Memphis was back today. Walking through the doors, again I prayed for the empathy to understand what Memphis was going through.
Co-Pilot, way ahead of the Boy Band, tagged Miss Q first today. Zefron and Robbie came after.
Memphis was playing soccer. He seemed taller, so Miss Q told him so when I walked up to him.
Memphis, you seem like you've grown at least 5 inches. I met your brother the other day... No I did know him already, but I saw him. Were facebook friends now. Yeah I have a facebook... What's my facebook name? Wait, what are ya'll doin on facebook?
Nala giggled sheepishly. I knew she had one. Nala and Memphis tease but identify with each other on some level. Both, I think feel misplaced because of their backgrounds.
Miss Q asked him if he would sit with her at lunch.
"Yep. It's cause' I got in trouble with the police and suspended and all that." he said openly, while Nala listened. When Nala asked questions, Miss Q found herself quoting Lady Finch.
"Your story is not his story."
"My story is my story." Memphis finished.
At lunch Miss Q was pleasantly surprised how much The Girls wanted her to sit with them at lunch. Especially SkinnyJeanz. So apparently she did appreciate the advice I'd offered the other day.
But Miss Q passed everyone up and motioned for Memphis to come over and sit at a different table. Miss Q started off.
"From what I hear from you, you have a rough home life."
"Yeah. I played outside the whole time, though."
From there, I did my best to explain all the things I'd been thinking about since his suspension. The words were a trifle stilted at first, not like when I'd first gotten hit that first burst of compassion and inspiration, but they flowed easily after a while.
"Anger is what I see from you sometimes. A lot of times, boys without fathers feel anger. It comes out in aggression, fighting, starting gangs. Because a gang is a means of security. It comes out against your teachers and classmates and against authority."
"Sometimes.." he admitted.
"There are two choices you can make. Say for example, if not having a father really bothers you. You can turn to anger and gangs and violence. Or you can grow up and turn into the father you've never had. "
I told him about how society needed people like him. How many people he could reach out to that I couldn't. How I believed in him and how I didn't want him to waste his life, quite frankly. He could be for some other little kid what his older brother is for him.
"A lot of boys look up to me." he said. He jerked his thumb to the left, telling me how this friend of his looked to him for everything. I mentioned the other kid who got in trouble. Arbear's kid.
"I hear he's a nice kid."
"No." he shook his head. Interesting.
I told him I would watch him to see if he was taking his anger out at school. He nodded, suddenly serious and understanding.
After we talked I dismissed him and went to sit next to Skinny Jeanz. Mistake. The turtles were quick to point out the no-changing-seats-rule. Because they really stick by that one... But to my surprise, Memphis came to sit next to me.
He was still mischeivous. He broke a spork and twisted it. It was a silly little thing, but Memphis' grin managed to make it look weaponish. Together we talked about his favorite topic, Tennessee(older brother). Miss Q even told him who he thought Tennessee had a crush on. "Don't ask me how I know that." "I wanna know."
We both knew. We bantered back and forth some more. and then I learned that he and Tennessee were both rappers with some studio work in the making. Miss Q likes rap music.
"What do ya'll rap about?"
"Our life."
He was still misceivous. But from that minute, he looked at me differently. He shared with me an slightly innapropiate joke that I knew he had gotten from Tennessee. It was one of those "ur gay" jokes and I honestly didn't get it. But I decided to skip calling him out on it because that was his way of opening up. He lacks other ways of communicating. Were working on it. Baby steps.
But from th When Miss Q asked him to get in line he did so immediately. He would carry on, but then look back at Miss Q, wondering what she thought about this and then that. Anytime I'd correct him, instead of feeling like empty words, they now carried a new sort of value to them. Evidence to prove what I'd said. I believe in you. You have a choice to make.
My hope is that he'll continue to listen to me, recieving my warnings and the things I say as evidence of my respect for him. For now, he'll continue to act and look back, figuring out if I'm for real and what I expect from him. Miss Q is not a powerful male role model. But she became something to him.
Miss R came up to Miss Q and mentioned her concern for Rickster. The one Beancurd had picked on.
"He doesn't look happy."
I appreciated it. Rickster is very quiet, relaxed, and non-assuming. Miss Q thought to look into it, but was troubled. She ws not nearly as sure what to do with Rickster as Memphis.
Even so, today seemed to be a good day for Miss Q's confidence with wayward boys. The Gage clung to distractions and asked Miss Q about her pencil. Miss Q told him outright exactly what he was doing but that reading wasn't going away. A change from last week, he got out his reading assignment. He asked for help, so I got him started. It was amazing.
Showing posts with label Lady Finch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lady Finch. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
3/21/11: My Own Boy Band, The Atomic Ponies (Blog 10)
"Bye Atomic Ponies bandleader." Zefron whispers as Miss Q exits the computer room.
