One thing for sure, she has in-tact phonemic awareness. She has a way of twisting anyone's name into something mean, nasty or just plain silly.
I read a book about Native Americans, which talked about the tribe, Wompanoag. I happen to have a boy in my class, Number 19, whose real name happens to be Noah. Of course, she finds a way to incorporate the two... Whomp on Noah Wompanoag. He bursts into tears.
We are doing "ing" in word study. A girl named Ming becomes Bing-Ding-Ming.
Don't even ask what she said about my poor little PeeWee... (of course, his parents were asking for it giving him that nick-name.)
Now back to the rest of the second grade girls. If ever was a day that goes by where someone isn't crying, left out, or tattling, I'd be doing a back-handspring on a bed of nails!
And we model, practice, role-play, use I Statements, have consequences and discussions. They are just sneaky little snots. How they learn to manipulate is beyond me. Somehow, walking away from another person becomes a game of avoiding the cursed girl of the day. One little girl decides to draw a picture of a cat instead of a dog like all the other girls... well, that is an offense worth being shunned over for an entire afternoon. Creating rival Pony and Horse clubs is like Bloods vs. Crips turf wars.
Anyway, I think it all starts in second grade. Sweet little girls become true little devils.
Speaking of little devils, I want to develop my own set of phonics readers....
I completely relate! My little girls are BITCHES this year. That is the only way I can think to describe them: BITCHES. (Last year my babies were so sweet. They took care of each other. They worked well together... This year...BITCHES)
ReplyDeleteI asked the second grade teacher what she did last year. (I teach third.) She says they had "Friendship School." Every Friday they would play games together to learn to love each other. This did not work.
This year, I'm having "That was FUCKING MEAN school." I'm simply saying "That was mean. Say you are sorry" to everything mean they do. (We are talking 5-10 things every day). I write it down, and we sit out five minutes of activity/structured-fun-time every day to practice how civilized people would act in that situation. I explain to little Destiny why: "You stole my pencil the way your mother steals from her pimp." Is not as effective as: "Excuse me Bethany, is that my pencil?"
This is taking up shitloads of time in my classroom, but I can't think of another way. Honestly, I don't think this group of girls knows the difference between the mean ass thing they said and the simple, effective thing to say. No one has shown this group how to be nice. I can definitely use more suggestions! This bitchiness thing is killing my class!
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are having a hell of a year. Here is my prescription to make any school year survivable.
Make this every other night after work:
4 cubes ice
3 fluid ounces gin
4 fluid ounces tonic water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 lime wedge
On alternating mornings, make this:
1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco to taste
1 celery stick for garnish
1 lemon wedge for garnish
Drink it after you get to work, but before the children arrive. You may notice that the evening drink is nearly twice the normal amount of alcohol, but the morning recipe is only a third. This is critical to the success of the plan.
Eat one piece of chocolate per day- no more, no less. Getting fat will not make the school year any better.
Then, try your damnedest to get lucky at least twice a week. Exercise at least three times a week. Aerobic is best, but weight training or swimming will also do. Read one good book per month, and go dancing at least once a month.
You will get through this year!
As a mom of a 2nd grade girl, I want those phonics readers, too! I swear "real housewives" has nothing on the infighting that happens among little girls!
ReplyDelete