03/13/09

Today I took the seniors down to the fourth grade for tutoring again. They have been loving it and always ask when we will be able to go down there again. One of the seniors, Ern, was in our Christmas play and had acted the part of a "grandpa". Ralph, one of the fourth graders, apparently has not forgotten because when Miss Cady, their teacher, asks them who they want to be partnered up with, Ralph always says that he wants to be with "grandpa". The fourth grade is at the back of the school so we usually go outside to spread out. At the end of the tutoring session, Ralph wanted to have a pushup contest with Ern. Ralph won!

After school we had a soccer game; 7th vs 8th grade. I always like going to the games after school because it gives me an opportunity to talk to the students and joke around with them as I don't always get to see them outside of school. It is also great to see all the students there getting to hang out and have fun. A few of the seniors and juniors gather together a receiver and a mix of different speakers and DJ for the game. Its fun to hear their music even though I don't understand most of it. There are a few songs that are popular now that they like to play. I'll try to find out what they are and post the names and a link if I can find one for you to listen to.

Once I go to the game, I went and sat behind the concession table. The seniors had set up a concession table where they sell pop, energy drinks (Toro), as well as candy and popcorn. As I was sitting there, a handful of the 6th graders came running up to me asking, "Mr. Doug, Mr. Doug, will you buy us popcorn." Then they started asking Marc (who is an aid for the 6th grade class) if he would. He ended up buying popcorn for them and then they started asking me to buy Cokes for them. I told them to go and get all of the 6th graders together and to come back. It wasn't but about thirty seconds later and they were gathered around the table all giddy with excitement. I told them that I would buy Cokes as long as they split a bottle. I asked Laurah, a senior, to start pouring them and to let me know how many I owe her for. A few minutes later they were starting to get fired up. I think the sugar and caffeine shot straight to their heads. Particularly, there was one of them who must have ended up drinking two or three Cokes (as it seemed anyway). Djenica was standing next to me talking so incredibly fast and laughing while she was talking that I couldn't understand anything she was saying outside of her wanting me to now buy candy for them. I wasn't about to pour gasoline on the fire. I told them that I would buy candy for them at the next game (this coming Friday). Besides, my sister, Sheila, sent candy to me just recently and I have been slowly giving it to them. I gave them some Twizzlers while they were taking a test this week. I also told them that I have Nerds that I will be bringing in this coming week. They seemed to like the Twizzlers, but a little too much. I had one student, Marie Christie, playing with her's instead of taking her test. She was twisting it and blowing through it like a straw. I had to remind her that time was runing out. Below is a picture of her and her younger sister, Binah.