FIRST GRADERS

Thursday, October 01, 2009

("Phillip Done knows that children will always giggle more when you tell them to stop, that broken candy canes do not taste as good as unbroken ones, and that by spring there will be more balls on the school roof than in the ball box." My post this morning is from his excellent book, Close Encounters of the Third-grade Kind.)

First graders like to be the first in line. They will stand by the classroom door during the entire recess so they can be at the head of the line when the bell rings. First graders love to use big words like infinity and bazillion. They will know more dinosaur names than you do. First graders are obsessed with Velcro. During Story Hour they will strap and unstrap the Velcro on their shoes. If the teacher has Velcro on his shoes, they will strap and unstrap his, too. First graders like to bring the conversation back to them. If you're talking about crocodile teeth, they will open their mouths and show you where they lost theirs. If you talk about fish, they will tell you how long they can hold their breath underwater. First graders also love to glue. Whenever they glue something, they will use enough to cement a skyscraper. Advice for new teachers: Hide Elmer's.