Teacher Talk Tuesday
Well, if I was on the fence before I certainly have things figured out now.
I have officially determined the biggest difference between first grade and fifth grade. Are you ready for this? Here, I'll give you some hints...
"Let's talk about our bodies."
"Everyone goes through changes, it's part of life."
That's right folks, human growth and development!!!
For the love of Pete, last Friday was "the talk" day in fifth grade. I probably shouldn't make it sound as if it was a huge deal for me because I wasn't actually the one who had to watch the video and answer questions (it's part of our science curriculum which is covered by my co teacher). I did however have to teach same-sex social studies. I had the boys first while the girls were busy learning. At first I was thinking, "okay, not a big deal, if I keep them busy enough they won't even think about what the other group is doing." But then, the girl session ended and I realized just how uncomfortable my job can be. The girls received a "goody bag" including a tampon, a pad, deodorant, and a pamphlet describing the video. Being ten and eleven years old, they all assumed the boys knew about the contents of the bag and had developed x-ray vision because they held the baggies against their chests like they had a top secret document they needed to hide from the outside world. Then, after the goodie bags were safely stuffed at the very bottom of all of their backpacks (you know, in case the x-ray vision from the boys can also penetrate through a locker and a pile of coats and bags) and then... no I shouldn't, I should just stop now because you won't even believe what they had to do... oh... alright, I'll tell you... but you have to promise you won't freak out... ok, here goes: the girls had to walk in a line right next to the boys as they switched classrooms. I know... can you even believe they had to do that?!?!
It was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Once the two groups were settled I did ask the girls if there was anything they felt they needed to talk about before we started out work for the day. It was actually sort of sweet because, at this point, they were all so worried about the boys teasing them. After a solid ten minutes or so of "girl talk" we got down to business and then it was time to go home. Thank goodness!
So, there you have it. Now whenever people ask, "so, is fifth grade really that different from first grade?" I will respectfully answer, "you have no idea."
I have officially determined the biggest difference between first grade and fifth grade. Are you ready for this? Here, I'll give you some hints...
"Let's talk about our bodies."
"Everyone goes through changes, it's part of life."
That's right folks, human growth and development!!!
For the love of Pete, last Friday was "the talk" day in fifth grade. I probably shouldn't make it sound as if it was a huge deal for me because I wasn't actually the one who had to watch the video and answer questions (it's part of our science curriculum which is covered by my co teacher). I did however have to teach same-sex social studies. I had the boys first while the girls were busy learning. At first I was thinking, "okay, not a big deal, if I keep them busy enough they won't even think about what the other group is doing." But then, the girl session ended and I realized just how uncomfortable my job can be. The girls received a "goody bag" including a tampon, a pad, deodorant, and a pamphlet describing the video. Being ten and eleven years old, they all assumed the boys knew about the contents of the bag and had developed x-ray vision because they held the baggies against their chests like they had a top secret document they needed to hide from the outside world. Then, after the goodie bags were safely stuffed at the very bottom of all of their backpacks (you know, in case the x-ray vision from the boys can also penetrate through a locker and a pile of coats and bags) and then... no I shouldn't, I should just stop now because you won't even believe what they had to do... oh... alright, I'll tell you... but you have to promise you won't freak out... ok, here goes: the girls had to walk in a line right next to the boys as they switched classrooms. I know... can you even believe they had to do that?!?!
It was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Once the two groups were settled I did ask the girls if there was anything they felt they needed to talk about before we started out work for the day. It was actually sort of sweet because, at this point, they were all so worried about the boys teasing them. After a solid ten minutes or so of "girl talk" we got down to business and then it was time to go home. Thank goodness!
So, there you have it. Now whenever people ask, "so, is fifth grade really that different from first grade?" I will respectfully answer, "you have no idea."
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