Inspired by a couple of facebook friends, I've decided to jump on th recent "blog" wagon. Although most of you will know me, I better tell the others a little about myself. I am married with two small children (ages 7 & 4). I teach high school English; this year predominantly seniors with one tenth grade class. Needless to say, as a mother and teacher, I have plenty of stories to tell. Sometimes the stories are a bit too long for a status update, so blogging seems like the appropriate thing to do.
One of the most recent "problems" I've noticed with my high schoolers is that they don't know the names of common, everyday items, particularly those found at school. Obviously, this is scary, but it can be quite funny at times. Yesterday, a student approached my desk and asked for "one of those things, you know, that can hold papers together." I, thinking that it must be something rarely used, said, "Are you talking about the little stickers that tape the holes on loose-leaf paper back together." She looked confused and said, "No, those clip things that are made of metal...one of those," pointing to a paper clip. I couldn't help but give her that look... that look that all mothers and teachers master. I know you're thinking that we all forget words every now and then, but this was the second time this week that she asked for a paper clip without knowing the word paper clip! She giggled, I giggled and thought, "God help us."
Another student, on the same day, was vigorously working on an essay for a scholarship. She stopped, got up and went to my bookshelf. She picked up a book and said, "Do you mind if I borrow one of these books, I forgot what they are called, but the books you can find a word that sounds smarter than a regular word?" First of all, I was happy to know that she knew such books existed; the problem was that she was holding the thesaurus in her hand. All she had to do was look at the cover, but at least she didn't call it a tyrannosaurus.
Both of these students could tell you what alliteration, metaphor, and oxymoron are, but when it comes to a paper clip or instinctively looking at the cover of a book to find the name, they were struggling. We are failiing somewhere along the way. I, however, take a deep breath, relax, and relish in the fact that these failings provide me with some comic relief every once in a while.
