I have read so many posts filled with the works of students and I find I miss that interaction between a student and teacher. I have many memories though...and here is a short one.
During the school year my students created a poetry notebook...spending one day a week really focusing on it....but expected to do a lot on their own. One part was to find a poem they liked, tell why they liked it, and then write about the author of the poem.
I can't remember the poem this one young boy chose...but I do remember the author and the short biography he wrote about this author.
"The days author of my poem is Anon. Anon was born in England in 1925. She had three brothers and two sisters and loved them very much. She could not find a space to write her poems. She would go to the park and swing on the swings and look at the clouds in the sky. That is where she got her ideas to write about. Sometimes she had sad but most of the time she was happy. Her family loved her."
We had a chat and I explained to him that 'anon' meant that the author was unknown. "No wonder I couldn't find anything about her," he said with a sigh.
It was not easy to stifle a smile...but I did. I could imagine his frustration in searching for this author. He probably waited until the last minute and had run out of time to find a new poem.
The two of us had a short lesson on being truthful and the importance of asking for assistance when something stumps you. I appreiated his resourcefulness... creativity...and his problem solving skills but hoped that he had learned his lesson about honesty.
What a great story! Gave me a good laugh to start the day :)
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when a student made up facts about a famous baseball player for a biography speech. I could tell she hadn't read the book though!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Adorable! I just love it! Thank you for sharing. Sometimes students are just so funny :-)
ReplyDeleteLoved your story. Can just see him trying to locate the author. Great resourcefulnes on his part. There are so many of these stories that we could all share - this was priceless.
ReplyDeleteOkay, we have all laughed out loud in my house about this post. Priceless. I love the way you wrote it , as well, in a way that makes us wonder whether we are missing something. Great post!
ReplyDeleteFunny kids, every day with them is an adventure because you never know what hey will try to do. Great story!
ReplyDeleteHeehee. It is comical how they try to cover their tracks at the last minute. I have nine year olds and they have no idea that a fifty year old can pretty much tell if it's a story or not. Sometimes I just let them go on and on. Then I tell them they should write a slice of life about it. Those stories make the best ones.
ReplyDeleteI love these stories. You never know what kids will say. That is what I like about working with little kids.
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