"I thought you were the leader."
"Oh right... well, you're the manager."
Zefron, all warm brown eyes, and outstanding sense of humor heads what Miss Q calls her "boy band."
On a very interesting day when Miss Q went with the awkward turtles to play soccer for P.E (remind her to tell you about it) Miss Q remembered afterward a comment the coach made about the classroom.
"I guess there's just a weird chemistry going on in this class. They don't seem to mix so well."
This was of course referring to the turtles P.E performance. There had been some spectacular moments. Miss Q got them excited, got them to chant about teamwork and how awesome they were gonna do in the class together.
...And then Uniqua (who now wants to be called Miwok) let loos her sassy mouth on Fate and Fate broke down into tears on the sidelines. As Miss Q gently encouraged her to get back in, the morale of the teams seemed to sink from their, dissolving into general irritation at one another's lack of performance.
"It's usually the girls." Noted Lady Finch.
"You guys are gonna be around each other for a long time. Ya'll should start learning to get along." Said Coach.
"You're kids are crazy." Said Stewbeef, although at that point, when they were excited, Miss Q thinks he meant in a good way.
But a weird chemistry? Did Miss Q's class just not blend well like oil and water. Maybe. Fate so far has yet to get along with anyone in the classroom on a consistent basis without having to take herself out of the situation. Her method that she's learned is to isolate herself when she's angry, which is good, but Miss Q still wants her to figure out new ways to handle her emotional issues.
The Gage, Freakazoid, and Mook hanging out together is usually trouble, althoug Miss Q has amazing incidents to report for bothe of them. Nala is another mystery. The other girls seem to shun her at times, maybe because of her looks. She's a very dark girl with lines crisscrossing her face that remind you of scars.
"Quit acting like you're popular." Fate often lashes at Nala, who is often one her only allies. The class seems to have come to a general consensus on Fate. We may not be allowed to show meanness to her but we sure don't have to try to be nice to her. If only they weren't practically the same treatment?
Uniqua and Miss Beiber have sassy mouths and are very sly. Even catty. And Rickster? Well, he just wants to eat his lunch and chill.
So with troublemaking groups, catty mouths, and flaring tempers, does our group just have any chemistry?
Only if you know where to look. Five boys: Zefron (the funny one), Boo (the quiet one), Solomon (the wild one), Dubby (The One who does all the tricks with his arms) and Co-Pilot (The red-headed jovial one).
They sit together at lunch, play together at the playground, cheer for each other during Sparkle. Each of the friendships between them are very different and complicated.
One day two weeks ago, The band minus Solomon came running up to Miss Q.
"Solomon's being really mean!"
"Yeah! He gets like this sometimes. He pulled me by my arm into the ground!"
"And he says that word F** a lot."
The meaning was clear, as Miss Q noticed Solomon walking sullenly by himself. The group together had decided that, even though he was mostly a good friend, his behavior as of late was unacceptable and therefore they had to reject him.
In the lunch line, Miss Q asked them what they would do. It was Zefron who responded.
"I think we'll give him another chance."
This is when Miss Q first noticed the powerful dynamic in this little group. There was camraderie, there was order, and their was leadership.
"Ya'll are gonna be my boy band." Miss Q explained to them one day. She had a private word with Zefron.
"Now, whether you realize it or not, what you do influences the group. You have leadership qualities, so guess who I'm looking at whenever you and Co-pilot goof off in line?"
"I don't care." Zefron looks thoughtful for a moment. His body language betrays his words. He seemed to be figuring out if he like the weight of the 'responsibility' on one hand and the chance for extra praise on the other.
From that moment on, the boys took it from there, dubbing themselves the Atomic Ponies. They like it. And Miss Q will continue to find ways to work their natural group chemistry to her advantage. And man is it fun. The collective trust you get from them is priceless.
Speaking of groups.
"Miss Q. Miss Q!" It's Princesstard. As usual she is with Mariska and Nancy Drew, a sophisticated girl trio that remind me uncannily of the Chippettes (you know the girl chipmunks that were always trippin' about Alvin and the boys and offset them so well?)
"Were making a movie! It's like a reality t.v show. In order to get The Atomic Ponies to be in it, they're making us find them hot girlfriends and paying them 50$!"
What? In the lunch line when Zefron was asking honestly, do you see any hot girls around here?, Miss Q pointed to Mariska. His not-so-secret-admirer. Bad Miss Q!
He could barely find a comeback for embarrassment. Zefron said he didn't really want a girlfriend anyway. Good.
I could never find enough space to blog about the things I've seen. Perhaps one day, I'll have a blog-a-thon.
"I thought you were the leader."
"Oh right... well, you're the manager."
Zefron, all warm brown eyes, and outstanding sense of humor heads what Miss Q calls her "boy band."
