TGIFF

Sorry I've had a long few days since this happened and caught up on some sleep. Can't wait for the next Friday!

I had three surprisingly good classes today. Yesterday being a test day I guess no third grader has a reason to be high strung any more. This lesson is the last one of the unit so we did a review of listening, speaking, and writing. One class barely participated but the rest were really into the activity and the gif at the end. I would go as far as to say that I had an amazing morning.

At the stroke of noon, everything changed. The last class of the morning came in clique by clique. The boys were yelling, others fighting, the girls were conspiring and others were dragging one another around on the floor. One of the lower level students came in and was crying. She sits directly across from my co-teacher who didn't do anything about anything until the bell rang. When the bell finally rang the class sat in their seats and continued yammering in Korean. Meanwhile this little girl at the front is still sobbing while her neighbor is yelling to his friend at the back of the class. One of the students is missing and for some bizarre reason my CT asked where he was. The question brought on a tidal wave of answers. With this class if one person says something you get 26 other students telling their side of the story. I hate it. At the same time I know more of these third graders because my office shares a wall with them. Honestly, I don't know how I've survived up until now.

Finally the boy who was late came in moody as ever and just completely shut down, but he talked a little bit during the speaking activity after cooling down from what looked like a good old fashion angry cry.

Anyways my CT took the first half of the class and decides to ask them questions using words only one student knows. And, of course, this is the noisiest kid in the class. My co-teacher plows through the textbook portion and I get through my activity with only a few hiccups which involved shushing the class and calling out ten kids. Five for hitting their neighbors; two for talking; another two for shouting out the wrong answer; and one for wiping his boogers on the top of his desk. With three minutes left my co-teacher plays a song about the lesson. This being the last lesson in the unit everyone knows the song off by heart and start yelling and screaming like hooligans at a soccer game. The two criers plug their ears and bury their heads in their desk. Half way through the boy who was late yelled over all of them in Korean which resulted in 25 voices attacking right back. There was no control, nothing could prevent a screaming match except for the bell and the promise of food. As the yelling continued to escalate, looking at the clock I just started waving and saying goodbye. They all stopped looking in wonder and hearing the end of the bell chiming. In an even bigger uproar everyone climbs overs chairs and desks to file out the backdoor of the classroom. Waving good bye to the last student it was remarkable to see what they left behind. A desk was knocked over, no chairs were pushed in, worksheets littered the floor and my co-teacher was already out the door.

I put on some Sammy R to clean and straighten the desks. Some students from another third grade class came into help as well. I promised them candy but I don't think they understood.

Thank goodness lunch was good. Then my afternoon class was just tattle-tales and nothing fun. I'm burnt out. Sleep is happening tonight.