Well, She Told Me!

Too Young to Be a Curmudgeon walked in late today. Instead of joining the rest of the class in the lab we were doing, or checking out another student's notes to see what she had missed, Curmudgeon sat down and texted for the rest of the period. I approached her toward the end of the period...

Me: Curmudgeon, can you put your phone away and make up the work you missed?

Curmudgeon: Miss, the period's almost over.

Me: You still have a minute or too. Why don't you put away your phone and make up the work?

Curmudgeon: I told you, the period's almost over!

Me: You're not supposed to have a phone in school at all. Put it away and get to work.

Curmudgeon: No.

Me: Why do you have to talk to me like that?

Curmudgeon: Because you're wrong!!

Actually, They're Red All Over

One of my friends told me today that curiosity makes for a good teacher. I would add that curiosity makes for a comical (and precocious) student.

Among the science questions I answered today:

"Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?"

"Why is wool so itchy?"

"Did you know silk is made from worms? That's so gross. I hate silk."

"Did you hear about the cave in Vietnam that has an entire jungle inside?"

"What's Vietnam?"

"I'm doing my project on deserts. Is it okay if I answer these questions for the tropical rain forest?"

CSI Moment of the Day - December 7, 2010

Yesterday in Forensic Science, we examined hair under the microscope, in order to support our current unit on hair analysis. Much to my surprise, my students got really into the "lab." Some were REALLY into it...

Alphabet Soup: Next time, can we look at sperm under the microscope?

Me: Um, that sounds great, but I don't think we can get sperm samples here at school.

Alphabet Soup: That's just a detail.

Quote of the Day - November 24, 2010

Little Miss Negative: I'm trying to be a forensic scientist, and you're getting in the way.

I'm Lovin' It

I had my forensics science students write skits about a crime scene. Some of the skits were so-so or even downright bad, but some were quite creative. My favorite skit involved a McDonald's customer fighting with the cashier. The security guard came in to support the cashier. He got carried away and assaulted the customer. My students had rehearsed, and they acted well.

The best part, though, was the props. They used paper and colored pencils to make three-dimensional french fries, chicken nuggets, a big mac, and a coke with a straw. They also made a paper pistol. It was so adorable. I spent the rest of the day slurping paper soda.