About 8 years ago, I had a 7th grade student I'll call Dylan. He sat in the third desk in the row next to the window. It was late October and it was pouring down rain. He was in my 4th period class.
I was teaching away and I looked over and noticed that Dylan was not paying attention... he was staring out the window. I walked over to him and looked out the window to see what he was looking at. I was thinking maybe something really cool was going on outside and I wanted to see.
One year, I had a student exclaim as she stared out the window, "Hey, there is a cow riding a whale!" I quickly walked over to take a look and sure enough, there was a picture of a cow riding a whale on the side of a huge milk truck. I had never seen the truck before and it was pretty cool looking to me. I told the class, "There really is a cow riding a whale... come see." Only a few kids got up to see. So in frustrated amazement, I commanded them all to get up and see the stupid cow riding the whale.
About 13 years ago I taught 7th and 8th graders, at Nate Saint Memorial School in Shell Ecuador. One day I looked out the window and saw a monkey in a tree. I had never looked out a classroom window and seen a monkey before. My 8 students all had their heads down and were working away. I interrupted them and said, "Hey, there is a monkey in that tree!" They all briefly looked up and glanced at the monkey and without any expression returned to their work. I couldn't believe it. I told them to stop working and look at the monkey for at least one minute. It was a really long minute for them. It was weird to me... their total lack of enthusiasm in seeing a wild monkey out their classroom window. That just doesn't happen in Tacoma Washington very often.
Anyways... back to Dylan... sorry.
There was nothing to look at but hard rain coming down. The two trees in the court yard had lost all their leaves so you couldn't tell how hard the wind was blowing. Then I noticed it. One of the trees still had one leave left! I quickly realized that Dylan wanted to see that last leaf fall of that tree. He was totally distracted by this goal of his. Without a word, I turned and walked out of the room and out of the school, around the building to the court yard and right up to the tree. All of my students were looking out the window now. I reached out and plucked the last leaf off the tree and dropped it to the ground. I could see Dylan and all of my students laughing and smiling. I returned to class and we got back to work. I thought it was all over. I was wrong.
The class had second lunch. This meant that after 25 minutes of class time, they got lunch, and then they returned for another 25 minutes of class.
After lunch, I started back teaching away and quickly noticed that Dylan was not paying attention again. In fact, he had turned his desk slightly towards the window so he was obviously looking out the window. I couldn't believe he wasn't paying attention. We had had our little laugh and now it was time to get busy. He wanted me to know he was staring out the window.
I asked Dylan what he was looking at now. He heard me, but he silently kept staring out the window. I was ready to get mad. I walked over and looked out the window. To my surprise, the tree had one leaf on it again... and Dylan was staring at it... again. I couldn't believe it. During lunch he had gotten some tape and gone outside and taped a leaf back onto a branch of the tree. I burst out in laughter. The class erupted in laughter, they weren't so sure how I was going to react... that is why there was a pause. I patted Dylan on the back and we smiled hard at each other.
I had Dylan in class and coached him in wrestling for 3 years. We would, once in while, remind each other of that day and have a good laugh.
I love laughing with my students. I love seeing them laugh. When I see past students, they remember and comment on the funny stories, the serious talks and good discipline of the class.
Day 127
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