School's Out-- Summer Time!!

YAY!!!! School's out for the summer :) This year has gone by pretty fast, now that it's over! I've been trying to think of funny/good moments to remember here are a few:

One of my silly 8th grade girls once raised her hand for help and said, "Miss van Question I have a ..." and then she started laughing. Since March she and the other girls in her group have been calling me Miss van Question and it's slowly started to spread to their friends in 9th grade.

In my psycho 6th period 8th grade class the boys once started singing "He's got the whole world in his hands" complete with hand motions all at once. You try stopping six or seven 8th grade boys who are seated away from one another from singing at the tops of their lungs! You pretty much stand there and watch them in bemused amazement and think, In what universe do kids break out into song in the real world? Then, you threaten them with "If you don't stop I'll make you sing to the principal!"

One of my favorite stories from last year: A kid in 7th period made me cry. We were talking about Romeo and Juliet and I was portraying Romeo as a lovesick guy who liked to walk around the yards of the people who he liked. All day-- meaning the previous 6 classes-- kids had told me that Romeo was a stalker, depressed, an emo, a little crazy, etc. and so when I asked 7th period what Romeo's deal was, I was waiting for the same answers, a stalker, emo, but Shiloh Peterson raised his hand and in a very serious tone said, "I think he just liked gardens." For some reason, when I looked at him it just struck me as really funny and I started laughing. I kept laughing. And laughing. And pretty soon I was crying-- I seriously had tears dripping down my cheeks as I laughed and laughed. My class was cracking up watching me cry and poor Shiloh didn't know what do to. He sort of watched me, embarrassed, until the kids starting teasing him for making the teacher cry. For the rest of the year Shiloh was known as the guy who made Miss V cry! This year I had kids come back to visit who ask me if I've cried in class recently and they say that they still tease Shiloh about being the only kid whose been able to make a teacher cry from laughing!