We were out of school Monday for President's Day, so yesterday was my first day with my kiddos since last Thursday. I hate missing work, and it seems like my students hated the fact that I missed school on Friday. Okay. Maybe it wasn't that they missed me. But, because I wasn't there, my students had an interesting experience with the substitute teacher.
Students eagerly greeted me and couldn't wait to tell me the story of the terrible things they had to go through on Valentine's Day.
Student: Ms. Hagan! Ms. Hagan! Ms. Hagan! I'm so glad you're here today. You'll never guess what the sub did on Friday.
Me: I don't know. What did he do?
Student: He gave us the talk.
Me: The talk?
Student: You know. The birds and the bees talk.
Me: The substitute did WHAT?!?!?
Once I heard the entire story, I wasn't quite as alarmed. I'm still not quite sure why this was even a topic of discussion, but the substitute made a point of telling one of my classes that they needed to practice abstinence until marriage. And, from what I was told, it wasn't a single remark. He kept going on and on and on about how great things were going to be for my students if they saved themselves for marriage. I agree with him wholeheartedly, but I'm not sure if this was the proper setting for the conversation. The things that happen when you're gone...
In my mailbox, I was surprised to find a Valentine's Day gift. Our FCCLA sells "crushes" as a fundraiser. Students can send candy, a Crush pop, and/or a stuffed animal to anybody in the school for a small fee.
 |
| Valentines Gift |
I wasn't expecting this, so I instantly began to check out the attached note to see who it was from.
 |
| From: "Your Secret Lover" |
To: Mrs. Hagan
From: Your Secret Lover
My Secret Lover? Really? Then, to make it somewhat more and less mysterious at the same time, the bottom of the card read, "We love you."
I knew it must be from some students, but I couldn't figure out who. Luckily, it didn't take long for one of them to spill the beans and ask me if I liked they and another student had gotten me.
 |
| Document Camera Pet |
This little guy doesn't have a name yet, but he's found a new home on my document camera.
I wished my students a belated Valentine's Day. And, I had to explain what belated meant way more times than I expected. Why did you call it belated? Why didn't you just say Happy Late Valentine's Day?
 |
| Valentine's Wish |
I passed out my Valentine's that I made for my students.
 |
| Mathematical Valentines |
I found the card online via Pinterest. You can download your own copy of the card at love2learn2day. I downsized them to be closer to the size of a typical valentine. Thanks to my paper chopper, I was able to put these cards together for my students in a relatively short amount of time.
 |
| Cutting Out Valentines |
I taped on the Pixy Sticks, and the cards were ready to hand out to my students. I had to go to three different stores to buy Pixy Sticks. First, I went to my local Wal-Mart. No Pixy Sticks. I decided that must be because I live in the middle of nowhere. So, I went to another Wal-Mart. Again, no Pixy Sticks. Finally, I found them at Dollar General. I guess Pixy Sticks aren't as popular as they once were...
The most common response? "Oh my goodness! Ms. Hagan, you would give us a mathematical valentine!" Quite a few laughed.
Another popular response: "Will I get my phone taken away if I get it out to take a picture of this?"
Most were just excited about the candy.
We're not going to talk about how one of my students decided to snort a pixy stick today during class. I think he learned his lesson. He ran out of class, almost crying. When he did return from the bathroom, he was in so much pain that he could barely focus on the day's lesson.
One of my 8th graders surprised me with chocolate. It turned out to be a very good day!
 |
| Chocolate From A Student |