Teachable Moment :)

Yesterday was a good day. Well, albeit we didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but its almost Spring Break and if they don't kill each other than I'm a happy teacher. They are almost clinically insane right now.

So after school, I walked into Super Colleague Ivy's room, and one of my most challenging kiddos from my first year is getting a lecture from her. We'll call him Horse. (A long story that I can explain later about him and a song by America).

So Ivy asks me for my opinion about Horse's work that day. He legitimately had only done two problems, but claims to have mastered the material and been ON TASK THE ENTIRE TIME.

Oh, my friend, I have played this game with you for 3 years, Horse. You are never on task. You get distracted by dust particles in the air.

So I took over the discussion because Ivy looked at about her wits end with this kid. (Ivy, I've been there. This kid has the street smarts of an adult and is quicker with his words than most people I know.)

So we go through some questioning where I a) see that he actually has mastered all of the material b) can actually explain in explicit detail why everything is happening in each math problem and c) basically finally admits that yes, he was distracted and not on task most of the time.

Somehow, with my teacher magic, I convince him that we had decided to move his seat to the corner of the room alone where he can concentrate and he can earn his privilege back to his old seat after showing me mastery for a while. (I don't think there was a choice. He just did it.)

After this, I went on my merry little way and did my tutoring, basically forgetting the conversation.

But you know what made my week? Ivy came up to me before she was leaving for grad class (sucks to be you, Ivy) and thanked me for having the conversation with Horse. She told me she loved seeing how I got through to the kiddo.

I FELT SO APPRECIATED AND LOVED.

Oh the little things in life. A simple thank you that is heartfelt (cough cough the Queen cough and PT cough cough) would go SO long in boosting morale.