On a very interesting day when Miss Q went with the awkward turtles to play soccer for P.E (remind her to tell you about it) Miss Q remembered afterward a comment the coach made about the classroom.
"I guess there's just a weird chemistry going on in this class. They don't seem to mix so well."
This was of course referring to the turtles P.E performance. There had been some spectacular moments. Miss Q got them excited, got them to chant about teamwork and how awesome they were gonna do in the class together.
...And then Uniqua (who now wants to be called Miwok) let loos her sassy mouth on Fate and Fate broke down into tears on the sidelines. As Miss Q gently encouraged her to get back in, the morale of the teams seemed to sink from their, dissolving into general irritation at one another's lack of performance.
"It's usually the girls." Noted Lady Finch.
"You guys are gonna be around each other for a long time. Ya'll should start learning to get along." Said Coach.
"You're kids are crazy." Said Stewbeef, although at that point, when they were excited, Miss Q thinks he meant in a good way.
But a weird chemistry? Did Miss Q's class just not blend well like oil and water. Maybe. Fate so far has yet to get along with anyone in the classroom on a consistent basis without having to take herself out of the situation. Her method that she's learned is to isolate herself when she's angry, which is good, but Miss Q still wants her to figure out new ways to handle her emotional issues.
The Gage, Freakazoid, and Mook hanging out together is usually trouble, althoug Miss Q has amazing incidents to report for bothe of them. Nala is another mystery. The other girls seem to shun her at times, maybe because of her looks. She's a very dark girl with lines crisscrossing her face that remind you of scars.
"Quit acting like you're popular." Fate often lashes at Nala, who is often one her only allies. The class seems to have come to a general consensus on Fate. We may not be allowed to show meanness to her but we sure don't have to try to be nice to her. If only they weren't practically the same treatment?
Uniqua and Miss Beiber have sassy mouths and are very sly. Even catty. And Rickster? Well, he just wants to eat his lunch and chill.
So with troublemaking groups, catty mouths, and flaring tempers, does our group just have any chemistry?
Only if you know where to look. Five boys: Zefron (the funny one), Boo (the quiet one), Solomon (the wild one), Dubby (The One who does all the tricks with his arms) and Co-Pilot (The red-headed jovial one).
They sit together at lunch, play together at the playground, cheer for each other during Sparkle. Each of the friendships between them are very different and complicated.
One day two weeks ago, The band minus Solomon came running up to Miss Q.
"Solomon's being really mean!"
"Yeah! He gets like this sometimes. He pulled me by my arm into the ground!"
"And he says that word F** a lot."
The meaning was clear, as Miss Q noticed Solomon walking sullenly by himself. The group together had decided that, even though he was mostly a good friend, his behavior as of late was unacceptable and therefore they had to reject him.
In the lunch line, Miss Q asked them what they would do. It was Zefron who responded.
"I think we'll give him another chance."
This is when Miss Q first noticed the powerful dynamic in this little group. There was camraderie, there was order, and their was leadership.
"Ya'll are gonna be my boy band." Miss Q explained to them one day. She had a private word with Zefron.
"Now, whether you realize it or not, what you do influences the group. You have leadership qualities, so guess who I'm looking at whenever you and Co-pilot goof off in line?"
"I don't care." Zefron looks thoughtful for a moment. His body language betrays his words. He seemed to be figuring out if he like the weight of the 'responsibility' on one hand and the chance for extra praise on the other.
From that moment on, the boys took it from there, dubbing themselves the Atomic Ponies. They like it. And Miss Q will continue to find ways to work their natural group chemistry to her advantage. And man is it fun. The collective trust you get from them is priceless.
Speaking of groups.
"Miss Q. Miss Q!" It's Princesstard. As usual she is with Mariska and Nancy Drew, a sophisticated girl trio that remind me uncannily of the Chippettes (you know the girl chipmunks that were always trippin' about Alvin and the boys and offset them so well?)
"Were making a movie! It's like a reality t.v show. In order to get The Atomic Ponies to be in it, they're making us find them hot girlfriends and paying them 50$!"
What? In the lunch line when Zefron was asking honestly, do you see any hot girls around here?, Miss Q pointed to Mariska. His not-so-secret-admirer. Bad Miss Q!
He could barely find a comeback for embarrassment. Zefron said he didn't really want a girlfriend anyway. Good.
I could never find enough space to blog about the things I've seen. Perhaps one day, I'll have a blog-a-thon.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
3/02/11: Fate Vs The Gage (Blog 8)
A tall 5th grade girl with braids spiking in a high ponytail bounced happily out of the room. She was a regular appearance in the classroom and her affection often squeezed the life out of Miz Boss.
"Ok." Announced Miz Boss in her level alto after her departure. "I just got a message from Yugochi. Mrs. Blox is a bit busy, so we'll be having art inside.
