A student is sitting at his desk, biting his cuticles while taking a quiz. The number he was doing on his cuticles looked PAINFUL. I quietly whispered to him, “Stuart, that looks like it hurts.”
He replied, “I hate that I do it and the dance is only two days away and I just can’t stop and how I am going to go with my hands looking like this!” I couldn’t believe it! The idea of going to the dance with severely damaged cuticles seemed to fill him with anxiety!
Sometimes I forget just how old fifth graders are! They have insecurities about other’s perceptions, even down to their cuticles! I don’t think I have ever been concerned any person’s opinion of my cuticles (though I am not a nail biter); in fact, if someone were to negatively comment on my cuticles, I think I would think less of that person, rather than own up to any negative cuticle habits.
Fifth graders are so interesting! Most of them are not too cool for school just yet, while others have already started manipulating the system (“Uh, I was late because I was, uh, busy telling another kid that you were the best teaching in school.” Yeah…….right). They are just starting to form cliques and just starting to flirt with members of the opposite sex (or members of the same sex depending on who they are attracted to). Some lunches are spent speculating who is “dating” whom in the fifth grade. Graffiti in the bathroom provides the best clues. I am just amazed at how dynamic teachers have to be to be able to work with kindergarteners AND sixth graders! It’s a whole different game!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
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