Thursday, September 3, 2009

Spunky? Me?

Today I found out that one of my students told her mom that I have a "spunky spirit". I have NEVER been called spunky before, and it's not a word I'd use to describe myself. But I have to admit, it's pretty fun to be seen that way!

And then I started thinking back on the last couple of weeks. I'm pretty sure I say and do some quirky things in the classroom. Actually, I KNOW I do. My brother once said "Erin, you say your kids are quirky. Did you ever think that their teacher is making them that way?" Thanks, Brad. ;)

Today was National Skyscraper Day. You might not have known that, but you can thank the internet for that random piece of information. We celebrated today in the classroom. Now...let me clarify the depth of our learning in Miss Cunningham's classroom. In contrast, my coworker across the hall celebrated the holiday by educating his kids on the tallest skyscrapers around the world. Did you know the Burj Dubai is the tallest skyscraper, reaching 2,684 feet? I learned that today from my coworker, who compared it to several other skyscrapers, towers, and mountains. He even pulled down the map to show the kids where Dubai is located.

But us? Oh, no. In Miss Cunningham's class, we celebrated National Skyscraper Day by walking down the hall like skyscrapers. By standing as tall as we could, as straight as we could, and as still as we could (with our hands pointing straight up - for the tip, you know). We got weird glances and questions all the way down the hallway, to which I responded "Happy Skyscraper Day", of course.

So spunky? I don't know. Quirky? Definitely. Sometimes I wonder what in the world comes out of my mouth during a school day. I don't even want to know what the kids tell their parents at home. That I'm spunky, apparently. I think that student was just being kind. :)

Tomorrow is National Newspaper Carrier Day. This one I researched beforehand. Did you know the first newspaper carrier was a 10-year-old boy named Barney Faherty who began his job in 1833? My kids will learn that tomorrow!