10/11/13

I am sitting by my desk in my classroom wathching my students. My 5th period is reading City of Ember as they listen to the CD of the book. I love watching their faces as they listen and I can see their imagination just exploding. Every page turns at the same time and their faces show amazement as the story unveils! I love this part of my jo! Thank you God for letting me do what I love!

10/2/13

Today we are gluing our maps of the world today and a map of pangaea on colored paper. "Mrs. Overton is Eurasia called Eurasia because it is Europe and Asia together?" student asks. "Yes it is!" I respond. "Cool"! he responds. ten minutes later.... "I heard that Russia is half Europe and half Asia. Is this true?" another student asks and before i could answer anything, another students says outloud... "I get it! Half Europe, half Asia! Well that was smart to name it that way!" this kid gets everything in a very slowed reaction...ALL THE TIME!!!

9/22/13

"Mrs. Overton, I am having difficulty dividing decimals?" student says "Ok. How about if you remove the decimals? Can you divide it then? After, we can take care of the decimal placing." I reply "Well, I still have problems with that?" student says "Ok, so you have problems dividing?" I ask "Well, not so much. Just when I have to do it and find the answer!" OMG!!!! Really? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part 2: Today was a day of tears! During first period a student was crying...not crying...sobbing. I asked her whats wrong and she said she's very sad because her parents are getting a divorce. Then during third and fourth period, another girl sobbing. I asked her what's wrong. She said that she didn't get a chance to finish the pop quiz so she had gotten a low score, but that the boy across from her had laughed at her because he had finished and gotten them all right. So, I scolded the boy for laughing at his classmate and then I find out my words made him cry outside my classroom. Oh my!!! day full of drama and tears!

5/28/13

Today my students are doing independent math work to study and review for their math final tomorrow.


In the middle of the quiet one of my girls sighs and says

"I can't believe I will be a 7th grader in 2 weeks!"

Then she goes back to working.

So cute!

5/24/13

How many squared in these figures??

5/7/13

Today is National Teachers Day, an important time to thank and appreciate the people who devote their lives to shaping our children, and imbuing them with the skills they need to create their own future.

A teacher’s work doesn’t end when the bell rings, or when the kids rush out for summer break. They stay up nights grading papers, work weekends creating engaging lesson plans, and spend summers honing their own skills to do it all again next year.

For some, it’s a thankless effort…but today, don’t let it be. Today, we say “thank you” to the teachers in our lives!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check this out from one of my students




Came along with this



what could be better?

4/30/13

It's finally happened!!! For the first time in 10 years of teaching....one of my students stapled his thumb!!! Totally gross!!!! No shouts, no complaining. Simply, "could I please go to the nurse?"


I'm the one that is so grossed out and can't handle it.



HE IS FINE THOUGH!

4/25/13

My students are taking the Math CST test today. Part 1.


It has been 45 minutes and about 10 students have already finished! What?!!!

How is it that when we take the practice tests in class it takes the same students almost two hours to finish, but when the real test comes they are done in 45 minutes?

I can never understand that!!!!

4/15/13

Every morning student J places the number on the calendar. Today a different student, student C, was placing the number. So I asked,


"Why are you doing the calendar today? Why isn't J doing the calendar?"

J answers, " I didn't feel like putting the number up today. I feel lazy today!"

"Must be nice! How about if I were to say 'I don't feel like teaching today?' Maybe you J should teach my class today?" I ask him.

"No way!" J answers

"I'll do it! Said student A.

"Why should you do it?" I ask

"Because I have the glasses and most teachers have glasses, so therefore I think I should do it!" A answers.

" Oh really?!" I answer.

Then we all laugh.

If it were only that simple!

4/11/13

Today we were correcting our math test.


I say "#10 is C" and then I laugh.

"Do you know that pick up line?" I ask the kids. "You must be from Tennessee, because you are the only 10 I see!"

The kids laugh. But then, one of my boys tells me "My favorite pick up line is: Your dad must be a baker, because you have some pretty nice buns!"

The whole class including myself start laughing.

"Oh my, what are you saying" I reply as I laugh.

Then we went back to grading our test.

Pretty funny.....a little inappropriate but pretty funny!

4/10/13 part two

Had to share this also.... bogles my mind!

Students are taking a test on finding the area and circumference of a circle. They are free to ask me any questions to clarify any question on the test, but I cannot help them beyond that.


Student comes up to me and asks, "So how do you find the area of a circle?"

I look at him and tell him "I can't help you with that! That is what we have been learning for the past two weeks. That is why you are being tested right now, to prove that you understood and are able to figure that out on your own."

"Well, can't you just give me the formula?" he asks

"No! Sorry, I can't!" I reply.

"Aw man!"   REALLY?! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on!

4/10/13

Students are taking notes on Science videos and they are to pick one living organism and draw and color a picture of that organism.  They just watched the ice worlds video and one student drew penguins.  He came up to me today and asked:
"Could I please put hats on the penguins?"
"Sure why not!" I replied.
"YES!!!!!!!!!!!!" he stated as he went back to his seat.