Miss Q was sitting beside Nancy Drew, but she was focused on the two sitting at the table beside her.
It was a bit of an twist to see that they just happened to sit beside each other after their argument at lunch, but eventually, eventually, the Gage conceded.
"I'll shut up now."
That was after Miss Q heard him still saying something and said it sounded an awful lot like "I want to sit by myself during Art."
After and not before some drama.
Fate, surprise of surprises, was actually the innocent party this time.
Ok, well there's no such thing as an innocent part in a 4th grade argument, but it wasn't Fate that Miss Q was slightly miffed at today. Fate had continually looked at Miss Q despairingly for what to do. As if to say, "You see? I really am trying. He is making me so mad. What should I do."
But The Gage had been offended. And when you offend The Gage he becomes like some kind of animal that will. not. budge. This time after what seemed like a civil discussion with Fate about why she didn't get the leadership position she wanted, The Gage started to bug her. Miss Q probably made it worse. I mean annoying Fate and getting Miss Q in a tizzy? Oh what fun! When Fate tried to sit somewhere, he followed her. Miss Q got up in his face, and afterward he sat down and changed the subject. Miss Q knew he still hadn't gotten the point so she tried a different route.
"I know you can act nicer than that. It makes me sad to see you act like that."
"No, I can't. Liar."
The Gage likes to get away with things. Miss Q finds it sort of easy not to take it personally, since he's like that with everyone. But today was a bit more intense (inside Miss Q's head if not in her actions) because she felt like she just had to get him to leave Fate alone.
Fate did good that day. Miss Q encouraged her through The Gage's pestering. What killed Miss Q was that he wasn't content to let her steam in the corner. He wanted to see her get upset. How frustrating. But if that were a test, then Fate would have somewhat passed.
Wow. Miss Q, now that you think about it, what does that mean? The Gage wanted to see Fate lose her cool. So what must you not do around The Gage?
While The Gage is very loveable, and has fun with Miss Q, he still has these moments where nothing seems to bother him when it comes to him doing what he wants. Also, Miss Q realized that he is a great influence on Mook. Mook is very compliant without the presence of The Gage, then those are the times when he seems to get the guts to not follow directions.
Miss Q wonders how she could have handled it better. One thing she tends to do is just sit there and watch the turtles when they start to argue to see how they handle it. Perhaps not such a good idea?
In another blog I should write about these special appearances and antics of other Teacher Cadets. For example, Lady Finch.
Miss Q: Trying to get her bathroom stragglers, Mook, The Gage, Fate, and Nala to go to the room. Mentally focused on avoiding power struggle.
Lady Finch: Hi Miss Q!
Miss Q: Wha? Oh Hi!!
Lady Finch stepped in for a moment. But here's the funny part. After she left:
Zefron: "Why did that Lady say she's read about me?"
Miss Q: "Umm... she's crazy?"
Zefron: "Ok."
Honestly, Lady Finch. It was the only thing Miss Q could come up with.
"Ok." Announced Miz Boss in her level alto after her departure. "I just got a message from Yugochi. Mrs. Blox is a bit busy, so we'll be having art inside.
Miss Q was sitting beside Nancy Drew, but she was focused on the two sitting at the table beside her.
It was a bit of an twist to see that they just happened to sit beside each other after their argument at lunch, but eventually, eventually, the Gage conceded.
"I'll shut up now."
That was after Miss Q heard him still saying something and said it sounded an awful lot like "I want to sit by myself during Art."
After and not before some drama.
Fate, surprise of surprises, was actually the innocent party this time.
Ok, well there's no such thing as an innocent part in a 4th grade argument, but it wasn't Fate that Miss Q was slightly miffed at today. Fate had continually looked at Miss Q despairingly for what to do. As if to say, "You see? I really am trying. He is making me so mad. What should I do."
But The Gage had been offended. And when you offend The Gage he becomes like some kind of animal that will. not. budge. This time after what seemed like a civil discussion with Fate about why she didn't get the leadership position she wanted, The Gage started to bug her. Miss Q probably made it worse. I mean annoying Fate and getting Miss Q in a tizzy? Oh what fun! When Fate tried to sit somewhere, he followed her. Miss Q got up in his face, and afterward he sat down and changed the subject. Miss Q knew he still hadn't gotten the point so she tried a different route.
"I know you can act nicer than that. It makes me sad to see you act like that."
"No, I can't. Liar."
The Gage likes to get away with things. Miss Q finds it sort of easy not to take it personally, since he's like that with everyone. But today was a bit more intense (inside Miss Q's head if not in her actions) because she felt like she just had to get him to leave Fate alone.
Fate did good that day. Miss Q encouraged her through The Gage's pestering. What killed Miss Q was that he wasn't content to let her steam in the corner. He wanted to see her get upset. How frustrating. But if that were a test, then Fate would have somewhat passed.
