Let me explain the title, in pieces.
A misunderstood poet:
Let me set the scene for you.
Scene: The words "Poem," "Poetry," and "Poet," were written on the board. As a class, we have read all three words aloud pronouncing them correctly. As with all new words, I always poll the class to get a baseline for prior knowledge. In non-teacher talk, I'm finding out what they already know.
Me: Has anybody ever seen or heard any of these words before? *It should be noted that hands went up around the room.
Me: Good! Does anybody know what one of these words means?
*Again, hands. I choose one very eager volunteer.
Me: Okay, which word would you like to define?
Student: Poet.
Me: Okay, go ahead.
Student: Like when you put something in a cup.
Me: <Awkward pause, which as a teacher I am working on> What do you mean?
Student: Like when you put juice in a cup.
*Wait for it. Wait for it. Got it?
Now, this is the point that I am sure all teachers know, is the most crucial moment, the aha moment where you can A) laugh uncontrollably or B) use it as a teachable moment. I am an over achiever. I went for both.
Okay, go po you some juice in your cup and get ready for the next piece.
Bad hair days(s):
Again, let me set the scene for you.
Scene: I often suffer from mild ADD and get off task easily. I am not sure exactly what we had been talking about, but it was not reading. I do recall that I was trying to get us back on task.
Student: Miss?Me: Does this question have something to do with reading?
Student: Yes.
Me: Okay, what is your question?
Student: Do you remember that day when your hair looked good?
*Remember the mild ADD?
Me: Umm...my hair doesn't look good every day?
Student: That one day it did.
Another student: I remember that day!
Yet another student: Me too!
*This is the moment that I temporarily overcame my ADD and continued with class. Now, this doesn't mean that while teaching, I wasn't thinking, "What day did my hair look good?".
Po some more juice. We are at the last piece.
Pickle cookies:
Scene: Cafeteria. I try to eat lunch with my students at least once a week. I start unpacking my lunch from my super cool lunch kit. I have, in separate plastic zipper bags: a sandwich, chips, baby dill pickles, cheese cubes, and sugar cookies. My first lunch buddy is also setting out their lunch items from their super cool lunch kit. I notice I have no drink.
Me: Hey I'm going to go get some tea, don't let anyone get my food, ok?Student: Ok, I will not let anyone get your food.
*The walk to retrieve a drink is approximately 30ft. I return and sit back down.
Student: Are those pickle cookies?
Me: Uhh, huh? My cookies? No, they aren't. <I chuckle>
*We eat
Student: Are you sure they aren't pickle cookies?
Me: Yes, I'm sure. Why?
Student: I just thought they tasted like pickle cookies.
*At this moment, my brain starts working. I look down at my plastic zipper bag of sugar cookies to discover one with a large bite missing.
Me: Did you eat my cookie?
Student: Just one bite. I didn't like them, tasted like a pickle cookie.
I take the cookie victim out of the hastily rezipped bag and throw it away. I then rezip the bag tossing the remaining cookies into my super cool lunch kit. We have a talk about boundaries, and what is right and wrong when eating with others.
Approximately 6 hours passes.
I am in the car, waiting on someone, and quite hungry. So I reach in my lunch kit, looking for lunch leftovers, as usual. What do I find? Sugar cookies! (Please remember 6 hours has passed.) I pull out a cookie, take a bite, and immediately, it all comes back to me. You know why? Because that cookie was indeed a pickle cookie.
Lesson: Do not let plastic zipper bags with unlike things touch, or you too may end up with a case of the pickle cookies.
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