I think this was from September, but of course I lost it... on my desk. I can finally see my desk because I spent all day listening to Les Mis and cleaning. Anyway, this was after the opening day of Intrams:
I watched a basketball game today. Normally, I couldn't care less about sports. This time I yelled like crazy, had several heart-pounding moments, and stayed for the whole 2 hours of the game. It's different watching sports when you know each of your team's players very well. You've spent hours with them, you've invested in them, you've watched their mood swings and habits. Watching my boys out there made me realize that I better not have my own children in sports or I'll end up like one of those soccer moms.
I didn't just watch the game. I watched the faces and actions of my boys. I watched the boy who slouches in his seat in English class tear down that court like a speeding bullet, stealing the ball from kids way bigger than him, shooting and making it nearly every time. I watched the boys who struggle with self-control and class teamwork fumble the ball, foul, hog the ball, and grow very frustrated and angry in the game. I watched the varsity player who throws himself wholeheartedly into his work, takes initiative in projects, tries to get me to eat lunch with him and the boys in his class (because they have a "positive influence" on me) apply his wholehearted effort into the game and admit his fouls readily. I watched the rest of Jordan scream themselves hoarse for their team, hopping up and down waving banners.
This batch is definitely sporty for the most part. My homeroom is highly competitive. Jordan B in particular is known for being loud and enthusiastic with everything except serious schoolwork. They can memorize the lyrics to their favorite band's latest song but they can't remember their vocabulary. They can show up early to a sports game but they can't turn in a research paper on time. It just makes me wonder how I can relate sports to my subject. Their enthusiasm and energy are there, but they're not channeled properly. I want to try an inter-class competition relating to English, but I don't know if I'll have time to pull it off.
Anyway, that was a few months ago. It's now Dec. 24th and the school year is over for them. They come back for graduation rehearsals, Grade 6 Retreat, and then they start 7th Grade on January 21st. The time was too short and sometimes too long. My homeroom class continued to have major issues. Drama, friend problems, crushes -- it was all contained in my homeroom class. Each section became so uniquely different from each other. Jordan B was the stressful class, but they think they were the best. They keep talking about how they're just so united. They thought the world revolved around them. There were tears and an overdose of Facebook pictures after the last day of classes. Jordan A is the hilarious class. The students I got closest to were in that class. I even have an adopted "daughter" from that class. She really calls me Mommy. They were a nice mix of crazy but smart and mostly responsible. They had the best fractured fairy tales of all the classes. There are 3 boys in that class who became my 3 Stooges. They're entirely different from each other, but together they're both the funniest and most annoying boys in the class. Without them, the class is boring. Jordan C is full of the smart kids and they're fun to teach. They soak up everything and they actually follow instructions. They're also crazy and funny and kids (and teacher) laughed their heads off all year long. We also accomplished the most because they're just so much easier to teach than the other 2 sections. I'm looking forward to Grade 6 Retreat with them. This year was so much more fun because I really got to know the students. They relate very differently at that age. I also appreciated them texting me with their questions instead of parents asking for their kid. It was much easier! I still got on much better with the boys than the girls (the girls were always sneaking around trying to hide things) and without them, my life would be a lot saner but a lot more boring. I already miss seeing them every day and it's only Monday. :)
I cleaned my room today. It's amazing. I can see my desk and chair now. I still have to finish inputting grades and stuff. I also have a bunch of stuff to prepare for Graduation. Jenn is coming up from Davao tomorrow night. The Maramaras and Chins are coming over for our traditional Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner on Wednesday. We're also going camping with the Maramara "kids" this week. We're going to Corregidor which should be fun! For New Year's Eve, we got invited to the Arcibal's house which will definitely be fun. Thankfully we got a few extra days off and we don't have to be back to school until the 7th. Happy Workation indeed! :) All the teachers really need these 2 weeks. One kid even commented about all his teachers having "eyebags" and I even got too sick to go to school one day last week and I broke my perfect attendance. :P
Here are some pictures:
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| Ivy (on the right) is back! Been 7 years since I saw her! |
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| Sunday School buddies |
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| Singles' Christmas Fellowship... Joash is the thorn among the roses. |
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| Last day of classes - Homeroom class |
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| The crazy section |
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| The crazy but intellectual section |
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| Cell group |
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| My homeroom boy buddies |
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| After their Math class, I got dragged into their picture |
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| The 3 Stooges: the most annoying, most crazy, most lovable boys of Grade 6. Without them, Grade 6 would have been easier. Without them, I would have less to look forward to every morning when I stepped into school. They pretty much waited for me in the hallway every morning. The day I came back after I got sick, the 3 of them showed up to hang out at my desk when I was trying to do work and proceeded to tell me all their dumb jokes that they had saved up for me while I was absent. I kicked them out of the faculty room with the threat that I'd deduct points from their last quiz if they didn't leave me alone. :) Teaching 12 year old boys is definitely a whole lot of fun. |
