show and tell

Cameron brought a dog to school. He, the dog Bently, was scheduled, unafraid, and excited when ten fifth graders touched and called his name. For twenty minutes Bently was the only thing that mattered to kids.
he really liked Leslie
Dogs don’t have favorites when there is mass touching and oohing and aahhing and petting and holding and calling and attention. Or do they? Leslie is of the not-so-calm ones in class, but by her own confession, she knew it. She seemed to be the dog-whisperer in the bunch. Bently gravitated to her Indian-style sitting and sniffed and looked for Leslie’s touch. Rob noticed. “Bently likes Leslie!” he announced. But all the other kids didn’t care. They wanted to hold and feel Bently.
does he always wag his tail
“Come on, Bently, come on.”
“Why does he always wag his tail? asked a student.
“Because he’s happy.”
“Does he always wag his tail?” she asked.
“Come to think about it…yes. I guess he is always happy.”

Like dogs. having excited children all round, touching makes a teacher happy!

she’s not fat

“She’s fat.”
“No, she’s not.”
“Then, what would you call her?”
“On the way to having a big chest.”
humor in their truth
Sometimes the best way to say a thing that needs to be said is to say something that is the truth, but funnier. Kids seem to use this technique as much as a way of philosophizing as to divert attention away from the meanest of words. Not quite up to speed on using adult sarcasm for humor and bite, they state the obvious with no intent to harm. Often times it is humorous.
awesome
In class a preadolescent fifth grade boy was captivated by a class discussion and teacher monologue on freedom of speech. 
“What about school dress code? We don’t have the freedom to wear anything.”
“True. But that’s the point of democracy…to set the boundaries of freedom.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Okay. What if every student had the freedom to wear anything to school that they wanted? I mean, girls could show up in bikinis.”
In serious fascination thinking about that fact, the preadolescent whispered, “Awesome!”

And then there are just boys speaking their unfiltered thoughts!

not appropriate for school

not appropriate for school
9-1-14
Alex, a third grader, was walking down an empty school hallway before children arrived with his escort, a fifth grade teacher friend. He stopped at a bulletin board, pointed to a poster and said, “That pichur’s not appopeeat for school.”  HIs friend followed his finger and looked, “Why not?” Alex shook his head and repeated, “That pichur’s not appopeeat for school.”
looking at Jane
The teacher finished her attending service and returned to the board. On it was mounted a poster-sized photo of Jane Goodall with a chimpanzee at her feet. They were standing in the middle of a jungle, Goodall had her hands clutched behind her back, and the chimp was lifting the end of her shirt and examining what was underneath. An advertising poster for Apple’s Think Different campaign, the overall effect for an adult created a sense of calm.
a child’s response reflects the culture
The message Alex has been taught at home, and the message he received from the photo did not geehaw. Alex resolved his conflict when he decided the photo was inappropriate. His dilemma should make adults wonder, What else do our kids see every day that causes internal friction? And more importantly, Which messages win our children’s conviction?

The poster remained, but it became a teaching tool for a language arts lesson on “context”.

the bees are in the jar

the bees are in the jar
8-28-14
When Lisa got up to “show” the class her Show and Tell we were prepared. We had seen the bees…in the jar…floating in rubbing alcohol. We were fascinated with them being bees and in a jar. The preview spoiler did not extinguish our curiosity.
i have three queen bees in this jar
Really? Not many of us could identify a queen bee. And here Lisa was showing us one suspended in liquid. It, she…three she bees, actually…. was quiet larger than the other ordinary bees. At least the three that she said were queens were larger. Explaining the label of queen bee was “a teachable moment.” But there were no takers. As terrific as the queen bee display was, every kid wanted to know the why, how, and when of this collection.
my dad brought the first bees home
“About three years ago, my dad kinda killed a colony of bees. He scooped up a bunch of bees and brought them home. We put them in alcohol because they won’t disintegrate. My mom put them in jars. I have two more jars at home. She hides them. But I bring them out in Spring….you know, spring bees!”
“But why did you start collecting bees?”
“Because they are interesting, and well, my dad brought them home.”
“if you open the lid would they sting you?”
“Uh, no, they’re dead.”
“That is the weirdest collection I have ever seen!”

Lisa beamed. She enjoys being weird.