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!

Introducing

My work days start in class with these munchkins. They're fantastic! If you can't tell by this picture, my boys are crazy. My girls are sweethearts! And i LOVE it.
Let me introduce you to them!

the boys.

Adam. Is a stinkin' riot. He is always doing KPop dance moves attempting to wrestle N0-ah. Which , considering the size difference, is almost impossible. I hardly walk into class and not find them in a full out wrestling match. No-ah and Adam are buddies.

No. Or more class room appropriate Noah. Some of you might remember the story, but on No's first day in my class, i asked him to to pick an English name. He told me he wanted to be called "No". I was thoroughly confused. I asked him, "Do you want to be called Noah?" And he said, "No. NO!" A joke and a joy ever since. This kid is brilliant. My favorite moment in this class thus far is with No and Adam. Adam was talking a lot on day in class. Answering a lot of questions and well, No was getting ticked. So, No, nonchalantly reaches over and covers Adams mouth with his hand. No, without any hesitation and impeccable timing sticks his tongue out and licks the heck out of his hand. I couldn't hold back the laughter! It was SO funny.

Alex is a my rebellious teacher's pet. He's great! He is just learning English and his favorite thing is when i ask him what the weather is. Part of my curriculum teaches the weather and the differences between rain, raining, rainy, etc. So, i start a lot of my days asking the kids what the weather is like today. Alex will answer and say " Today's weather is sunny, and hot, and rainy, and snowy, and wet and dry and Sarah Teacher, and Alex... yada yada yada." until i cut him off with an "Oh Alex!"

Tim is my man of many voices. Holy heck this kid is full of energy and quickly established himself as my class clown. I say that he is the man of many voices, because every time i ask him a question or ask him to read is does so with an absolutely hilarious voice. And while most of the time i cannot understand a bloody thing he is say, i cannot stifle the fun because he's taken speaking English to a whole new level and it just makes me smile! I do believe he also holds a record for most request to "SIT DOWN."

My boys like to give me high fives. I let them give me a high five when the can tell me their poems by memory or when they leave class. They thoroughly enjoy a little game we're created: How many rapid high fives can i give Miss Sarah before she pulls her hands away. It's fun.

the girls. my sweet girls.

Diana. Oh Diana. She is one smart girl and does she have a lip on her! Holy toledo. But i can handle it. She loves to speak Korean in class, which is a no-no. So I often encourage her by saying, "Only English ladies!" To which she responds, "But Miss Sarah, this is Korea." A comment most often accompanied with a half-scared look of rebellion. A funny one she is! : )

Julie. Is a knockout sweetheart. First in line to turn in her homework and always trying to tell me a story about her day or weekend, she just melts my heart. Most of those conversations go like this. "Teacher. Jessica. After A-Class. Game." Which means "Teacher, guess what! After A-Class, Jessica is coming to my house to play!" I've become a professional decoder. Anyway, Julie loves to play Simon says. One day after i had had it with the daily, "TTEEEEECCCCHHHHEEERRRR. GAAAAMMMMEEEE!!!! " I taught my class to say "Miss Sarah, may we play Simon says please?" I start almost every day with it and Julie's eyes light up. She rocks that madness with all seriousness and it just makes me smile. She's a pro.

Hannah. Miss Hannah. My royal Space Cadet. This girl has mastered the art of spacing out, and almost daily, as i'm making my way to class, she b-lines it to the bathroom. She likes to hide, or escape, or whatever it is she is trying to do. If my reflexes are oiled my quick "HANNAH" will stop her mid dash and she turn around defeated and trudge back to class. Most of the time i cannot find her, and she doesn't make it to class until well into the first 10 minutes. She doesn't speak English very well at all, BUT i would say she has improved the most. When i first took over the class she was not even willing to read out loud, now, she bolts out what she knows!

The girls love it when i secretly tell them to lip sync the songs on the girl part. It confuses the boys and they giggle uncontrollably. It makes me happy!

This is my first class!