And They Even Hugged Me

Going to bed late, waking up early, and getting to school before everyone else paid off today. My lessons were better today and my students were engaged. We labeled maps in social studies, wrote summaries (with very limited English and horrible spelling), listened to a recording of the ABC, and made “my dictionaries.” In the hour and a half that I worked with 622 on English, I asked for their attention about 12 times (waiting several seconds each time) and broke up two physical fights (both instigated by the same student). I really don’t have any idea what he said to start these brawls (mumbled Dominican Spanish is not easy to make out). Anyway, I got the students to separate in both cases and continued teaching. I then told the class that they would have to stay after school to give back five of the minutes they had wasted that day. And they did – they all sat there silently for five minutes. I had never heard them that quiet ever. When the five minutes were over, I told them they could leave and that the fighters had to stay longer. Their official homeroom teacher came in and said he would discipline them tomorrow. On the way out of the classroom, two of the noisiest, rudest kids came right up to me and hugged me. I didn’t quite understand all this but was grateful to make it home before 6:00 p.m. and call today a much better day than yesterday.