Wow. Miss Q, now that you think about it, what does that mean? The Gage wanted to see Fate lose her cool. So what must you not do around The Gage?
While The Gage is very loveable, and has fun with Miss Q, he still has these moments where nothing seems to bother him when it comes to him doing what he wants. Also, Miss Q realized that he is a great influence on Mook. Mook is very compliant without the presence of The Gage, then those are the times when he seems to get the guts to not follow directions.
Miss Q wonders how she could have handled it better. One thing she tends to do is just sit there and watch the turtles when they start to argue to see how they handle it. Perhaps not such a good idea?
In another blog I should write about these special appearances and antics of other Teacher Cadets. For example, Lady Finch.
Miss Q: Trying to get her bathroom stragglers, Mook, The Gage, Fate, and Nala to go to the room. Mentally focused on avoiding power struggle.
Lady Finch: Hi Miss Q!
Miss Q: Wha? Oh Hi!!
Lady Finch stepped in for a moment. But here's the funny part. After she left:
Zefron: "Why did that Lady say she's read about me?"
Miss Q: "Umm... she's crazy?"
Zefron: "Ok."
Honestly, Lady Finch. It was the only thing Miss Q could come up with.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Happy V Day! (Blog 3)
If there are 10 copycats on a branch and one falls off, how many are left?
Freakazoid has to learn to get up earlier in the morning to get Miss Q with that one. Especially if she overheard Solomon trick him earlier.
Miss Q's awkward turtles (as she like to call them) are full of riddles and questions.
CP just wanted to know if Miss Q had told "all the boys and girls over there" about the Chinese lessons she had been giving. Miss Q nodded, even though she couldn't quite remember if shedid or not.
" Can my codename be Cheerio?" asked Fruitbat.
"Guess what I watched last night?" asked Freakazoid.
"Is that for me?" asked Nala, referring to my Spongebob Valentines.
It gets a little hard to keep up with.
Miss Q was tired, but together with Big L and his complex basketball game Valentines, managed to get excited.
The awkward turtles were outside. Miz was overseeing a ball passing game with some of the rowdier boys, which included Beancurd and Freakazoid. Uniqua, and some other girls I met were watching.
After chatting for a bit, one side of Miz Boss' lip curled upward. Miss Q had long ago recognized that this was Miz Boss' way of saying something ought to change. Miz Boss' daughter, who sits behind her in Civics does the same thing. Only slightly curled this time, though.
"Want me to get 'em away?" Miss Q offered?
"Sure."
As Miss Q approached some of the girls in the classm they immidiately moved away. She manged to organize two races before it was time to go in for lunch.
At lunch, she was a bit overwhelmed by how loud some of them were. Afterward she would wonder if there was a better way to get them to quiet down.
When they're lining up, it seemed easier to get their attention and to ask "Where are my awkward turtles." Then they knew they were being Looked At, so they held up their respect signs or did their awkward turtles to show off their good behavior.
But at lunch, they liked to act silly. When they were laughing and having fun, it was hard for her to want to talk to them and want them to be quiet.
But today she just wanted them to be quiet.
As they lined up, just as Miss Q was about to ask for her Awkward Turtles, an angry teacher came up. She meant business:
"What kind of example are you setting for these younger kids in here? I've had some of you last year and I know your parents would be upset with you..."
It worked. Accept Memphis was hyper and he and Nala were kicking at each others feet. Miss Q was about to walk toward them when Lady Justice swooped in again.
She grabbed his shoulder and turned him aside, forcing him to face her.
"After I just spoke to your class? Really? How about we act our ages."
Memphis just stood there and hung his shoulders. The turtles were solemn after that. What's the word for it? Repentant? Compliant?
Afterward Miss Q wondered, what if she wasn't mean enough? Maybe she had to make her tone more direct to get their attention. She pictured herself, eyes and face hard, voice srict and commanding. She could do that, right? Easy.
But wait. Lady Finch almost never got angry and neither did Mr. German.
Now she really had a lot to think about.
Miss Q slipped the Valentines into little Froggie Bags that the Awkward turtles had made just for the occasion. They were really excited to get them.
She thought about each of them.
Some of her most consistent relationships were with Freakazoid, Fruitbat, Fate, CP, Nala, and Zefron. These are the ones that go out of her way to get her attention every day.
"Hey Freakazoid are you gonna sing Justin Beiber for me today?" Miz Boss' daughter informed her that he had sung to her. And if you squint your eye he kind of looks like him too.
"DNooo." He seemed embarrassed. But it was soo cute. He likes to tell Miss Q all the cringeworthy stuff he does over the weekend, with all the confidence of someone who knows you can't really do anything about it.
"I'll whisper it in your ear okay?"
He and the Gage watched the Excorcist.
Gah
That's Freakazoid, a roughhouser, a joker, a teaser, an all around boy.
