?” “I want to be a science man,” Kevin answered. “ A scientist! Kevin, you’d make a wonderful scientist!” I told him... he smiled!

cloara. You never know what you’re going to get with Cloara- but it always makes me happy! Before moving to our classroom, she would make her way as close to sitting in my lap as she could manage while I read our stories. Often times just wanting to hold my hand or play with my rings while i read. Her sweetness is also coupled with a stubbornness that makes me laugh inside! Sometimes i’ll ask her to do something, like sit down, and she’ll stand there and say “No” with a face straighter than my laughter can contain. She just likes to push my buttons and if she weren’t so dang cute, it could be really annoying. The other day she came over to me with her little princess-set clip-on earrings and put them on me. Little blue and silver stars. I struck a pose. She looked over at me, shook her head, planted her hands on her hips, shook her head and said “uhhhh” in much disapproval. It was pretty funny! Oh Cloara, i like her!

Here they are! My Elementary 3 Class. I like them!