The Oxygen Settles in Your Butt!
Friday was one of those days, at the end of the first week of school, when you wonder if the day will every be over. The kids were great, but the day drug on longer than usual…until my students made me laugh the hardest I have laughed in a very long time. It made me realize just how much I miss them during the summer months.
Anyway, during Comm Arts, the conversation was centered on things you can do to increase your learning. I was telling the students that crossing the center of your body (the mid-line), helps get both sides of your brain working together. We played a quick game of DO THIS! DO THAT!so I could show them an entertaining and fun way to cross their mid-line…and so I could get them up and moving!
Once we settled back in, I asked them when they feel the most tired in class. They told me it was when they had to just sit and listen for long periods of time. I said, “Of course! By sitting, the oxygen disperses itself to the part of your body that is doing the most work. Therefore, that would be you backside!” Most kids laughed, but there was one child in the front row who instantly had his hand flying back and forth in the air, grunting and oohing like Arnold Horshack from Welcome Back, Kotter. When I called on him, he wasted no time telling the rest of the class what he had figured out. “Mrs. P! Mrs. P! No wonder when I sit for a long time, I have to fart really bad!” Laughter erupted from every corner of the room, and just when it began to die out, it started again! Finally, one of my other little darlings said, “Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but sitting could be dangerous!” I giggled with the rest of the kids, then let myself go down the slippery slope of asking him to explain. This was not a good idea, because the conversation continued with the same 6th grade flavor as it had started. “Well, sometimes that oxygen that pools there is just gas, but other times, it could be a solid!” I had tears running down my face. Where do 6th graders come from, anyway?
Well, here’s a word of advice from someone who has been there: DO NOT allow kids to sit too long. You never know what they could be passing!
Mary, the Phat/Fat Teacher