Fruitbat is quiet, thoughtful, and loves all things quirky. Miss Q had to keep her from reading a Horror Encyclopedia during Math.
Miss Q didn't mention Solomon, but she loves to talk to him because he says some pretty deep things from time to time. She should probably record them more. He once found a typo in the dictionary, and Miss Q
wanted to send a letter to the publisher.
CP is extremely enthusiastic about school. She gives me language lessons and demands full attention. But she's also considered weird by a lot of the other class. They avoid her. She doesn't seem to mind, though. She clings to me, though
Nala is quiet and gets nervous about work. She's been held back a grade. Neither of her parents live at home with her, and her mother calls her to check her homework.
Zefron has been talking to Miss Q a lot lately. He's the ladies man. Not that he doesn't try to pretend that it's torture. His fan club includes Mariska, Nancy Drew, and Princesstard, a trio of ladylike intellectuals. They banter across the lunch table.
Boo is still quiet. Involved and open with Zefron, but an unlockable puzzle to Miss Q.
Q-Tip of the Day: What do you do do when you have a conflict?
Fate: "You go tell the teacher and tell you you're going to be the smart one and walk away!"
Q: How bout this? Go tell the teacher. Calm down and forgive them first. And then go confront them. That's for the future because when you get older, people don't do this a lot.
Fate is my stalker child. She rubs people the wrong way. She can be bossy. Snappish. But she's probably the one that Miss Q's the most invested in. There's a lot of promise in her smile.
Freakazoid has to learn to get up earlier in the morning to get Miss Q with that one. Especially if she overheard Solomon trick him earlier.
Miss Q's awkward turtles (as she like to call them) are full of riddles and questions.
CP just wanted to know if Miss Q had told "all the boys and girls over there" about the Chinese lessons she had been giving. Miss Q nodded, even though she couldn't quite remember if shedid or not.
" Can my codename be Cheerio?" asked Fruitbat.
"Guess what I watched last night?" asked Freakazoid.
"Is that for me?" asked Nala, referring to my Spongebob Valentines.
It gets a little hard to keep up with.
Miss Q was tired, but together with Big L and his complex basketball game Valentines, managed to get excited.
The awkward turtles were outside. Miz was overseeing a ball passing game with some of the rowdier boys, which included Beancurd and Freakazoid. Uniqua, and some other girls I met were watching.
After chatting for a bit, one side of Miz Boss' lip curled upward. Miss Q had long ago recognized that this was Miz Boss' way of saying something ought to change. Miz Boss' daughter, who sits behind her in Civics does the same thing. Only slightly curled this time, though.
"Want me to get 'em away?" Miss Q offered?
"Sure."
As Miss Q approached some of the girls in the classm they immidiately moved away. She manged to organize two races before it was time to go in for lunch.
At lunch, she was a bit overwhelmed by how loud some of them were. Afterward she would wonder if there was a better way to get them to quiet down.
When they're lining up, it seemed easier to get their attention and to ask "Where are my awkward turtles." Then they knew they were being Looked At, so they held up their respect signs or did their awkward turtles to show off their good behavior.
But at lunch, they liked to act silly. When they were laughing and having fun, it was hard for her to want to talk to them and want them to be quiet.
But today she just wanted them to be quiet.
As they lined up, just as Miss Q was about to ask for her Awkward Turtles, an angry teacher came up. She meant business:
"What kind of example are you setting for these younger kids in here? I've had some of you last year and I know your parents would be upset with you..."
It worked. Accept Memphis was hyper and he and Nala were kicking at each others feet. Miss Q was about to walk toward them when Lady Justice swooped in again.
She grabbed his shoulder and turned him aside, forcing him to face her.
"After I just spoke to your class? Really? How about we act our ages."
Memphis just stood there and hung his shoulders. The turtles were solemn after that. What's the word for it? Repentant? Compliant?
Afterward Miss Q wondered, what if she wasn't mean enough? Maybe she had to make her tone more direct to get their attention. She pictured herself, eyes and face hard, voice srict and commanding. She could do that, right? Easy.
But wait. Lady Finch almost never got angry and neither did Mr. German.
Now she really had a lot to think about.
Miss Q slipped the Valentines into little Froggie Bags that the Awkward turtles had made just for the occasion. They were really excited to get them.
She thought about each of them.
Some of her most consistent relationships were with Freakazoid, Fruitbat, Fate, CP, Nala, and Zefron. These are the ones that go out of her way to get her attention every day.
"Hey Freakazoid are you gonna sing Justin Beiber for me today?" Miz Boss' daughter informed her that he had sung to her. And if you squint your eye he kind of looks like him too.
"DNooo." He seemed embarrassed. But it was soo cute. He likes to tell Miss Q all the cringeworthy stuff he does over the weekend, with all the confidence of someone who knows you can't really do anything about it.
