well, yes

we've combined our 3rd and 4th graders during reading to get ready for TCAP. its been amusing.

the other day, donna said, "yeah, well not much makes sense in this little world of ours."

and a 3rd grader raised her hand and said, "you know what does make sense? escalators go up and down."

i had to turn around and walk away. because she was serious. she had really thought about it. and it was something that actually made sense to her.

and i couldnt let her see me laughing.

but it was funny.

and then she stood in front of the class and spelled her name in sign language.....

and then she did a "ballet" dance....

and i had to turn around and walk away again.




but i do wish i had that kind of confidence in myself.

is that getting or giving?

[[:: today, in math class, we were working on a problem about adding vs. subtracting. this is the conversation:

me: if sally has 22 pencils and she gives 2 to a friend, how many does she have left?

them: [crickets]

me: ok. if you give pencils to friends, is that getting or giving away?

them: giving away

me: exactly! now is that adding or subtracting?

them: subtraction

me: awesome, guys! [and then we write the number sentence and solve.]
ok. now if sally's mom gives her 10 more pencils, how many will she have?

them: [crickets again. i'm used to it.]

me: ok, if her mom gives her more pencils, is that getting more or giving away?

at this point, 2 of the students say "getting more. that's adding." one stares at me like i'm an alien from space. and 1 screams "giving away!" at this point, i focus on the screamer, partly because she's screaming and partly because the others have either figured out what to write or are still staring at me. again, i'm used to it.

me: ok. lets think about this. if your mama gives you 10 pencils, are you getting or giving away?

her: giving away

me: well, who are you giving them away to?

her: amber, sarah, tori....

me: no, sweetie, if you and your mama are the only ones there. you know, like you guys are the only ones in the house. and your mama gives you 10 pencils. are you getting more [i emphasized this when i said it] or giving away?

her: giving away [like, duh, miss emily, i have already told you this.]

me: [giving her my oh, my good gracious, what the heck am i going to do with you face]

her: getting?

me: excellent. ::]]

this is such a typical day for me. if we arent having trouble finding 25 on number charts, we're dealing with this kind of confusion.

but today, it struck me that maybe she does have the right idea in some way.

when she gets, she gives. and isnt that exactly what we should all be doing? we have been given such an abundance- both physically and spiritually. my heart overflows with the grace, goodness, and love of my precious Jesus. how dare i not pour that out on others?

so tomorrow [and all the days after that] i hope i live a little more like that 2nd grader. she couldnt imagine not sharing all those pencils her mother gave her.

and even though she was completely wrong for the math problem, i think she's pretty right for life.