Monday, May 31, 2010

A Great Piece of Logic

Emerging from her room, she announces, "The reason I can't have quiet time . . . is because . . . some people can't have quiet time."

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Old Lullaby, New Lyrics

Hush little baby little don't you cry
Mama's gonna buy you a booty shaker
And if that booty shaker don't shake
Mama's gonna buy you a piece of cake
And if that piece of cake doesn't eat
Mama's gonna buy you a second head!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

P-H-O-upside-down P . . .


Last Friday I went to Phoebe's class to read a Dr. Seuss book. Afterward she wanted to come to my class and "sit in your lap while you teach." Despite the fact that I almost never sit down while teaching and the fact that I didn't have any students in my classroom at the time, I brought her to my room as requested. She entertained herself by climbing on desks, erasing the board, and drawing on scraps of bulletin-board paper.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, some of my students arrived to work on a project. One of them has taken it upon herself to win Phoebe's trust. She walked over to where Phoebe was drawing on the floor, and in no time at all Phoebe was bossing her around, asking her to write her name.

"P-H-O," Phoebe instructed her, and then she faltered. "Upside down P," she continued. "E-E-B!"

End result: Phobeeb.

Not bad.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Keeping Your Weights

The route Phoebe and I take from the car to her classroom involves walking along a sidewalk at the top of a small but steep hill. One day, since she likes to walk on the very edge of the sidewalk, she nearly fell down the hill into the rocky drainage ditch below.

"Oh," she said, relieved, "I kept my weights."

"Kept your weights?" I asked.

"Yes. Like Harold."

I realized that she was talking about the moment in Harold and the Purple Crayon when Harold is falling but "kept his wits and his purple crayon," allowing him to get himself out of trouble once again.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Reading to Baby

Phoebe likes to read to herself at night--and to her "baby" (who is required to use his paci).