Remembrance Day... A Day to Remember

Dearest friends,

Weeks have disappeared in a blur of faces, classes, challenges, and victories. And the bottom line of it all is that God is good and faithful. A few stories...

* The latest currency for late assignments is coffee and/or french fries for Miss Rider. We shake on that deal.
* A community member walked into my class unannounced, and witnessed a rousing lecture Johnny Depp style about why sailors are stereotypically known as drunks.
* A panicked cry for help was ignored by my neighbor, but answered by three master teachers province wide.

Today, we had three high schools join together for a Remembrance Day ceremony, complete with veteran speeches, eight wreaths, a dramatic reading of "In Flanders Fields", pipers, amazing band performances, and absolute focus from over 1000 students.

Before the assembly, students trickle into class announcing that it is "National Skip School Day", and that they only came to class because it's cold outside (one benefit to the onset of below-zero temperatures this week).

CHARLES (name changed to protect whatever it is we protect by changing names): (speaking in the third person) Charles sent me here to get his report card, because Charles is too sick to come to class today.
MISS RIDER: Well, I'm afraid you might have a tough time getting that from me, as you were supposed to pick it up LAST class, and the office now has it.
CHARLES: Oh, well in that case, I'll see you later. (exits door)
MISS RIDER: I'm marking you as present, so you'd better be present again in 5 minutes after your trip to the office.
TA: (just arriving) Charles, where do you think you're going?
CHARLES: Miss Rider kicked me out and sent me to the office because I was drinking beer in class.
TA looks at Miss Rider quizzically.
MISS RIDER: I only sent him down because he brought the beer and wouldn't share with me.
CLASS cracks up.
AMY (student): (doubled over, laughing, barely breathing) You totally just made my day.

Okay, so there was chaos before the assembly, and I feared that my last block class, following the assembly, was fit to be a disaster. My students were squirmy in anticipation of the upcoming four day weekend, but gave me a false sense of security by remained diligent enough create a Remembrance Day poem of their own as a class.

Click Here: Language 9-04

During the middle of that class, one of our veterans stopped in my classroom to say hi. Veteran = white hair in my mind, but this fellow was young with a 2 year old son in tow. I got to share my candy rockets with the little guy, and one of my students asked, "Can I hug the little man?" Dad said that was okay, and though he didn't speak, Little Man was very friendly with my 36 grade 9 students.

Upon their departure...

STUDENT 1: Is that your son?
MISS RIDER: No (begins to carry on with normal classroom activities)
STUDENT 2: He looks like you, though. He's really not your son?
MISS RIDER: (smiling) No, but I'd keep him, he's cute enough.
SEVERAL STUDENTS: Oh, you mean you'd keep the dad? Miss Rider thinks the dad is hot! Hey, Miss Rider! You're turning red!

Enter my ever present friend, Creative Chaos. Haha. Just another day in Miss Rider's Classroom.