Sometimes, it doesn't take much to make them happy!

4/8/13

Today during my elective class one of my students started singing this song while working on their project:

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty, oh so pretty and witty and blah blah blah"/

"Bright" I told her.
"What?" She said. "What is bright?"
" The last word of the song you are singing!" I told her.
"OH you mean, you have seen the commercial where that song is from?" She answers.
" The song doesn't come from a commercial. They use this song for a commercial, but this song is from a musical called 'West Side Story'. I explained.
"I thought the song was specially made for the commercial. Oh well!" she stated.


If they only knew how many "old" songs they use in commercials now a days.

3/8/13

My classroom is set up in groups with tables in which students sit by twos.
One of my students is absent today and her partner says outloud,
"I have all this space for myself today" as he rubs the whole table.
"Nice isn't?" I ask
"This gives me so much POWER.... what to do with it?" he replies and smiles.

2/27/13 part two

Lately all I have been hearing are giggles as we are doing Math and Science, and this is why!
"Energy moves from one organism to the next in one direction in a food web." giggle, giggle, giggle
" A group of students are moving in one direction to get to their destination.  What is the probability that they will....." giggle, giggle, giggle

Thanks ONE DIRECTION for making my class more prone to laugh attacks from my students.

2/27/13

Today as the class came into class in the morning, one of my girls gave me this:

It definately made me smile.
Very sweet!!!!

2/22/13

Today a student came and showed me something.
"Mrs. Overton, do you know what these are?" she asks
"Of course I do!" I replied
"They are called "tapes". They were used for music and recording stuff". she says
" I know them very well!  I used them all the time.  But why do you have them?" I asked
"I don't know. I think they are cool. I wish we could use them now." She replies and pulls out a 6 pack of tapes.
HOW OLD DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?!!!!

2/14/13

Yesterday was NATIONAL TORTELLINI DAY!
"What is tortellini?" students ask
"It is pasta that looks like a fortune cookie but it is filled with something. Most of the time it is filled with cheese." I reply
"Oh, I get it!" girl in my class says.  "You mean like lasagna!"
"Uhmmmm..... does lasagna look like a fortune cookie?" I ask
"No but it has cheese!" student replies.

Oh my!

2/8/13

"Mrs. Overton, remember how when I was in your 5th period I opened my paper too fast and ripped it?"
"Yes I do." I answered
"Remember how I asked you for a new one and you told me, "You don't need a new one, just get some tape"?
"Yes I do" I replied again.
"Those were good times!" Student replies and sighs.

2/1/13

Everyday I write on my board the National Day.  I had been busy all morning so I forgot to write the National Day for today.  As my third period walked in today the kids kept saying "Today is National Overton Day!"  "What are you talking about?" I asked them.  Then they kept talking about how or why it would be National Overton Day.  "Is it your birthday?" they asked.  "No,.. but everyday is National Overton Day in my house!"  I answered.
Then, I turn around to the board and see that someone changed yesterday's National Day with my last name. "Who changed the National day?!" I asked a little annoyed.  The whole class said the student's name outloud.  "Why did you do that?" I asked.  "Because I wanted today to be special for you!" he answered.
I just started laughing and the class laughed along with me.  How could you be mad at that?

1/30/13

I recently received a new student in my elective class.  He is known as a "problem" student and was placed in my room to try to have a new setting and maybe do better with his peers.  I have tried to keep the "problem" part away from my view of him.  He is new in my class and as far I am concerned I personally don't know him.  He has been in my class a week and during this week we have been reading a book together.  Well, today he was in the nurse's office during my class and he asked the counselor to call my class to please send him a book while he is waiting for his mom to pick him up because he doesn't want to miss out on reading the book because he really likes it!
That made my heart smile!  I don't know if he will always be good in my class but it makes me happy to know that for the mean time, he is happy with me!

1/23/13

Even when my day doesn't start on my best foot, I get to my school and I get bombarded with "Mrs. Overton!!!"yells from across the quad from present students and students from years past, running to give me a hug.  Tears filled my eyes today because I am so blessed to have this job and to actually love it!

1/07/13

Today we had a Math problem. "If you have a 5 quart pitcher and a 3 quart pitcher, how can you measure 1 quart?!


It was so silent when I asked who had an idea of how to solve it.

"Can we eyeball it?" student asks

"Nope!" I reply. "You must end with 1 quart exactly to be able to...escape a deserted island" I added.

"We fill the 3 quart and spill some water until it looks like one quart? another student answered.

"NO!!!! you must be as precise as possible.



"I know! You use your last life line and ask Mrs. Overton to give you the answer!" student replied.

"Good try...but NO WAY JOSE!!!!"

Man...it hurts my brain to see them so lazy and not even trying!

UGHHH! it took about 10 minutes but someone finally got it!