Learn to Summarize

Today I returned to one of the classes I subbed in last week - the second graders from last Monday. They were much like I remembered them. Small group, with mostly good kids and a couple pesky ones.

However, part-way through my afternoon with them (I only worked half of a day) I got a righteous headache. Making matters worse, my headache was repetitively aggravated by one particular little boy. He was trying to "help" me. And what I mean by this is that he was one of the most obsessive-compulsive uptight little kids I've meet. He was constantly telling me (sparing NO detail) how his teacher did every mundane task of the day - from where she stood, to what phrases she used, to who could work with who and why, etc., etc., etc. I wanted to rip my hair out. He told me how one boy didn't do his work. He pointed out how a girl near him wasn't doing something right. He showed me how I'd written on the overhead sheet and not on the roll like his teacher does. He explained in what order the class went to the library. He lectured me on how their teacher does one thing to get their attention but not the thing I was doing. It just went on and on and on. And to add to my annoyance, he absolutely could NOT summaraize anything. He gave me the supreme expanded edition with all the commentary and delete scenes he could come up with. He'd just start talking even though I hadn't called on him and was talking to someone else. And he wouldn't stop! I kept saying over and over that I didn't need the details and that it was fine the way we were doing it. Eventually I started telling him that I didn't care what way they normally did it. I told him that my way worked too and that was the way we were going to do it. But still he kept talking. Aargh! I had to try to ignore him but like I said, my head was splitting so this was not the most attractive option.

Another funny moment was when, near the end of the day a little boy asked me why I was wearing the shoes I was wearing (brown flat sling-backs in case you were wondering). I was puzzled by his question, so I replied, "Because I can't come to school barefoot!". He laughed a little but then persisted with his question. I told him I was wearing them because they matched my outfit. He asked why I wasn't wearing black (even though nothing on my outfit was black). At this point a girl chimed in with, "Because she's wearing a BROWN shirt, not a BLACK one! It was odd, I still have no idea why he was asking that.