I thought it was about time to introduce my students, through a mask of anonymity granted by a Slovenian name generator, to my three or four close relatives who read this blog. The main characters:
Ms. Zeljak Fourth grade teacher extraordinaire, she exudes the kind of "mama bear" persona that makes her both feared and revered by all of her students - not to mention other students, and even faculty members. She is a force to be reckoned with, and absolutely wonderful to work with.
Ms. Dodik Former teacher, and now the dean of students, Ms. Dodik has been credited with turning the school around. This woman runs the school. She has been a part of the Ferebee community for well over twenty years, and knows every student and his uncle. You don't mess with Ms. Dodik.
Ilse The closest thing I have to a model student. She's sweet, funny, kind, well liked by everyone, and probably the coolest fourth grader I have ever met. Everybody loves Ilse. She, along with most of her classmates, is under-performing in reading and math, but that's not for lack of trying.
Durim In a movie, he would be one of the kids I set out to "fix." I took him outside the classroom to go to the bathroom once, and he used the opportunity to run laps around the fourth floor for five full minutes, shrieking and cackling the whole time. Rarely a day goes by that he is not summoned to Ms. Dodik's office. However, more frequently I've been seeing signs of sensitivity and trying in him, and I have to say, it's priceless. He's one of the farthest behind academically, reading at around a first grade level, but lately I've seen him put in a little more effort. Durim and I are going to have fun this year.
Lirim Another one of the "bad boys" of the class, though not as notorious as Durim. Lirim tends to act out in a more subtle way, making snide remarks whenever I pass by or refusing to follow directions.
Jovanka This girl has attitude. The famous Jovanka pout has become a regular feature in Ms. Zeljak's class. At first I thought her stubborn facade to be impenetrable, but then I learned about her background. Jovanka is the baby in a family of ten or eleven siblings, and has lived with Aunt Giorgina for almost her whole life, due to her mother's history of substance abuse. A little love goes a long way with Jovanka. We've definitely had some great moments.
Zala Did I mention attitude? I don't think I knew attitude until I met Zala. We have had one or two good days, but most of the time she likes to remind me of how much better last year's City Year was and how much she hates the new City Year. She would win the award of class clown; I have to admit, it can be hard not to laugh at all the faces she throws me when Ms. Zeljak's not looking.
Karel Karel. What can I say about Karel? He is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met, and every day he surprises me further by sticking up for a picked-on classmate or saying something extremely insightful. Karel is quiet and soft-spoken, but his smile can just melt your heart. He can run into trouble through hanging with Durim and Lirim, but he respects me more than any other student. According to Ms. Zeljak, Karel has a bit of a record, but it has yet to show.
Marija Marija had to transfer to our class a couple weeks ago due to behavior issues in her previous class. She can be extremely rambunctious and has mood swings like nothing I've seen, but I've there's some definite good in her. She's also significantly more advanced than most of her peers at reading - that is to say, almost at grade level.
Lizika Lazika is very behind and acts far younger than most of her classmates. She shuts down easily and doesn't have many close friends in the class, so helping her has been a struggle.
Matej One of the students enrolled in special ed, I don't get to see him as much as the others. When he is in class, he has the effect of brightening my day. He is the closest thing I've seen to a human embodiment of a puppy. Unfortunately, he rarely seems to be able to grasp what's going on around him.
Diko Ms. Zeljak tells me that Diko spent much of last year in the hospital, for unknown reasons, and since then, has seemed a little off. Diko is sweet as can be, but, like Matej, can seem a bit oblivious at times. The positive side of this is that he is always happy, but I have never seen him stay on task for more than five minutes at a time, and he tends to find himself missing recess for reasons unknown to him.
Karmina Karmina is doing relatively okay academically (key word "relatively"), but she can get a bit moody. She is always vying for my attention and help, which is good because it means she's interested in learning, but not so good because she needs to become more independent in her work. The cries of "I need heeeeeeeeeeeelp" are starting to get a bit grating.
Amon Another one of the big "problem students." Amon is also enrolled in special ed, but he is the farthest thing from timid and gentle Matej. Amon is the shortest kid in the class, even though he is already ten, and he seems to supplement self-esteem issues with violence. It is rare to see Amon walking down the halls without a school administrator leading him by the hand. The school has all but given up on him. Amon is reading below kindergarten level, but boy, can this little guy run his mouth. However, it could be wishful thinking, but I think I'm growing on him. It's been over a week since he's given me any attitude. I'd like to say Amon and I are starting to form a special bond.
Anton Probably the most social kid in class. He's a little chatterbox with the girls he sits with during class and doesn't hold back with the boys at lunch either. Anton is one of the best kids I've ever met, ever. He's pretty behind in reading, but leads the class in math and has memorized the names of almost all the presidents in order. His favorite music is rap, hip hop, and classical.
Dejon Along with Durim and Diko, Dejon is one of the boys I'll be helping the most with literacy. Dejon's a sweet kid with a big heart, but he gets frustrated very easily with schoolwork. Dejon is usually better behaved than most of the boys, but he has a tendency to slip when provoked. Dejon is one of my favorites to observe during lunch, as he often leads the other boys in freestyling. I have to say, the boy has rhythm.
There are 23 kids in the class, but these are the ones I'll be working with the most. As to why so many of them are so far behind, Ms. Zeldak tells me that all the current fourth graders had a pretty incompetent teacher in second grade, and for all intents and purposes, should have been held back as a grade, but logistically, it made no sense. So they moved on to third grade, in which half of them were met with another sub-par teacher. Consequently, a majority of them are now reading at a first or second grade level.
All I can say is, it's a good thing they're cute.
that's my line!!! what have i always told you? i'm the luckiest mom in the world (and it's a good thing you're cute). love the names. don't know who funkychow is, but this is yo (very proud) mama
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