"I'll whisper it in your ear okay?"
He and the Gage watched the Excorcist.
Gah
That's Freakazoid, a roughhouser, a joker, a teaser, an all around boy.
Fruitbat is quiet, thoughtful, and loves all things quirky. Miss Q had to keep her from reading a Horror Encyclopedia during Math.
Miss Q didn't mention Solomon, but she loves to talk to him because he says some pretty deep things from time to time. She should probably record them more. He once found a typo in the dictionary, and Miss Q
wanted to send a letter to the publisher.
CP is extremely enthusiastic about school. She gives me language lessons and demands full attention. But she's also considered weird by a lot of the other class. They avoid her. She doesn't seem to mind, though. She clings to me, though
Nala is quiet and gets nervous about work. She's been held back a grade. Neither of her parents live at home with her, and her mother calls her to check her homework.
Zefron has been talking to Miss Q a lot lately. He's the ladies man. Not that he doesn't try to pretend that it's torture. His fan club includes Mariska, Nancy Drew, and Princesstard, a trio of ladylike intellectuals. They banter across the lunch table.
Boo is still quiet. Involved and open with Zefron, but an unlockable puzzle to Miss Q.
Q-Tip of the Day: What do you do do when you have a conflict?
Fate: "You go tell the teacher and tell you you're going to be the smart one and walk away!"
Q: How bout this? Go tell the teacher. Calm down and forgive them first. And then go confront them. That's for the future because when you get older, people don't do this a lot.
Fate is my stalker child. She rubs people the wrong way. She can be bossy. Snappish. But she's probably the one that Miss Q's the most invested in. There's a lot of promise in her smile.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
2/09/11: A Compliment, A Masterpiece, and an Ugly Spool (Blog 2)
Miss Q was feeling pretty awesome today. She told me.
She probably also might have shown you a picture of two of her babies and stopped you to have you read an AHmazing piece of writing.
But first things first.
Today, Miss Q got to observe Big L and Socrates do their thing with Crossroads.
'Nice projection voice, Big L' wrote Miss Q.
Socrates speaks articulately. Duh. You can tell he's gone over the material and when answering a question, often goes beyond it. His sarcasm and sense of humor serves him well here.
"Mr. Lancaster is quite the ladies man back there." Giggles. He had a bit of of a rapport (as in resonance, compatibility, accord; a sympathetic relationship or understanding) with a few of the males.
They also did a good job with getting the younguns to think and to challenge each other during the drug trivia game. However, Miss Q questions the team's basic counting ans spelling skills, as pointed out unanimously by the class. Not that it made them lose credibility.
Miss Q smiled as she watched Big L correct the kids when all of them got it wrong.
"No! It's steroids."
"That's why they're the Crossroads Teacher's and ya'll can count." added Miss Q.
Fun. Fun. Fun.
Then, Miss Q went over to Anderson to see her kids, escorted by Ms. Scoutticus and Miss R.
Q-tip of the Day: Q-tips In Their Ears refers to Miss Q giving daily examples and life lessons, not grooming sessions, and certainly not that other thing you were thinking when you first read it.
After wishing Air-bear and Stewbeef (Los Compadres Profesoros) good luck on their teaching with the 3rd graders, Mrs. R came with me to Miz Boss' room.
Miss Q didn't take two steps through the door before stopped by a wide-eyed Zefron.
"I did it Miss Q. I did what I was supposed to do."
"Glad you manned up."
This was refering to his binding obligation to escort the redheaded Mariska exactly one lap and say that he liked her. Of course, this was Nancy Drew's doing, along with her best friend Princesstard.
"I didn't hold her hand, though." Miss Q's disappointment was written all over her face.
Miss Q thought she noticed CP had new glasses. No, I've had these said CP. Miss Q can be a bit unobservant at times. However, she did notice the Miss Beiber had straightened her hair, usually blondish, thick, and wavy.
Mrs. R likes 4th grade. I introduced her to a few of him.
"There's Dubby. He's got a trick."
Dubby can stick his tougue out and touch the back of his head. He can also stick his head through a a little tiny hole.
As Miss Q and Miss R watched them do cursive, Miss Q caught some of their eyes as they worked. Either to say hi, or to get em' back on task.
When they lined up for Spanish, Fruitbat made a come-over gesture. Fruitbat is quiet, quirky, and at times cuttingly insightful. Miss Q sometimes has to ignore her when she has these 'little secrets', if only to keep from laughing too hard.
"Pssst."
Miss Q walks over.
"You're a good dancer."
Aww Fruitbat, you're making her blush! Fruitbat of course announced earlier that she had seen Miss Q onstage for Hairspray. It was strange for her to think about her kids, watching her in the audience.
In Art, they were weaving little tapestries. You know the ones with a weft and a wight or something like that? Miss Q took a photo.
