Ding Dong Merrily on High!

Bells today went better than last week.  I decided to change songs.  This one, "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" is much easier to pick up. 


The 8th graders went back to their room while 6th graders and I put everything away.  Then I noticed a 6th grader on the classroom phone.  It was Mr. E asking where one of the boys was.  Apparently he was supposed to tell me that the 5th graders needed an extra five minutes of math today (he forgot), so we could've kept playing for another five minutes!  Oh well.  The 6th graders and I worked on some of their MN history worksheet while we waited.  They are so impatient!  Right away, it's "I need help!" no matter what the question is.  They don't even try to look in their books! 


Once we were joined by the 5th graders, it didn't get easier.  Everyone was worried about finishing the worksheet and was on a different question.  I was reviewing what we talked about last week (which included most of the answers), but they were so concerned about answering the question on the worksheet that they weren't listening to what I was saying... or waiting to see if I'd answer their question in a little bit.


Then one of the 6th grade girls spread out beyond her 40 acres.  Her book was on her neighbor's desk a bit and her neighbor was not happy about that at all.  The sprawler wouldn't listen to suggestions about adjusting her paper/book so she wasn't crowing her neighbor.  And she didn't want to move her desk a little to the left so they weren't so close.  I finally tugged her desk a ways away and then she scooted it forward so it bumped the desk in front of hers!  The boy sitting there gave a massively frustrated sigh and that's when I moved her to the white table.  And everyone had to comment on how she was rolling her eyes at me... really? Does that need to be said?  Is that helping anything?  No. 


There were mutterings today of the boys pantsing each other, once in the bathroom and once in the coat room.  I never saw it and the pantsed people never told me to my face... but there was enough quiet talk amongst my kids that I'm pretty sure it happened.  They all thought it was sooo funny until I told them they could be suspended for doing it.  That sobered them up real quick.  Mr. E is going to have a chat with them tomorrow about it too.


On a somewhat lighter note (if the Holocaust can be considered lighter), our book is getting more intense.  My two boys who have trouble sticking with reading don't want to stop!  After they finished their snack, they wanted to get drinks... they actually asked me to pause reading so they didn't miss any of the story!  I'm not sure if the girls are as in-to the story as the boys, but they're not complaining when we read more.  I pulled up a map of the concentration camps in Poland and Germany and showed them a video of the Wieliczka Salt Mines (a place the main character had to work).  Now our main character is at the death camp Birkenau.  Even though we just started this book last week, I'm guessing we'll finish it before Christmas break.