Wednesday was not going well. Hump Day. Pi Day. Family Reading Picnic Day. National Walkout Day.
But that’s not what got me. It was a bee…in my hair…that I grabbed…it stung…I said s*%#t…all the kids heard me…I cried for help…get the stinger out…Noah to the rescue…I left to get ice.
When I returned, the boys were perched at their computers typing like mad. They were not just being good boys. They were slicing! Something exciting had happened, and the first thing that came to their minds was “This is something to slice about!”
Today in class Mrs. Simon got stung by an unidentified insect but when she got stung it sounded like she was sneezing but when you sneeze you don’t curse out loud on accident. When she got stung she said “I got stung someone come take the stinger out” and as soon as I heard her I was there like the flash. As soon as I saw where she got stung (which was pretty easy because that was the only place on her hand that she wasn’t covering at the moment) I yanked it out and the stinger came out pretty easily but the stinger was super long and at the end it had some of the end of the bee on it.
It was super cool because as soon as I took it out Mrs. Simon went to the lounge and get some ice for it and when she came back she put loads of Germ-X on the cut and then she kept the ice pack on the cut for like ten to twenty minutes on her hand. We all suggested to Mrs. Simon to go to the doctor but she said that it would be alright. As soon as I put the stinger down instead of writing the post I was about to start I started this post about how Mrs. Simon got stung.
Noah, 6th grade
Because it was Pi Day, we were writing Pi-ku. I used the 3.14159 syllable count. Here’s my silly one about the sting:
That bee stung
me!
my ring finger.
Ouch!
Pull the stinger out!
Put ice on the red bump swelling fast.
At the time of this writing, my fingertip is sore but not too swollen. I think I’ll live.
You crafted a small incident that rippled out and became more slices. I could feel how motivated your students were to write. And this is because you reacted in a real, human way by cursing. Thanks for sharing the antics in your classroom so honestly and clearly! And hope your hand is better today, just a regular Thursday.
Such a fun read and a great example of a small moment. I hope you’ll share this one with your class.
I am glad you’re feeling better and you’ll live. Teehee
Your students are amazing, and a reflection of their teacher. I love it that they responded by writing (And caring).
I LOVE your students’ reaction: to write. What a great story. Sorry that you cussed in class–I did that once and it was mortifying! But we’re all human:>)
I love that your students started slicing right away! Too funny. And I love the slice within a slice structure. Noah has some great momentum in his writing, too. Glad the stinger is out and that you’ll live. Glad that your students see you as human and weren’t too shocked by the cursing.
So sorry to hear about your bee sting but what a slice for that young man! I love your pi-ku and shared it with my high school math teaching son. 🙂 Hope that’s OK. 🙂
I’m sorry you got stung and glad it’s better today, but this all made a funny little slice for you and yours students to write about.
I am just dreading the day that I accidently swear in class; I do it all of the time in my head so I know one day it will slip out.
Oh my goodness! What a day for you and your students! Love the way your Pi-ku shared the event. Guess you couldn’t get the language part in. 🙂
Great to read about your students rising to the occasion–that, not the unintended s@#$%t, is a reflection on your teaching!
Yeowch! I’m sorry that you got stung, but what a treat to read how your class supported you and ushered your experience into their writing. (I swore in class yesterday… something must be going around…)
And of course your student had to put in the part about your slip-up! We never know from where inspiration and a potential may come!
A potential slice!
That does not sound like a fun day for you, but I loved reading HOW you wrote it and how this inspired your students to slice! BRAVO!
Oh Noah, dear Noah! (“there like the flash!”) I am touched by his sweet heart-felt slice! I have a feeling he will remember this incident forever. And part of the bee was left behind with the stinger?! Love that he added that detail.
I’m so sorry you got stung, but I loved this slice. My favorite line has to be: “it sounded like she was sneezing but when you sneeze you don’t curse out loud on accident.” rofl Too funny and how wonderful that your students immediately recognized the moment as a potential story and started writing.
You know you’ve made an impression when the first thing your students think is, “I’ve found a slice for the day.”
[…] Last month, I had a bee incident in my classroom at school number 2 that caused a curse word to come out of my mouth, thus “cursing singer.” This incident happened in March, so I sliced about it here. […]
Sorry for the stinger Margaret, but oh boy, look what fantastic writing and bravery it inspired!