UPSET

I've been trying to make my class as exciting as possible.  So, I've been adding new ways to of learning, for example I've added a "word of the week".  All week, I explain one word, give synonyms to the word, in hopes they understand it a little more and to broaden their vocabulary.  I haven't been doing this very long, I've only been doing it for two weeks.

Last week, the word was GIANT.  This was pretty funny to them.  They enjoyed this word, and I let them draw anything they wanted at the end of the week that was GIANT to them.  Some of their pictures were pretty funny, such as giant strawberries, whales, giant people, godzilla was even one of the pictures.  It was pretty funny to see what some of their imaginations of the word were.

This week the word was UPSET.  I described this as similar to mad, angry, furious, and not happy. They understood and we repeated it the whole week, I think they got a very good understanding of the word, and here's why.

Thursdays are the end of the week, and I'm usually tired of trying to hold myself together in my very loud classroom.  Thursday gives me hope because it's my last day of the week, and yet I'm very irritated with my class, so I have little patience with my class. I admit, I got angry with my class today.  They just did not seem to understand me!  I was even going so far as doing their work with them on the board.  I usually do a few things on the board first, then let them try on their own, but that was not the case today.  

I did everything with them on the board.  But, they still didn't seem to understand.  I think they did, they just were too lazy to try and write words on their paper.  I believe they try to get away with things sometimes, but today was different.  I wanted them to write everything I had written.  I was getting angrier and angrier.  I was yelling, my class was loud, and I was trying to be the teacher and teach them something.  I felt like I was failing.  I tried and tried to help them, but they didn't seem to want to learn!  

One of my students said out loud: "Teacher's upset".  I stopped everything I was doing and stared at the student.  Suddenly, I couldn't contain my laughter, I kept laughing and laughing.  I felt like it was spilling out of me and I couldn't stop!  It was so funny to me, they were using the word of the week!! They had learned something!!  It was funny, and the same time I was proud of them.  I felt like I had actually taught them something.

As my student were leaving, I felt very proud of them.  I feel like they've progressed, that they've learned at least a little bit, and that's all I can ask: is that they learn SOMETHING.