Friday, September 28, 2012

Levity from the Limb #1

Have you ever had a time when something funny happens in your classroom that cracks you up and the kids all laugh too, even though they really have no idea why it's funny but they want to be included, and you wish someone was there to see or hear it also? Well, we had two moments like that today and since there were two of us, we had a good laugh about it. We will attempt to reenact for you here:

SITUATION ONE

Context
We have been trying to give specific feedback to children after each break-out session in our workshop block so that they understand why we are asking them to move their Behavior Birds up and to highlight expected behavior.

Reenactment

Ms H: Ms. B, would you like to share some specific behaviors that you noticed during the Word Work block.

Ms. B: Why yes I would. I have some specific behaviors for everyone in ... (pregnant pause) ... general ...

Ms. H: Um, what?

Ms. H & Ms. B look at each other: Bwahahahahahh!!! Specific feedback in general! Bwah-ha-ha!

Most children (even though they don't get it at all): Hahahahhahah!

A few (honest) children: Huh? I don't get it.

Ms. H: Well, general and specific are antonyms and when Ms. B used them together she created in essence an oxymoron ...

41 BLANK FACES

Ms. H's peters off: ... right ... well ... never mind ...

SITUATION TWO

Context
We use the whole-brain learning gestures as part of our classroom management repertoire (we can blog about that later if ya want :). One of the gestures is a cue for the children to follow a pair-share direction. This is how it goes:

Teacher: Students I want you to turn to a neighbor and teach them about x, y, z. 

Then the teacher claps their hands twice and hold them up in the air while saying: Teach!

The students respond by clapping their hands twice and holding them up in the air while saying: Ok!

Sometimes, though, we say "Talk" instead of "Teach".

Reenactment

Ms. B: Turn to a neighbor and talk about what you noticed about the pattern books we just read.

Ms. H & Ms. B, in perfect synchronization (clap, clap, hands up in the air): ........

SILENCE

Students are staring at us and we're staring at them.

Ms. H & Ms. B: Bwahahahahahh!!!

Ms. B: I thought you were going to say it!

Ms. H: I didn't want to say teach and you say talk!

Ms. B: Me, neither!

Ms. H & Ms. B & all the children: Bwahahahahhahahah!!!

Thanks for sharing our moment of levity with us. Keep laughing!

From the limb,

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