She probably also might have shown you a picture of two of her babies and stopped you to have you read an AHmazing piece of writing.
But first things first.
Today, Miss Q got to observe Big L and Socrates do their thing with Crossroads.
'Nice projection voice, Big L' wrote Miss Q.
Socrates speaks articulately. Duh. You can tell he's gone over the material and when answering a question, often goes beyond it. His sarcasm and sense of humor serves him well here.
"Mr. Lancaster is quite the ladies man back there." Giggles. He had a bit of of a rapport (as in resonance, compatibility, accord; a sympathetic relationship or understanding) with a few of the males.
They also did a good job with getting the younguns to think and to challenge each other during the drug trivia game. However, Miss Q questions the team's basic counting ans spelling skills, as pointed out unanimously by the class. Not that it made them lose credibility.
Miss Q smiled as she watched Big L correct the kids when all of them got it wrong.
"No! It's steroids."
"That's why they're the Crossroads Teacher's and ya'll can count." added Miss Q.
Fun. Fun. Fun.
Then, Miss Q went over to Anderson to see her kids, escorted by Ms. Scoutticus and Miss R.
Q-tip of the Day: Q-tips In Their Ears refers to Miss Q giving daily examples and life lessons, not grooming sessions, and certainly not that other thing you were thinking when you first read it.
After wishing Air-bear and Stewbeef (Los Compadres Profesoros) good luck on their teaching with the 3rd graders, Mrs. R came with me to Miz Boss' room.
Miss Q didn't take two steps through the door before stopped by a wide-eyed Zefron.
"I did it Miss Q. I did what I was supposed to do."
"Glad you manned up."
This was refering to his binding obligation to escort the redheaded Mariska exactly one lap and say that he liked her. Of course, this was Nancy Drew's doing, along with her best friend Princesstard.
"I didn't hold her hand, though." Miss Q's disappointment was written all over her face.
Miss Q thought she noticed CP had new glasses. No, I've had these said CP. Miss Q can be a bit unobservant at times. However, she did notice the Miss Beiber had straightened her hair, usually blondish, thick, and wavy.
Mrs. R likes 4th grade. I introduced her to a few of him.
"There's Dubby. He's got a trick."
Dubby can stick his tougue out and touch the back of his head. He can also stick his head through a a little tiny hole.
As Miss Q and Miss R watched them do cursive, Miss Q caught some of their eyes as they worked. Either to say hi, or to get em' back on task.
When they lined up for Spanish, Fruitbat made a come-over gesture. Fruitbat is quiet, quirky, and at times cuttingly insightful. Miss Q sometimes has to ignore her when she has these 'little secrets', if only to keep from laughing too hard.
"Pssst."
Miss Q walks over.
"You're a good dancer."
Aww Fruitbat, you're making her blush! Fruitbat of course announced earlier that she had seen Miss Q onstage for Hairspray. It was strange for her to think about her kids, watching her in the audience.
In Art, they were weaving little tapestries. You know the ones with a weft and a wight or something like that? Miss Q took a photo.
FruitBat's art piece.
Speaking of masterpieces, Nancy Drew wrote the most amazing paper. The assignment was just to write a sentence including each of the vocabulary words. Not Nancy Drew. Her paper is typed and ... well, see for yourself.
To get a better view, right click, select open link in new window, then click that. Then the text will be larger.
The Gage didn't seem to be in a good mood today, because he was acting a bit smart alecky.
"Who wants to sit by themselves?"
"I do!"
Finally, when Gage got told to sit by himself he said "Thank you."
"Your welcome." replied the Art Teacher, not missing a beat. Miss Q came over and asked him how he was doing and he said fine. He was happy to explain how the weaving worked. Miss Q loves The Gage.
The art room was layed out with colorful spools of thread. Yarn was everywhere. Walking around, Miss Q admired all the colors and patterns being used, but she couldn't help but notice a lonely spool of tan and pink thread.
"Why is no one using this one?" She asked, playfully.
"Cause it's ugly!" said Idaho. Fate agreed wholeheartedly.
"No it's not." Miss Q defended on behalf of the poor spool. Everyone at the table seemed to agree that it was Ugly, though. Who knew what was going on in Miss Q's head, but she felt a touch of sympathy for the poor thing.
"Hey Uniqua (formerly known as Monet)"
"Yeah?"
"Wouldn't you want to use this thread?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Cuz it's ugly Miss Q. You know it's ugly."
Oh, but Miss Q pretended not to know. Eventually, she got Memphis to use it. She has a picture of Fate and Zefron holding the Ugly Spool but I told she 'sho nuf' better not post them without permission.
That's it for today. Isn't that story AHmazing though? Miss Q read it to a certain employed adult who prefers to remain anon. Her reaction?
"She writes better than some of my staff!"
Miss Q agrees. It's that good.
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