Laugh Lines February 2006

Uncross Your T's, Undot Your I's
I am a reading intervention specialist, and the second graders in our school are working on their writing skills. Both content and conventions are stressed as these students grow as writers. One conscientious student took one of his pieces home to continue working on it. His mother approached him as he worked, only to find that he was furiously erasing all of the capital letters and periods in his piece. She quickly stopped him and asked, "Zach, what are you doing?" He replied, "Mrs. Ross told us to write only incomplete sentences." What a smart boy to follow his teacher's verbal directions so carefully!
Jody Frysinger
Maumee, OH

Sittin' Funny
I teach a third/fourth grade combination class in Idaho. The state has adopted the ISAT (Idaho Student Achievement Test), which students take three times a year. After the winter tests, I was discussing the tests with my students when someone asked what ISAT meant. After explaining what the acronym stood for, a student raised her hand and said, "I thought it stood for 'I sat' because isn't that what I did? I sat for an hour taking that test." It amazes me how students are more in touch with things than our legislators!
Kristi Howard
Idaho Falls, ID

Literal Lunch
Living in Arizona, most of my kindergartners are well-versed in Mexican culture, even those who are not Mexican American. Samantha asked me to open a bag that held a fresh tortilla. "Mmm, this looks homemade," I said. She exclaimed, "It's not homemade, it's Mexican-made!"
Chantel Sloan
Oracle, AZ

Powdered Wigs Are Back
After talking about our first President with my first graders, one of them enthusiastically shouted in the lunchroom, "Look, Mrs. Marla, that teacher has a haircut just like George Washington!"
Marla Smithson
Soddy Daisy, TN

Language of Love
It was Valentine's Day and my second graders were thrilled to be passing out their cards. Then I saw a little boy crying. When I asked what was wrong, he looked up at me with huge tears in his eyes, handed me his cards and said, "My grandma wrote these in Chinese!" His grandmother had written them in cursive! He was so happy his teacher could read Chinese and help him pass out his Valentines.
Tiffany Pickering
Brandenberg, KY

Cross-Curricular Question
My students could hear a video playing in the neighboring classroom. I explained that the movie was about the states and capitals. Cole asked if I knew all the capitals, and I answered that I didn't. Madi then asked, "What about the lowercases?"
Veronica Reitzel
Perryville, MO

February, 2006, Vol.37, No.5