Sniper

When one of my 8th grade groups filed in today, I was finishing up some reminders I needed to jot down.

The bell wouldn't be ringing for another couple of minutes, so I kept my attention on what I was writing. When I put down the pen and looked up, this is what I saw all across the room:

I sniped a picture of my kiddos.

Made me smile to see how well they're responding to my expectation that they always bring a novel to class and read it quietly as soon as they arrive.

Last year, the same group of students was famous for being...difficult to corral - that's one way to put it.

I remember thinking those teenagers would be in for a rude awakening if I returned to the staff for a second year and became their teacher for Literature and English.

For the first month of school, they've been learning how my classroom runs and getting a taste of ways in which they will be pushed beyond the expectations of adults in their past. This is true when it comes to behavioral expectations and also academic rigor.

Those things are very necessary, but I also have a goal of creating a learning experience where students regularly smile and laugh more than in other classrooms.

Already, they've heard some of my life's most embarrassing stories...including the time in elementary school during relay races when I was hit with a case of diarrhea and could not manage to hold back the flow. That one's always a crowd pleaser.