8 Year Old Funnies

I spend my days surrounded by my eight year old friends. This can have both it's perks and it's downfalls. Some days it is really hard to be the ONLY adult in a room full of thirty 8 year olds that speak hour different languages and have various academic, social, and emotional needs. I am definitely outnumbered and on occasion the mantra I repeat to myself becomes "they're only 8, they're only 8, they're only 8", as I repeat the directions for the bazillionth time, remind a student to use a tissue, help untie a knotted shoelace, go over the directions for using the pencil sharpener...etc. etc. etc. On other days it can be super fun. I get to share my favorite books, funny stories, my passion for learning, and 96% of the time my students think my jokes are funny. And occasionally these little ones can be really funny. The things that 8 year olds talk about is great, I have two specific stories to share about funny conversations between my kiddos.

1) Scene: In the classroom, kids are working on a math sheet: One student puts on her new fuzzy white sweatshirt. Her tablemates are very impressed, as new clothes for these kids are a rarity. One kid asks to feel it (it was super soft looking) and she lets him. She says "my mom got it for me at Burlington, it's soft and white and made out of real polar bear!". Awesome! All the kids completely believed her and were super impressed. After this conversation I had to step in as the mean teacher and tell them to get focused and get their work done. But all day long whenever I looked at her I had to chuckle to myself.

2) Scene: In the classroom, kids at their tables eating snack. Once a month a program comes to our class and teaches the students about healthy eating and then the kids get to prepare and eat a healthy snack. Our school qualifies for this program because we are a very low income school and all of our students get free lunch through the federal program. The kids are eating their snack and chit chatting with each other. Snack time is very exciting so they are all in a good mood. At one table the students are discussing who is "more Mexican" and who is "more American". I just sat back and listened curious where this conversation would head. After lots of discussion including where they were born and where their parents were born it was decided that three of the students were equally Mexican and the fourth student was and I quote "half Mexican and half Catholic". I had to snicker to myself on this one too. I love their reasoning. And really, all the students in this conversation are equally Mexican-Americans and equally awesome.

:)