Banging my head against the wall...

Have you ever had the feeling that you just want to bang your head against a wall?  This afternoon was one of those times, except I really did want to turn around and bang my head into the whiteboard or on the podium in my classroom.

The 7th and 8th graders were noisy and didn't want to pay attention today.  Some kids asked good questions, but others were playing around with paper scraps (a huge mountain of paper scraps torn from a notebook on the table).  Still others were blurting out answers/questions/comments to their neighbors even though I was talking at the time.  I knew I should've done an interactive game/demonstration for the respiratory system, or at least waited to teach it.  I think any day but Friday would've gone better.

But it is Friday, the end of the quarter, and almost Easter break.  Plus we've been cooped up inside for far too long.  Sigh.  It's about time for spring.

All day I've been antsy, just waiting for the day to end so I can quick finish my grades for the quarter and then fly the coop!  Tomorrow afternoon I'm flying to London and it still hasn't sunk in yet.  It probably won't until I'm sitting on the plane at the airport.

But back to the head banging... after a not-so-good time in science, my students came back from math.  We tried to get started on a new art project, but the boys were too pumped up to concentrate.  We're doing a project where they draw 3D letters on a paper as if they fell from the sky in a pile (stacked names).  But they didn't want to write their names.  One girl wanted to use the word "pink" and since it's her favorite color, I let her.  Another wanted to do "hope" so I let her do that too.  But the boys didn't care about the project and just wanted a short word so they could be done sooner.  I kept rejecting all the words they wanted to do: yak, red, la, DDF, eye (or I, I'm not sure which).  And a whole bunch of others I can't remember now.

Finally one decided on "fish dog."  Kind of weird, but it was the name of one of his characters from a story he wrote earlier this year.  The other boy still couldn't think of any words and kept giggling and giggling.  I think we finally agreed he could do the word star, but if his artwork wasn't completed to the best of his ability, I would make him redo it.  Hopefully he'll put in some time and effort on this so I don't have to make him stay after school to finish it.

I finally have everything situated for the two days I'm going to be gone next week.  All the papers are on a table in Mr. E's room (he's going to watch my kids for our two days of school next week).  My students have been briefed.  I lined up someone to take care of our tortoise Joe (who is getting friendlier and friendlier every day!).  So I guess all that's left to be done is to drive over to Carissa's house and help her pack her suitcase!